Travel-center operator LV Petroleum adds Sbarro in Texas

LV Petroleum opened a Sbarro in Hillsboro, Texas, on June 23, giving the travel-center operator its 32nd Sbarro location. The new unit is listed by Sbarro as Petro Hillsboro, and the opening shows how pizza is moving deeper into convenience retail, where the customer is already on the property and looking for food fast.

LV Petroleum, which develops and operates travel centers, convenience stores and quick-service restaurants across the United States, framed the deal as part of a broader rollout. The company said, “Our partnership with Sbarro is one of the clearest examples of how we are scaling the right brands at the right tempo across our network.” That matters for Pizza Hut crews because it signals another place where pizza competes for the same dinner, lunch and late-night dollars without relying on a traditional dining room.

The format also fits the way travelers buy food. Travel centers and c-stores can catch impulse purchases, road-trip traffic and stop-and-go demand that traditional restaurant sites often miss. For Pizza Hut drivers and managers, that is a reminder that convenience is no longer defined only by delivery apps or a quick carryout window. A pizza counter inside a fuel stop can answer the same question faster: what can I eat right now, without leaving the route?

Sbarro’s own franchise materials show how wide that bet has become. The brand says its formats can live in airports, casinos, c-stores, travel plazas, universities, hospitals, military bases, theme parks, train stations, neighborhood locations and truck stops. Sbarro also said in April 2025 that it had reached 800 restaurants worldwide, putting the Hillsboro opening inside a much larger network that reaches far beyond mall food courts.

The broader market is moving the same way. Convenience-store foodservice coverage in 2025 cited a report showing 33% of Americans eat pizza at least once a week and 45% of convenience-store customers buy hot food at least once a week. A foodservice consultant said c-stores are shifting from “convenience-only” to “food-and-beverage destinations.” At the same time, quick-service pizza sales fell 0.3% in 2025, a sign that chains are fighting for growth in places where the customer is already on the move.