Exec Suite: Carolyn Spatafora, Sbarro

Carolyn Spatafora had only been chief financial officer for about a year when Sbarro, the Melville-based pizza and pasta chain, filed for bankruptcy last April. With 1,000 restaurants around the world, the company had been hurt by the decline in mall traffic in recent years and, strapped with debt, was unable to invest in jazzing up its appearance or updating its menu to attract more customers, Spatafora says.

About 30 of its investors, mainly from Stone Tower Capital, traded their debt for equity and helped the company emerge from bankruptcy in November with $35 million in new capital, she says.

Spatafora, 46, a Centerreach native, started her career as a certified public accountant at the large auditing firm KPMG, then moved to Adecco staffing before taking management roles at Sbarro. She said her dedicated team and mentors, former CFO Tony Puglisi and former interim chief executive Nicky McGrane, helped her rise to her executive position.

How is Sbarro changing?
Our new CEO Jim Greco [from Bruegger's Bagels] actually created a new strategic plan which encompasses what we call our 4 P's -- our people, place, product and positioning . . . and new menu items are being tested.

What do you keep your eye on?
Same-store sales,  unemployment rates, mall traffic and our traffic -- if new people are coming to Sbarro.

What trends do you see across the country?
Mall traffic, in general, has leveled off, or has increased slightly, with certain areas of the country really turning around. California and Florida were really struggling in past years, but rebounded in 2011; now they're leveling off somewhat.

Is there anything cyclical about the food business?
As unemployment rises, the sales normally decline again in the restaurant industry. For many years we've been waiting for that unemployment to really improve, and that's really kind of staying somewhat static . . . Also, if you see the economy improving, the [price of] commodities will normally rise.

How is the food business different, financially, from working at KPMG or Adecco?
It's very different because commodities -- cheese and flour and other products -- fluctuate so much that it's something that's really out of your control. . . . at Adecco our main costs of control were the associates that we put out on jobs . . . In restaurants, if cheese goes up 10 cents a pound, it ends up being very significant. And during the last few years everybody in the food business is having commodity pressure.

What's your favorite Sbarro menu item?
The plain cheese slice . . . I know that sounds boring, but that would have to be my favorite.

CORPORATE SNAPSHOT

Name. Carolyn Spatafora, chief financial officer at Sbarro Llc in Melville.

What it does. "We're really in the business of creating memorable experiences through our food, atmosphere and hospitality."

Employees. 4,600 full time and part time; 240 full time on Long Island

Roles they play. Food preparation and service; in the corporate office, accounting, finance, purchasing and information technology.

Revenue. About $300 million