Self-service takes off

Petrol stations are now firing up the pizza oven

Klaus Haberl founded BistroBox with his fellow students in 2009. Today, the self-service pizzeria already has 45 locations.(Bild: BistroBox (2), Krone KREATIV)

From ham to diavolo to kebab style! Six different types of pizza are on the menu in the BistroBox. The round-the-clock concept developed in Upper Austria now operates 45 locations. Petrol stations in particular are increasingly becoming a growth opportunity.

One location in Enns was closed, and the BistroBox at PlusCity in Pasching is also history. Is it possible that the concept of the self-service pizzeria, which is open around the clock, is no longer popular with customers? "No, our branch network is generally developing well," says Klaus Haberl, who developed the concept around an innovative hot-air pizza oven with Jürgen Traxler and David Kieslinger in 2009.

When choosing locations, our focus is on high-frequency traffic locations such as petrol stations and highway service areas.

Klaus Haberl, Geschäftsführer BistroBox

There are currently 45 BistroBoxes in Austria, most recently one was opened on the Westautobahn in Roggendorf/Lower Austria. "Demand is still very high," says Haberl. Challenges in the petrol station industry, which is suffering from staff shortages and is being challenged by the shift towards e-mobility, are favoring the further expansion that the company from Holzhausen has planned.

"Other utilization of the property planned"
And why did Pasching and Enns close? There were individual reasons: The proximity to PlusCity and the associated competition had a negative impact, and the space in Enns could no longer be rented. "A different use of the property is planned there," says Haberl.