Papa Murphy's vs Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Papa Murphy's vs Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Papa Murphy's Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $286,919 - $524,205$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 5%7%
Advertising Fee 2%2%
Year Founded 19811992
Year Franchised 19821998
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Papa Murphy's Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Experience -No Restaurant experience necessary but helpful Minimum financials are $175K to $400K in investment capital and a $600K to $1.0MM net worth

Financing Options

 
Papa Murphy's Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/No-/Yes
Start-up Costs No/Yes-/Yes
Equipment No/Yes-/Yes
Inventory No/Yes-/Yes
Receivables No/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/Yes

Training & Support

 
Papa Murphy's Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 230 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification
Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform -
Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Email marketing Loyalty program/app -
Operations Number of Employees Required to Run: 10

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.

Expansion Plans

 
Papa Murphy's Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
US Expansion No-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Papa Murphy's

Papa Murphy's Take N' Bake Pizza is the pioneer of the take and bake concept. We are the largest take and bake pizza company in the world. We offer only the freshest and highest quality ingredients with our freshly grated cheeses and our dough that is prepared in house daily. Papa Murphy's offer our products at a low price point, and we also offer our customer the opportunity to cook their pizza when they are ready to eat it. 98% of Papa Murphy's stores are franchised. It is the energy and entrepreneurial spirit of our franchisees that makes Papa Murphy's the innovative and customer centered organization that it is. Without the hard work and dedication of our franchisees we would not have been able to experience the growth and success that we have seen over the years.

Currently franchise units in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, 24 more states, Canada and the Middle East. Please inquire about other states, also.  

Veteran Incentives  Reduced royalty fee for first three years

About Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen

Using the family recipe for hand-tossed dough, the sauce made from fresh-crushed California tomatoes, and imported Italian cheese blends, Anthony became the sole owner and chef of his first restaurant Russo’s Pizza in the early 80’s. "It was 800 square feet. I had a pizza oven, a dough mixer and two tables. That's it. I could only sit eight people.” A few years later, he created Anthony’s Pizzeria, located in Clear Lake, Texas, and soon moved to Houston.

For almost a decade, Anthony refined his menu using classic Italian family recipes and zeroed in on the perfect New York-style pizza. In 1992, Russo’s New York Pizzeria opened in downtown Houston, Texas and proved to be a success.

 
Russo's Restaurants is a national and international franchisor of the fast casual and casual dining brands Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen. Based in Houston, Russo's Restaurants are composed of a mix of corporate and franchised locations across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Hawaii. Russo's has entered international markets as well, with locations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. There are an additional 20-plus units in development both in the United States and internationally. Chef Anthony Russo has created his concepts from years of applying his unique, family recipes featuring New York-style pizza along with a broad variety of handcrafted pasta creations, calzones, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts, reflecting his commitment to his New York roots where food and family come first.