Vocelli Pizza vs Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Vocelli Pizza 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

 
Vocelli Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $156,000 - $330,900$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 5%7%
Advertising Fee 1%2%
Year Founded 19881992
Year Franchised 19891998
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Renewal Fee 20% of then current fee-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Vocelli Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Experience We receive many calls from customers inquiring about our franchise opportunity! Most of our franchisees that are now with us first tasted the superior quality of our pizza and wanted to know how to get involved in the business. Yes, we request you submit a Franchise Application to show the minimum capital requirements of $250,000 net-worth and $100,000 in liquidity ...but our main focus is that you have a great attitude, be very customer service oriented, have some prior background in the food industry and be very community-minded. In order to qualify for a Vocelli Pizza Franchise, you will need: • Minimum $100,000 Liquidity - Cash, Stocks, Bonds, Insurance, Equity Credit Lines etc. • 1 yr. Food Experience or Operating Partner with the experience • A good FICO Score and credit history • A great attitude with passion 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

 
Vocelli Pizza 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

 
Vocelli Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Training -8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification
Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising-
Operations -On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.

Expansion Plans

 
Vocelli Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Vocelli Pizza

Since 1988, Vocelli Pizza is a franchise company that has withstood the test of time serving high quality artisan pizzas and classic Italian dishes. With over 100 stores serving our award-winning pizza, people have come to know us as the "standard". Our stores are neighborhood shops that use the finest ingredients to prepare favorite family recipes. We aren't just another pizza chain; we're part of the community.

Our franchise system has had over 30 years proving itself in the highly competitive $40 billion per year U.S. pizza segment. Varol Ablak, the chairman & founder, felt that our artisan products could be delivered to your door in 30 minutes without sacrificing quality. As a result, Vocelli has been consistently ranked in the top 30, 40 or 50 of all the top chains in the U.S.

Much of Vocelli's success comes from a commitment to a high quality product. Our recipes are designed with color, texture and taste in mind. We utilize fresh ingredients instead of frozen and choose hand-crafted over off-the-shelf products. The result is a consistently better customer experience that keeps people coming back for more. This certainly affords our customers the comfort that when they order, they get the same superior quality product all the time. Great dough made from a proprietary blend of flour, sauce made from a blend of tomatoes that are fresh packed within 6 hours of picking from the vine and a never-frozen 100% real cheese are mainstays that support the stringent requirements we maintain throughout menu development.

Today, Vocelli Pizza has approximately 2,000 employees and over 100 stores open and in development. Varol has built a winning support team at the Franchise Support Center and a team of successful franchisees. "For us to succeed, the franchisees must succeed" says Varol.
Varol began his entrepreneurial dream with a wish for something better. Today, he offers franchisees a chance to make their own business dreams come true by sharing his proven recipe for success.

We receive many calls from customers inquiring about our franchise opportunity! Most of our franchisees first tasted the superior quality of our pizza and wanted to know how to get involved in the business. Yes, we request you submit a franchise application to show the minimum capital requirements of $250,000 net worth and $100,000 in liquidity, but our main focus is that you have a great attitude, are very customer service oriented, have some prior background in the food industry or have an operating partner who does, and be very community-minded.


We offer a 10% discount on the initial franchise fee to qualified military veterans.


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.