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

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

 
Pizza Factory Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $372,000 - $562,000$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 5%7%
Advertising Fee 3%2%
Year Founded 19791992
Year Franchised 19851998
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years+5
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years+5
Renewal Fee $5000-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Pizza Factory 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

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

Training & Support

 
Pizza Factory Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 214 hours Classroom Training: 26 hours Additional Training: At training store 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification
Support 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 National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app -
Operations Absentee Ownership Allowed

Number of Employees Required to Run: 8 - 10

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

Expansion Plans

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

Company Overviews

About Pizza Factory

Family owned and operated since its founding in 1979, Oakhurst, California-based Pizza Factory prepares pizzas, pasta, calzones and other favorites for its customers throughout the western United States and China. When Danny and Carol Wheeler opened the first restaurant near Yosemite National Park, it was called Danny's Red Devil Pizza. A name change and a few years later, the first franchise was opened with the help of Ron and Joyce Willey. Pizza Factory franchises are offered in three sizes - full, mid and express. Full and mid-sized restaurants can either stand-alone or operate within large strip and shopping centers. Express locations can operate within resorts, malls, convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores.

Seeking new franchise units in the following states:
Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington

Veteran Incentives  25% off franchise fee
#268 in Franchise 500 for 2020.



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.