Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Pieology Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Pieology Franchise
Investment $295,000 - $750,000$458,500 - $874,500
Franchise Fee $49,500$25,000
Royalty Fee 7%-
Advertising Fee 2%-
Year Founded 19922010
Year Franchised 19982012
Term Of Agreement 10 years+5-
Term Of Agreement 10 years+5-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Pieology 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
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Pieology Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/Yes-/-
Start-up Costs -/Yes-/-
Equipment -/Yes-/-
Inventory -/Yes-/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/Yes-/-

Training & Support
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Pieology Franchise
Training 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification-
Support --
Marketing --
Operations On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.-

Expansion Plans
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Pieology Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

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.

About Pieology

Before we embarked on our create-your-own pizza experience, our story began in the kitchen, with our founder, his wife and daughters, and a plan to share time together. From that day on, Pieology would forever be a fresh retreat from the everyday hustle and bustle -- where the only thing more important than quality food is quality people to share it with.
Using only the freshest ingredients along with signature sauces and crusts, award-winning Pieology Pizzeria offers hand-crafted, personally-inspired pizzas in unlimited flavor combinations that are stone oven fired in less than three minutes. Founded in 2011 by Carl Chang, Pieology is the true "pie-one" in the fast casual custom pizza sector, evolving from the simple idea to turn America's most crave-able food into an affordable and interactive experience. The mission of Pieology Pizzeria is to inspire individual creativity in a positive atmosphere where guests can gather with family and friends, while enjoying their delicious pizza creations. Along with providing great food and a memorable dining experience, Pieology is committed to making a positive difference in the communities it serves, one pie at a time.
Pieology was on schedule and opened 110 restaurants by the end of 2015, with commitments for 500. Technomic, the leading fact-based consulting and research firm serving the food industry, reported Pieology as the fastest growing limited service restaurant chain, having more than tripled both sales and unit growth in 2014. Pieology is the first fast casual, build-your-own pizza concept to enter the ranking among the nation's largest brands.