Green Mill Restaurant & Bar vs Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Green Mill Restaurant & Bar 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
 
Green Mill Restaurant & Bar Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $1,000,000 - $1,500,000$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $40,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 4%7%
Advertising Fee -2%
Year Founded 19751992
Year Franchised 19911998
Term Of Agreement -10 years+5
Term Of Agreement -10 years+5
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Green Mill Restaurant & Bar 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
 
Green Mill Restaurant & Bar 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/No-/Yes
Receivables No/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/Yes

Training & Support
 
Green Mill Restaurant & Bar Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen 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
 
Green Mill Restaurant & Bar Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Green Mill Restaurant & Bar

A legend has to start somewhere, right? Ours began in St. Paul in 1935. For forty years, Green Mill was a neighborhood staple & is still the oldest licensed pub in St. Paul. In 1975, on a trip to Chicago the Green Mill owners fell in love with the deep dish pizza and added their version of it to the Green Mill menu. What happened next was pizza history. Word spread. Lines formed. Awards were won. A legend was born.
 
 
Proven Concept

* Established in 1975 * Nearly 30 franchised locations * Winners of over 100 food awards * Full-service restaurant and bar * Free-standing locations or hotel experience - Currently connected to 14 hotel properties Proven Catering * On and off-site catering expertise * Awarded Best Wedding Catering in 2012 by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine - Won judges and people's choice * Best of The Knot 2014 * Best of The Knot 2015 * Cater thousands of events each year - Weddings - Banquets - Business meetings - Parties Proven Business Model * Strong brand * Helps drive REV PAR in hotel properties * Low royalty and advertising fees * Comprehensive operations and training programs * Ongoing menu development * Marketing support Proven Leadership * Over 100 years of leadership and restaurant experience on team - Paul Dzubnar, CEO (17 years) - Mary Jule Erickson, President (31 years) - John Hinz, CMO (18 years) - Tim Kreiser, VP of Operations (15 years) - Pete Waldon, Executive Chef (26 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.