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

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Villa Italian Kitchen 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

 
Villa Italian Kitchen Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $302,950 - $1,016,000$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $25,000 - $35,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 6%7%
Advertising Fee -2%
Year Founded 19641992
Year Franchised 19941998
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Renewal Fee $7.5K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Villa Italian Kitchen Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • 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

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

    Training & Support

     
    Villa Italian Kitchen Franchise
    Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 133 hours Classroom Training: 6-12 hours Additional Training: At corporate locations 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification
    Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations -
    Marketing Social media SEO Website development Email marketing -
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10

    Absentee ownership allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

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

    Expansion Plans

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

    Company Overviews

    About Villa Italian Kitchen

    For close to 45 years, Villa Enterprises has been operating and developing restaurant concepts, with over 300 locations globally today. When you become a Villa Enterprises franchisee, you're not only joining an experienced restaurant company, you're teaming up with a partner who is supportive and dedicated to your success.

    Seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Asia, Canada, Central America, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Mexico, South America and Western Europe    

    Veteran Incentives  20% off franchise fee

    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.