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Updated RecentlyBlackjack Pizza vs Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Blackjack 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 |
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| Investment | $168,300 - $392,300 | $295,000 - $750,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $35,000 | $49,500 |
| Royalty Fee | 3% | 7% |
| Advertising Fee | - | 2% |
| Year Founded | 1983 | 1992 |
| Year Franchised | 1988 | 1998 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years+5 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years+5 |
| Renewal Fee | $1K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| 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 |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | -/Yes |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | -/Yes |
| Equipment | No/Yes | -/Yes |
| Inventory | No/Yes | -/Yes |
| Receivables | No/Yes | -/- |
| Payroll | No/No | -/Yes |
Training & Support |
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| Training | Ongoing assistance & classroom training available | 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification |
| Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - |
| Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | - |
| Operations |
25% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15 - 30
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits. |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | - |
| International Expansion | No | - |
Company Overviews
About Blackjack Pizza
Blackjack Pizza was founded in 1983 by Vince Schmuhl. After working several years for Dominos Pizza, the founder felt that there was plenty of room for competitors in the fast growing pizza delivery business. At that time, Dominos Pizza was the only major player in the pizza delivery business in the Rocky Mountain region and he felt that customers would really appreciate an alternative to Dominos Pizza. The first Blackjack Pizza store was opened on June 29, 1983 in Federal Heights, CO. The second store opened in Greeley, CO in February of 1984. Vince continued to open new stores, mainly in the Denver Metro Area. By 1986, there were six corporate owned stores and one franchisee in operation. In 1988, Blackjack officially became a franchisor using the concept of an owner/operator franchisee at each store location. Several corporate stores were sold to franchisees, and other franchisees were added to the system through conversions of independent operators who saw the value in being part of Blackjack Pizza. We have continued to add franchise outlets to the system under a policy of slow, controlled growth. There are 45 stores in operation in four states.
About Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen
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.