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

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of CiCi's 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

 
CiCi's Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Investment $209,962 - $1,056,527$295,000 - $750,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$49,500
Royalty Fee 4 - 6%7%
Advertising Fee greater of $2300 or 3% of sales2%
Year Founded 19851992
Year Franchised 19871998
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years+5
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
CiCi's Pizza Franchise
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Experience
  • General business 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

     
    CiCi's Pizza 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/No-/Yes
    Inventory No/No-/Yes
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/Yes

    Training & Support

     
    CiCi's Pizza Franchise
    Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
    Training 8-12 week training process (the VP of Training may require additional training at his/her discretion, as successful completion of training is based on proficiency)8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations-
    Marketing National advertising-
    Operations 60% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 25-30

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

    Expansion Plans

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

    Company Overviews

    About CiCi's Pizza

    Hi Welcome to CiCi's! - An endless pizza, pasta, salad & dessert buffet loved by families for delivering unbelievable value. CiCi's is also an unbelievable opportunity for passionate entrepreneurs who are looking to build their own business and take control of their financial futures. Entrepreneur Magazine ranked CiCi's as the top brand in the Italian restaurant franchise category & the Wall Street Journal's guide for entrepreneurs ranked CiCi's as one of the top 25 highest performing Brands in the nation. Join the CiCi's Family & you'll have access to state of the art systems and people to help you realize your full potential as a CiCi's Franchisee. At 650+ stores, CiCi's size & scale provides the system great buying power that keeps costs low and enables National TV Advertising. But it's also small enough to provide Franchisees hands-on guidance in site selection, store Operations/Training & local store marketing. There are Franchise opportunities available now! Visit www.cicispizza.com.

    The total initial investment necessary to begin operation of your Cicis Restaurant ranges from $697,500 to $1,056,527. These totals include approximately $208,485 to $279,942 that must/may be paid to the franchisor or their affiliate.
    The total initial investment necessary to begin operation of your Cicis To Go Restaurant ranges from $209,962 to $399,774. These totals include approximately $101,973 to $130,843 that must/may be paid to the franchisor or their affiliate.

    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.