Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Johnny Brusco's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Johnny Brusco's 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
Johnny Brusco's Franchise
Investment $295,000 - $750,000$303,200 - $770,000
Franchise Fee $49,500$30,000
Royalty Fee 7%4-5%
Advertising Fee 2%2%
Year Founded 19921977
Year Franchised 19981995
Term Of Agreement 10 years+510 years +10
Term Of Agreement 10 years+510 years +10
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Johnny Brusco's 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
Johnny Brusco's 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
Johnny Brusco's Franchise
Training 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and Certification1. Atlanta, GA 4 Weeks minimum 2. Memphis, TN 4 Weeks minimum 3. Dallas, TX 4 Weeks minimum
Support -Central Purchasing

Field Operation Evaluation

Field Training

Initial Store Opening

Inventory Control

Regional or National Meetings

800 Telephone Hotline:

Marketing --
Operations On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.Average Number of Employees: 8 Full-time, 8 Part-time

Passive Ownership: Allowed, But Discouraged


Expansion Plans

 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Johnny Brusco's 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 Johnny Brusco's

Johnny Brusco's and Johnny's Pizza are true New York Style Pizzerias.
Johnny’s is proud to bring authentic, great-tasting New York Style Pizza and a variety of house-made dinners, craft beers, subs and more to the neighborhoods we call home. After a small-town start in 1977, we’ve grown to over 70 pizzerias across the Southeast.
Our dough is made fresh daily, never frozen, hand-tossed and topped with the best ingredients we can find - premium mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, fresh-packed tomatoes, hand-cut veggies, and Italian sausage and beef with no fillers. Then each pizza is brick-oven baked until it’s golden brown, always with our signature soft and crispy crust, and served hot at your table.
At Johnny’s, we grew up enjoying and perfecting pizza, and now we’re sharing our passion with everyone we serve