Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Mamma Ilardo's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Mamma Ilardo'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
Mamma Ilardo's Franchise
Investment $295,000 - $750,000$175,000 - $320,000
Franchise Fee $49,500N/A
Royalty Fee 7%-
Advertising Fee 2%-
Year Founded 19921976
Year Franchised 19981984
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
Mamma Ilardo'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
Mamma Ilardo'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
Mamma Ilardo's Franchise
Training 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and CertificationCorporate Office and Stores in Baltimore, MD 3 Days to 3 Weeks
Support -Central Purchasing

Field Operation Evaluation

Field Training

Initial Store Opening

Inventory Control

Franchisee Newsletter

Regional or National Meetings
Marketing --
Operations On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.Average Number of Employees: 8 Full-time, 10 Part-time

Passive Ownership: Allowed, But Discouraged

Expansion Plans
 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Mamma Ilardo's Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion -Yes

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 Mamma Ilardo's

At mamma ilardo's, we have designed 3 ways to do business with our company: our Licensing Program, our Product Distribution Agreement (PDA) and our Express Pizza Co-Branding Program. The links above will give you more detailed information about each option and allow you to identify how mamma ilardo's products can meet your specific needs. For those programs that require a license fee, it is an investment in mamma ilardo's that enables us to continue the development of our programs and our brand. The on-going royalty fee supports our system and allows for development and refinement in various areas including products, equipment, quality controls, operations, marketing and training that we feel will be of benefit and value to the operator.