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

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen vs Al's Pizza 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
Al's Pizza Franchise
Investment $295,000 - $750,000$729,900 - $1,157,200
Franchise Fee $49,500$40,000
Royalty Fee 7%-
Advertising Fee 2%-
Year Founded 1992-
Year Franchised 1998-
Term Of Agreement 10 years+5-
Term Of Agreement 10 years+5-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Al's Pizza 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
Al's Pizza 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
Al's Pizza Franchise
Training 8 Week GM & Key Supervisor Training and CertificationTraining for you and your employees will be provided in existing Al's Pizza restaurants. Our support staff will train you in the many aspects of owning and operating an Al's Pizza franchise. These include staffing, recruiting, advertising, financial controls, employee accountability, facility management, food cost controls, and labor controls.
Support -As the owner of an Al's Pizza franchise, you gain a team of experts committed to your success. Your team works with you, your staff, your vendors, and most of all your customers to ensure a quality environment and experience. At Al's Pizza, we understand how critical it is to support your efforts, foster our relationship with you, and provide the tools necessary for your success. Our philosophy is based on a side-by-side commitment to helping you prosper, as this leads not only to your growth, but to the overall success of the entire Al's Pizza family.
Marketing --
Operations On site pre and post opening training and operational support with quarterly QA Visits.-

Expansion Plans

 
Russo's Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Franchise
Al's Pizza Franchise
US Expansion --
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 Al's Pizza

The Al's Pizza business model is based on an overall theme of quality. The fundamentals include: * Award-winning pizza * An impressive, competitive facility * The latest inventory and labor control tools * A passion for excellence Franchisees are provided with a development process that results in an impressive, high-quality facility. As a franchisee, you can depend upon the Al's Pizza team to manage the development. Costs associated with the design, architectural, and purchasing consulting fees are covered using the franchise fee and architectural fee.Al's Pizza franchisees enter into an 80 day working day training program with a custom schedule tailor made for each franchisee. Al's understands that most franchisees are transitioning from another career and need flexibility during such a complicated time. The program is a combination of training classes and training within an Al's Pizza training restaurant. Representatives from Al's Pizza will work side by side as part of your team during a new opening. Franchisee support also includes Field Consultants who work alongside franchisees, assisting with all aspects of the operations. The support sets Al's Pizza apart from many companies. Even financial information is shared and compared during monthly webinars so every franchisee can measure their own success next to the company owned restaurants. As a former franchisee himself, Bill Kratsas is committed to providing support to franchisees both operationally and financially. As the owner of an Al's Pizza franchise, your efforts are supported every step of the way. By providing you the quality guidance you need, you are able to provide your customers the quality experience they seek, and everyone benefits.
 
Founded in 1988, Al's Pizza combines old world quality, values and work ethic with new world appeal, to provide a unique dining experience for patrons, families and friends.