HOUSTON - Russo’s New York Pizzeria announces its first location in Manila, Philippines. Chef Russo inked a multi-unit development agreement to open stores with the Le Frank Group. Read more on franchising.com
Chef Anthony Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen Inks a Multi-Unit Agreement to Bring New York-style Pizza to the Philippines
HOUSTON (May 2023) – Russo’s New York Pizzeria, the nation’s only chef-driven New York-style, Italian restaurant and pizzeria franchise concept, announces its first location in Manila, Philippines. Chef Russo inked a multi-unit development agreement to open stores with the Le Frank Group. Janica Lao with the Le Frank Group states, “We are looking forward to bringing a taste of little Italy to the Philippines market. We are excited about Russo’s New York Pizzeria’s fresh-made pizza and Italian cuisine.” Russo’s is a unique pizza franchise concept that offers fresh-made menu items made with premium, high-quality ingredients with no commissary.
The restaurant will serve its fresh-made, premium New York-style pizzas and pastas. The menu includes homemade Lasagna, Fettuccine Alfredo, Truffle Mushroom Pizza, Prosciutto & Fig Pizza, fresh soups, and made-in-house burrata cheese. The patrons are also offered gluten-free and vegan options.
Russo’s recently opened new locations in Doha, Qatar and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, stores in Frisco, TX; Morton Ranch (Katy), TX; Magnolia, TX; and Richmond, TX are currently under construction. Russo’s is expanding rapidly into domestic and international markets.
Russo’s continues to bring chef-driven concepts to new areas as the brand offers franchise opportunities in global markets. Stores are custom-built and offer pizza delivery and casual dining concepts. Store size will range from 1,300 sq. ft. to 3,000 sq. ft. Investments range $295,000 to $950,000.
About Russo’s Restaurants
Founder Anthony Russo opened his first restaurant in 1999. There are 26 corporate and franchise locations throughout the Greater Houston Area, 9 locations nationally and 6 locations internationally. To learn more about Russo’s franchise development opportunities, visit https://russosfranchise.com/.
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Texas-based Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen has signed a five-unit franchise deal in Qatar, fulfilling a key geographic goal in the franchisor's international expansion strategy, according to a press release. Read more on pizzamarketplace.com
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Russo’s New York Pizzeria has become a leader in the saturated New York-style pizza category. The concept was founded in 1994 by chef Anthony Russo, who is the son of Italian immigrants. Read More on 1851 Franchise
HOUSTON, Feb. 3, 2023
Classic New York Pizzeria and Upscale Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen Pizza Franchise Concepts Target UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Africa and Egypt for Expansion...Read More on Bloomberg
May 19, 2018 -- Forbes / Franchises by Ed Teixeira
Just because a franchisor operates a small or emerging franchise network, it shouldn’t exclude them from exporting their franchise brand to other countries, providing they meet certain basic requirements. In fact, there are large franchisors that based upon their performance and product are unqualified for international expansion. In some cases, a small franchise system may find the market in the U.S. so competitive, it might be in their interest to consider expanding into foreign markets. There are certain attributes that qualify a franchisor for international expansion but size alone shouldn’t be the determining factor.
Russo’s Restaurant Franchise
To gain some perspective on this subject, I spoke with Chef Anthony Russo, CEO of Russo's New York Pizzeria and Russo’s Coal Fired Italian Kitchen. Based in Houston, Texas Russo’s began franchising in 1998 and operates 30 franchise locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Hawaii.
I asked CEO Anthony Russo, how he came to take his franchise overseas. He explained that true New York style pizza wasn’t available in many U.S. markets and foreign countries. He told me how the two restaurant concepts have built their reputations on being undeniably authentic in every way. While still franchising in the United States, Anthony started his foray in other countries by engaging the services of a broker. After one year, without success from the broker, he decided to personally exhibit at a franchise show in the Middle East, where he presented his pizza. He received a great response and currently has seven franchise units in Dubai with two more under construction. He also signed a development agreement for 10 locations in Saudi Arabia. After his success in the Middle East, he decided to target Western Europe where he had already exhibited in France and Spain. Unlike other franchisors, he uses a development agreement franchise model in each country rather than a Master Franchise agreement. He feels this approach is less costly for the franchisee and he doesn’t risk giving up franchise rights to an entire country. As Anthony works on international expansion, he continues to franchise in the U.S.
I asked Anthony Russo what he considers the most important requirements for a smaller franchise to go International. His response: “Minimum 20 locations, a good system, strong corporate staff and sufficient working capital.”
Regardless of size, the following are important qualifying factors for international expansion:
Business owners have to select the right location for their establishment if they wish to be successful. There’s no such thing as an effective brick-and-mortar (physical business site) that ignores the timeless adage - “location, location, location.” Even in the pizzeria business, perhaps especially in this industry, you must pay attention to where you put your restaurant.
If you’re considering a career as a pizzeria franchisee, you’ll want to know the best strategies for selecting an optimal place of business. This article offers suggestions for how to do that.
Every prudent business professional knows the value of surveying the competition. It’s not espionage or cheating, either. This is where you figure out where other pizza restaurants have had success and see if there’s room nearby. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for potential “complementary businesses” in your community such as movie theaters, ice cream shops, and other things that go well with pizza. Those locations may be where you decide to position a new pizzeria.
You don’t want to rent or buy any commercial real estate that’s hard to access with only one road or a notoriously difficult parking lot. Often, the best pizzeria locations are near highway exits, downtown areas, and around other necessities. It also doesn’t hurt to set up shop along public transit routes or places with plenty of pedestrian traffic. Nothing’s better than having access to folks who see your restaurant and casually walk inside for a quick slice of pizza or calzone.
This is one area where we offer plenty of support when you partner with Russo’s New York Pizzeria. That’s because we’ve done this a long time, having enjoyed lots of success with three effective restaurant concepts. It goes without saying that you should maintain a clean and beautiful ambiance both inside and outside your restaurant. One way that Russo’s excels at this is by offering patrons a one-of-a-kind dining experience with special novelties. Our best example is when we give customers the chance to watch us make pizza with coal-fired ovens in our larger full-service restaurants. There are many other terrific ways to attract patrons with features and aesthetics as well.
Let this serve as an introduction to what you can do to cultivate the most lucrative pizzeria location. There are many more strategies, which we’d be more than happy to help you explore when you become one of our many franchise owners.
Russo’s New York Pizzeria operates a successful chain of authentic Italian restaurants both in the United States and internationally. We’re eager to expand and invite enthusiastic entrepreneurs to share our success. If you’d like to learn more about franchise opportunities, please contact us anytime at 346-802-4700 or feel free to fill out the form below.
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