Franchisee Celebrates One Year in a Booming Business With Russo’s New York Pizzeria

November 24, 2014

Entrepreneurs who are looking for a winning restaurant franchise idea should take note of the success of Russo’s New York Pizzeria. Brad Davis is a Russo’s franchisee who this year celebrated the first anniversary of opening his own Russo’s franchise. Brad shares a little about the experience of becoming a part of the Russo’s family of restaurants.

But first: Why a Russo’s franchise?

“We researched over 150 franchises in our process,” Brad says. “We knew we wanted to open a restaurant in the four main ‘food groups’ of Texan food, BBQ, Hamburgers, Tex Mex or Pizza. We stumbled upon Russo’s through our real estate people. At our first meeting with Anthony and his team we fell in love with the food, atmosphere and corporate support staff. After seeing the numbers and visiting other Russo’s it was a no brainer for us. It was the perfect fit.”

Russo’s franchise of pizzerias stems from the traditional Italian-American upbringing of the company’s founder, Anthony Russo. After years of helping in his family’s restaurant and learning authentic recipes from relatives who visited the U.S. from Naples and Sicily, Anthony opened his first restaurant at the tender age of 18. In 1992, the first New York Pizzeria opened in Houston, and has been a success ever since.

The secret to Russo’s New York Pizzeria’s success is not only its delicious pizza, but all the quality ingredients and traditional cooking methods that go into making it. The pizzas and every ingredient that goes into them are made from scratch, using old-world recipes and the highest quality ingredients.

Each Russo’s New York Pizzeria restaurant features several stacked brick ovens, which reach temperatures in excess of 600 degrees in order to infuse hand-crafted pizzas and calzones with authentic flavors while adding to the atmosphere of the restaurant.

In its first year, Brad’s Russo’s location did a little over $2.1 million in total sales. The average ticket price is $33.00, the average food cost is 26.5%, and the average labor cost is 25.5%.

Brad says that after just a year in business — the restaurant’s anniversary was October 7 — his franchise is already growing rapidly.

“Our current restaurant is approximately 2900 square feet, offering take out and dine-in only,” he says, “but we are in the process of expanding to approximately 4500 square feet and will begin to offer delivery.”

If you’re looking for an excellent franchise opportunity in the restaurant business, choose one that has been making diners (and restaurant owners) happy since 1993. Learn more about how to  join the Russo’s New York Pizzeria family!

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