Interview: Anthony Russo, founder, Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen 

January 10, 2023

Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is expanding internationally with deals in Qatar and London; we spoke to the founder, Anthony Russo, at the International Franchise Show in London. Pizza franchise brands remain universally popular with their familiar and tasty offering and  Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen  focuses on quality. Customers will always come back for a tasty pizza, and founder Anthony Russo believes he has spotted a gap in the market with his New York-style pizzas. 

Russo believes he can bring his quality pizza franchise brand to the discerning palates of Europe. By adapting his menus to local tastes, creating everything fresh in-store but building on his core of New York-style pizzas, Russo believes he can popularize the brand and style of pizza across the continent. 

We caught up with Anthony at the International Franchise Show in London on April 8 at his booth to speak about his brand and where he wants to take it. 

RP: With authentic Italian pizzas and cuisine, how do you make sure that every franchise location is able to maintain the quality that your customers expect? 

AR: Our concept is New York-style pizza. So, it’s an American Italian style pizza, which is very unique and different, which you don’t get here in Europe. The Italian pizzas are different to New York-style pizza, it’s more Neapolitan style whereas New York is thinner, it’s crispier and it travels well.  

So, once you taste New York-style pizza, you’ll notice the huge difference with Italian-style pizza. The toppings are similar. We use prosciutto, burrata cheese, fresh mozzarella and we have all the gourmet Italian toppings. 

I grew up eating Neapolitan pizza and New York-style pizza, so I was in the kitchen and in my family restaurant for many years. But I wanted to start a New York concept because there’s a niche for it, you can’t get it in a lot of places. 

RP: Have you ever had to make significant changes to your menus or processes because you found that it wasn’t scalable when you franchised your concept? 

AR: Not really.  

We’ll make things fresh from scratch, in-house. We don’t want to take shortcuts. There’s a lot of chains out there and they want to expand rapidly, and they don’t want to adapt their pre-made pizza sauce, pre-made dough, or have a commissary that is already pre-made in advance, whereas I’ve always believed that if it isn’t fresh, don’t serve it.  

Customers can tell the difference between a Russo’s pizza versus another known pizza chain, and it’s just okay, right? But I want to get that mom-and-pop experience. Making pizza dough is easy. You have to use the right kind of flour, the right kind of olive oil to make pizza dough, which is time-consuming, but it pays off because your food cost lowers. My cost of goods is average at 90 per cent of my food cost. With other chains food costs are about 28 to 30 per cent because they buy stuff already made with a third party. 

RP: When expanding internationally, do you tread a line between authenticity and adapting to local tastes, or is it one or the other? 

AR: I do both. We customize our menu for each market. We want to ask them what local flavors they want, but at the same time, we want to serve truly authentic New York-style pizza. That’s not going to change, but we’ll add some gourmet toppings or some unique toppings locally. 

Salads, for example, we do some risotto on some menus, and for pizza toppings we do shrimp. We also have lamb and other unique toppings that work for the Middle East market. So, we do things like that and we have to adapt to some of the local ingredients. 

But our core is always New York-style pizza.  

RP: Are there any exciting markets around the world that you are making a special effort to get into? 

AR: For sure. Like I said, there’s not too many New York-style pizza brands expanding globally. I think that’s kind of unique and now’s the time to do it to expand into new markets.  

We have restaurants in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, and people who want quality pizza. I’m excited about it because there’s not many chains that do what we do in our kitchen and because of the European market, especially because they know food. So, they would appreciate our type of pizza in Europe, which I think is my next development target market. 

RP: What are some of the biggest mistakes that pizza franchisors are making today when entering the market? 

AR: Research. I think if you don’t adapt locally to consumers, the local markets may not support your business. I think you can do some research with adding local flavours to the menu, though some franchise brands are very strict and aren’t flexible to adapt.  

I think that’s one of the biggest mistakes. That could be on beverages, desserts and even some meal options. But you always want to adapt and be flexible with menu items. Some brands have a strength, they just don’t want to not change the menu at all and that did was hurt the brand and make success difficult. 

Each market is different. I think they do that because they want to keep their standard. That’s why some brands fail in international markets, because they’re not adaptable. 

If you missed the International Franchise Show in London last week,  here is our roundup of the day.

Interviewed by Raghav Patel for  Global Franchise

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Why Russo’s Is a Healthier Pizza Chain and Italian Restaurant Choice

May 28, 2026
Today’s guests are paying closer attention to what they eat. They still want pizza, pasta, and classic Italian food, but they also want better ingredients, fresh preparation, lighter choices, and meals that do not feel overly processed. That is why Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is becoming a stronger choice for guests searching for a healthier pizza chain, healthy pizza options, and fresh Italian food made with real ingredients. We operate in the United States and internationally, but the kitchen philosophy has stayed simple. Fresh dough, scratch made sauces, premium ingredients, family recipes, and made to order Italian food come first. Founded by Chef Anthony Russo, the brand was built on authentic New York style pizza and Italian cooking inspired by recipes passed through generations. Instead of relying on frozen shortcuts, Russo’s focuses on fresh daily prep, clean ingredient choices, and real flavor. A Healthier Pizza Chain Starts With Better Ingredients A healthier pizza does not mean removing everything people love about pizza. It starts with how the food is made. At Russo’s, the pizza starts with house made dough prepared fresh daily using premium all natural flour. The sauce is made in house. Fresh mozzarella, fresh garlic, herbs, vegetables, and extra virgin olive oil are used throughout the kitchen. That matters because many guests today are reading labels and asking better questions. They want to know what is in their food, how it is prepared, and whether the restaurant uses fresh ingredients or heavily processed shortcuts. Russo’s gives guests a better way to enjoy New York style pizza without losing the taste, comfort, or quality they expect. Fresh Pizza, Pasta, and Italian Food Made Daily Russo’s menu is built around fresh preparation. The kitchen uses scratch made marinara sauce, slow simmered meat sauce, house made dressings, fresh salads, premium beef, all natural chicken, seafood, and brick oven pizza made fresh to order. The menu also includes pasta dishes, chicken entrées, seafood pasta, salads, calzones, and Italian classics prepared with traditional cooking methods. This gives guests more than one way to enjoy a meal. They can choose a fresh pizza, a salad with protein, grilled salmon, chicken, seafood, pasta, or a lighter Italian entrée based on what fits their appetite. Healthier Pizza Options Without Losing Flavor For guests looking for healthy pizza options, Russo’s focuses on freshness, quality, and customization. Guests can enjoy hand stretched New York style pizza with fresh toppings, premium mozzarella, scratch made sauce, and brick oven baking. They can also choose gluten free options, lighter toppings, fresh vegetables, salads, or protein focused menu items when available by location. The goal is not to turn pizza into diet food. The goal is to serve pizza made with better ingredients and fewer shortcuts. That is what makes Russo’s different from many large chain pizza restaurants. Better Choices for GLP 1 and Wellness Focused Guests More guests are now thinking about portion control, protein intake, fresh vegetables, and balanced meals. This has become even more common as GLP 1 lifestyle habits and wellness focused dining continue to grow. Russo’s menu naturally gives guests more flexibility. A guest may want a smaller portion, a salad, grilled chicken, seafood, fresh vegetables, or a protein balanced Italian meal. Another guest may want authentic brick oven pizza made with fresh dough and real ingredients. Both guests can find something that works for them. That is why Russo’s can be positioned as a healthier pizza and Italian restaurant choice for modern diners who still want comfort food made better. Authentic Italian Food With Family Recipes Russo’s is not only a pizza restaurant. It is an Italian restaurant built around Chef Anthony Russo’s family recipes, fresh ingredients, and scratch cooking. The menu includes New York style pizza, fresh pasta, seafood dishes, chicken entrées, salads, calzones, and Italian comfort food made with care. Many of these recipes come from Italian family traditions. That gives the food a more personal story and helps guests understand why Russo’s focuses on fresh preparation instead of mass produced shortcuts. A Healthier Pizza and Italian Restaurant Choice Across the USA and Beyond Russo’s serves guests across the United States and internationally. Even with national and global operations, the brand continues to focus on fresh dough, made to order pizza, scratch made sauces, and authentic Italian recipes. For guests searching for the healthiest pizza choice, a healthy pizza chain, fresh Italian food, or a family friendly Italian restaurant, Russo’s offers a menu built around better ingredients and more flexible choices. Guests can dine in, order takeout, schedule pizza delivery, plan catering, enjoy lunch specials, or visit their nearest Russo’s location for fresh New York style pizza and Italian food. Fresh Choices Guests Can Order at Russo’s Russo’s menu gives guests several fresh and balanced options, including brick oven New York style pizza, fresh salads, grilled chicken dishes, seafood entrées, salmon, chicken Saltimbocca, burrata salads, pasta dishes, calzones, and classic Italian entrées. Guests can also customize many menu items based on appetite, preference, and lifestyle. This helps make Russo’s a strong choice for families, office lunches, group meals, takeout nights, and guests who want Italian food made with fresh ingredients. Find your nearest Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen location and enjoy fresh New York style pizza, scratch made pasta, salads, seafood, and authentic Italian entrées made with better ingredients. Frequently Asked Questions Why is Russo’s considered a healthier pizza chain? Russo’s focuses on fresh ingredients, house made pizza dough, scratch made sauces, premium olive oil, fresh vegetables, and made to order Italian food instead of relying heavily on frozen or overly processed ingredients. Does Russo’s serve healthy pizza options? Yes. Guests can choose fresh vegetable toppings, lighter pizza options, salads, grilled chicken dishes, seafood entrées, gluten free options at select locations, and customizable menu items based on their preferences. What type of pizza does Russo’s serve? Russo’s is known for authentic New York style pizza baked in a brick oven using hand stretched dough, premium mozzarella, scratch made sauce, and fresh toppings. Is Russo’s only a pizza restaurant? No. Russo’s is also an Italian restaurant serving fresh pasta, seafood dishes, salads, calzones, chicken entrées, catering options, lunch specials, and family style Italian meals. Does Russo’s operate outside the United States? Yes. Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen operates across the United States and internationally while continuing to focus on fresh ingredients, scratch cooking, and authentic Italian family recipes.

Russo’s Quietly Opens Anthony’s New York Italian, an Elevated Houston Dining Experience

May 25, 2026
Russo’s NY Pizzeria has long been known in Houston for New York-style pizza, casual Italian favorites, and a welcoming dining experience. According to a CultureMap Houston article, the Russo name is now connected to a new restaurant concept called Anthony’s New York Italian, which quietly opened with a more refined approach to Italian dining. While Russo’s NY Pizzeria remains a go-to spot for pizza, pasta, calzones, and family meals, Anthony’s introduces a more elevated side of the brand. Anthony’s New York Italian appears to offer a more elegant and personal restaurant experience compared to the fast casual style Russo’s is best known for. Instead of focusing primarily on quick, casual New York-style pies, the new restaurant creates a setting better suited for date nights, special occasions, and guests looking for a more polished Italian dining atmosphere. The concept gives the Russo brand a chance to showcase a more upscale interpretation of New York Italian food while still staying connected to the recipes and hospitality that made Russo’s recognizable. For fans of Russo’s NY Pizzeria, the quiet opening of Anthony’s New York Italian is an exciting step forward. It shows how the brand continues to grow beyond its well-known pizzeria roots while still honoring classic Italian flavors. With a more elevated and elegant dining experience, Anthony’s New York Italian adds another layer to the Russo story and gives Houston diners a new way to enjoy the flavors of New York Italian cuisine.  Source: CultureMap Houston https://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/popular-stories-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-arrest/

Russo’s NY Pizzeria Calzones Earn Attention for Big Flavor and Classic Italian Comfort

May 25, 2026
Russo’s NY Pizzeria is getting attention for one of its most satisfying Italian favorites: the calzone. A recent Chowhound article highlighting impressive chain restaurant calzones points to the continued popularity of this classic folded pizza-style dish, and Russo’s NY Pizzeria is a natural fit for the conversation. Known for New York-style pizza, fresh ingredients, and hearty Italian menu options, Russo’s offers calzones that deliver the kind of comfort food experience guests expect from an authentic neighborhood pizzeria. A great calzone starts with the right balance of dough, cheese, fillings, and flavor. At Russo’s NY Pizzeria, calzones are made with the same Italian-inspired approach that has helped the brand become recognized for its pizza and pasta. Each calzone gives guests a warm, baked, handheld meal filled with rich cheese and savory ingredients, making it a great choice for lunch, dinner, takeout, or a casual family meal. For customers who love pizza but want something a little different, a calzone offers the perfect mix of crispy crust, melted cheese, and classic Italian flavor. As more diners search for flavorful alternatives to traditional pizza, Russo’s NY Pizzeria calzones continue to stand out as a filling and memorable menu option. Whether ordered on their own or paired with other Italian favorites, they reflect what Russo’s does best: serving approachable, satisfying New York-style Italian food with quality and consistency. For anyone craving a hearty calzone from a trusted pizzeria, Russo’s NY Pizzeria remains a delicious place to start. Source: Chowhound https://www.chowhound.com/2173521/impressive-chain-calzones/
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