What Russo's new York Pizzeria does

Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is a Houston-based fast-casual pizza and Italian restaurant franchise with roots tracing to 1978 (formal franchise brand launched 1992) and founded by Chef Anthony Russo. The company operates 50+ franchise locations globally, including 30+ in the US and additional units in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Philippines. Its core offering centers on authentic New York-style pizza — hand-tossed dough made fresh daily with Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil, brick-oven baked with Wisconsin mozzarella and scratch-made marinara and Chianti-braised meat sauce — complemented by a broader Italian menu (pasta, calzones, sandwiches, salads) with gluten-free, halal, and vegan variants.

The business generates revenue through three streams: restaurant food sales (dine-in, takeout, delivery), franchise fees and royalties, and catering services for corporate and group events. Distribution spans company storefronts, the proprietary website and mobile app (Toast-powered), and third-party delivery aggregators (Careem, Noon) in international markets. Customer acquisition combines direct digital ordering, a loyalty rewards program (1 pt per $1), SMS marketing, and franchise lead generation through industry events such as the European Pizza Show. Technology is commoditized (Toast POS, standard iOS/Android apps, online ordering) with no proprietary AI or ML systems disclosed.

The company is expanding through three brand concepts: the flagship Russo's fast-casual brand, the upscale Anthony's New York Italian (launched 2026 in Houston), and the small-format Anthony's Slice of Little Italy designed for high-volume international deployment. Stated growth pipeline includes 25+ European locations and 20+ Middle East stores, plus a planned Mexico entry. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company remains privately held and founder-controlled with no institutional investor involvement indicated.

Name

Russo's new York Pizzeria

Legal name

New York Pizzeria, Inc.

Website

https://nypizzeria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is a Houston-based fast-casual pizza and Italian restaurant franchise founded in 1978, operating 50+ locations worldwide and serving authentic New York-style pizza, pasta, and Italian cuisine to consumers, families, and catering customers via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and franchise channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizza and Italian Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB), Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

Keywords

• Italian restaurant franchise
• New York style pizza
• Pizza delivery service
• Fast casual dining
• Italian catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food Sales: Revenue from dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders of New York-style pizza, Italian pasta dishes, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, calzones, and desserts at company-owned and franchise locations.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Revenue from franchise fees paid by entrepreneurs to open Russo's locations, plus ongoing royalty payments based on franchisee sales.
3. Catering Services: Revenue from corporate catering, group dining events, party packages, and large event deliveries. Offers pizza trays, pasta trays, salads, individual lunch boxes, and full-event catering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen operates fast-casual pizza and Italian restaurants selling hand-tossed, brick-oven New York-style pizza in 12-inch, 16-inch, and 28-inch sizes, alongside scratch-made pastas, calzones, Italian sandwiches, fresh salads, and appetizers. The company distributes its food through dine-in, takeout, and delivery channels at company-owned and franchise locations in the U.S. and international markets, supplemented by full-service catering for corporate events and group gatherings.

Product overview

Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is a fast-casual pizza and Italian restaurant franchise offering authentic New York-style pizza by the slice and full-service Italian cuisine. The core product portfolio includes the main Russo's brand (featuring hand-tossed brick oven pizza in 12", 16", and 28" sizes, pasta dishes, calzones, salads, and sandwiches), complemented by specialized offerings including Gluten-Free Menu and Halal Express for dietary-specific needs, and Anthony's New York Italian for upscale dining. The company operates 50+ franchise locations worldwide with 30+ in the US, supported by a loyalty Rewards Program, SMS marketing, and full catering services. Anthony's Slice of Little Italy represents a new small-format franchise concept for international expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anthony's Slice of Little Italy: New franchise concept focused on high-volume, small-format outlets with a menu featuring New York-style and Sicilian pizza, salads, gelato, and coffee.
• Halal Express
• Anthony's New York Italian

Products and services

• Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen The main Russo's restaurant concept offering authentic New York-style pizza, scratch-made Italian pastas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers through dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering at company-owned and franchise locations across the U.S. and international markets.
• New York-Style Pizza Hand-tossed, brick oven pizza featuring Wisconsin mozzarella, scratch-made sauces, and extra virgin olive oil imported from Sicily. Available in 12-inch medium, 16-inch large, and 28-inch Brooklyn-style giant party sizes.
• Authentic Italian Pastas Fresh, house-made pasta dishes including Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Fettuccine Alfredo, Baked Ziti, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Chicken Parmesan, and Lasagna.
• Calzones Oven-baked folded pizza dough stuffed with Wisconsin mozzarella, ricotta cheese, and toppings including pepperoni, Italian sausage, and Canadian bacon.
• Italian Sandwiches Italian-style sandwiches including Meatball Parmesan, Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Tuscan, and Eggplant Parmesan served on toasted bread.
• Fresh Salads Fresh garden salads including Greek Salad, Caesar Salad, Tuscan Chopped Salad, Cucumber & Feta Salad, and Chicken Avocado Salad with house-made dressings.
• Pizza by the Slice Hot, fast pizza sold by individual slices, including Russo's claimed largest pizza slice in Houston at 14 inches, available for dine-in and takeout.
• Catering Services Full-service Italian catering for corporate events, parties, and large gatherings of 10 or more, offering pizza trays, pasta trays, fresh salads, garlic bread, desserts, individual lunch boxes, and party packages.
• Russo's Rewards Program Loyalty program where members earn 1 point per $1 spent, redeem points for free food, receive birthday rewards, and access exclusive member-only deals.
• SMS Rewards Program SMS-based marketing program offering secret discounts, menu specials, and restaurant news via text message, with a $5 signup bonus for new subscribers who text JOIN to 1-888-329-9395.
• Fundraising Program Community fundraising program in which Russo's donates 10-15% of event sales back to schools, sports teams, and charitable organizations during designated Spirit Nights.
• Gluten-Free Menu Dedicated gluten-free menu featuring gluten-free pizza and pasta options including Gluten-Free Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Gluten-Free Fettuccine Alfredo, and gluten-free salads.
• Halal Express Dedicated Halal-focused sub-brand featuring fully Halal-certified menu items including specialty pizzas such as Chicken Tikka, Halal Meat Lovers, and Halal Gyro, along with pasta dishes, calzones, and Italian specialties.
• Franchise Opportunities Turnkey pizza franchise opportunities offering entrepreneurs authentic New York-style pizza operations with comprehensive training and ongoing operational support.
• Anthony's New York Italian An elevated, upscale Italian dining concept offering a refined, polished restaurant setting for date nights, special occasions, and guests seeking a more elegant Italian experience than Russo's fast-casual format.
• Anthony's Slice of Little Italy New small-format franchise concept featuring New York-style and Sicilian pizza, salads, gelato, and coffee, designed for high-volume slice stores in international markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 15% of sales donated back to organizations through fundraising events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Toast (Toasttab)coreTechnology or IntegrationRusso's uses Toast's restaurant management platform for online ordering, catering orders, rewards programs, and point-of-sale systems. Multiple locations have dedicated Toast ordering sites for delivery and catering.
• Apple (App Store)coreTechnology or IntegrationRusso's mobile app is distributed through the Apple App Store for iOS devices, allowing customers to order, earn rewards, and access exclusive offers.
• Google (Google Play)coreTechnology or IntegrationRusso's mobile app is distributed through Google Play for Android devices, enabling customers to order, earn rewards, and access exclusive deals.
• CareemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partner in Dubai enabling pizza delivery through Careem's platform alongside Noon and other delivery apps.
• NoonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partner in Dubai enabling pizza delivery through Noon's platform alongside Careem and other delivery apps.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• MOD Pizza: Fast-casual pizza chain with a similar build-your-own, customization-led model and broad menu (pizza, salads, sides). Comparable fast-casual positioning and franchise/corporate mix, though MOD is much larger and better capitalized.
• Blaze Pizza: Fast-casual artisanal pizza chain founded in 2012 with oven-fired, build-your-own pizzas. Directly comparable in service model, ingredient story (high-quality dough and ingredients), and target customer (premium casual diners).
• Pieology Pizzeria: Fast-casual custom pizza franchise with a similar artisan-style positioning. Comparable in price point, customization model, and franchise-driven growth strategy, making it one of the closest direct peers.
• Marco's Pizza: Mid-size pizza franchise with ~1,200+ locations focused on authentic-style pizza. Comparable in franchise model, Italian-heritage brand story, and menu breadth (pizza, subs, salads, pastas).
• Sbarro: Pizza QSR concept rooted in New York-style pizza, commonly found in malls and food courts. Comparable in product (NY-style pizza by the slice) and franchise model, with overlap in trade-dress and value positioning.
• Mountain Mike's Pizza: West-coast focused pizza franchise with a family-friendly casual dining experience and similar pizza-and-more menu. Comparable in franchise-driven growth, casual dining model, and menu breadth.

Emerging players

• &pizza: Fast-casual pizza concept with a strong brand identity and tech-forward ordering. Comparable in fast-casual pizza positioning and target young urban consumers, though smaller in footprint.

Broad incumbents

• California Pizza Kitchen (CPK): Casual dining chain with a similar emphasis on premium, non-traditional pizzas and Italian-inspired menu. Comparable in product positioning (premium pizza, pasta, salads) and dine-in experience, though operating as a broader casual-dining concept.

Regional players

• PizzaExpress: Established UK-based casual Italian pizza restaurant chain. Comparable in Italian-casual pizza positioning and dine-in experience, though primarily UK-focused — relevant as Russo's expands into Europe.

Others

• Toast (technology platform): Restaurant technology platform that powers Russo's POS, online ordering, and loyalty. Included as an ecosystem participant that directly supports Russo's operations rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RussosNYRest
• Facebookfacebook.com/RussosRestaurants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/russosnypizzeria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Russo's new York Pizzeria