City market guide · United States
Explore a pizza franchise opportunity in Tempe, Arizona, with Russo's New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen. Compare Downtown/Mill Avenue, Rio Salado as research starting points for a chef-led pizza and pasta restaurant. Proposed territories, sites and ownership plans require Franchise Development approval.
Russo’s Franchise Disclosure Document is active in Arizona. Qualified candidates can request the FDD and discuss territories now.
Market and site availability are subject to review.
The food comes first
Russo's New York Italian Pizzeria brings together Chef Anthony Russo's family recipes, fresh preparation and neighborhood hospitality. This is more than a pizza-only concept: a full Italian kitchen gives guests reasons to visit for lunch, family dinner and group occasions.
New York Italian cuisine pairs the familiar comfort of a neighborhood pizzeria with a broader Italian-American table. Thin, foldable pizza slices sit alongside fresh pasta, calzones, salads, sandwiches and Italian entrees. The menu lets a family share a pizza while choosing different meals from the same kitchen.
Signature items include the giant 28-inch party pizza, handcrafted New York-style pies and fresh pasta with scratch-made sauces. Fresh dough and extra virgin olive oil are part of the brand's kitchen standards. Menu items and approved sourcing vary by market.
Explore the chef and ingredient standards
Photography from Anthony's New York Italian, Chef Anthony Russo's Houston restaurant. Photos illustrate the chef's cuisine, not a confirmed menu for this market. Franchise dishes, ingredients and halal sourcing require market-specific approval.
Russo's kitchen cooking-oil standard is extra virgin olive oil instead of seed oils. This is not a certification that every purchased ingredient is seed-oil-free. Confirm ingredients, allergens and approved sourcing for your market with the team.
Chef Anthony Russo's family recipes bring together New York-style pizza, fresh pasta, calzones, salads and sandwiches. Guests can share a large pizza, choose individual pasta dishes or order a meal for a group from the same kitchen. This menu supports family dining, takeout, delivery and catering occasions.
For an owner, the distinction is a chef-driven restaurant concept with established recipes and preparation standards, rather than a pizza-only menu. Explore how training, approved suppliers and operating guidance help your team carry those standards into daily service. Review the approved menu, staffing and sourcing requirements for your proposed location.
Explore the menu and ingredient standardsThe founder's standard
Chef Anthony Russo's restaurant experience and family cooking traditions shape the brand. His standard is simple: "If it isn't fresh, don't serve it." Franchise ownership means carrying that food and hospitality standard into your own restaurant team.
Review the recipes, training and operating responsibilities with the development team. Get to know the people behind the brand before choosing your ownership path.
Read the Russo's storyChoose your restaurant format
A full-service restaurant combining New York-style pizza, pasta and Italian entrees with dine-in hospitality, takeout, delivery and catering. Discuss the kitchen, seating, staffing and site requirements for your proposed market.
A smaller-footprint concept focused on slices, whole pies, takeaway, delivery and catering with a simplified menu. Ask about the current format specifications and whether this model can be offered in your proposed market.
Photos show existing brand restaurants, not proposed sites or a Slice Bar rendering. Format availability and specifications require approval.
Historical U.S. franchise performance
Top 25% of franchised stores
$1,368,586
Average 2025 net sales
Top 50% of franchised stores
$1,042,444
Average 2025 net sales
Based on Item 19 of the Russo's Franchise Disclosure Document, fiscal year 2025. Some outlets have sold these amounts. There is no assurance you will sell as much. These are historical net sales figures, not profit, owner income, cash flow or forecasts. Individual results may vary.
These U.S. results do not represent international performance or expected results. See the current FDD for complete definitions, outlet population, notes and qualifications.
Serve your community
Qualified partners can discuss a halal-focused menu and sourcing plan for selected markets. Review approved meats, supplier documentation, preparation practices and menu execution with Russo's before making halal claims for a restaurant.
Bring questions about local sourcing and kitchen procedures to your development conversation. The restaurant format, menu and sourcing program must be approved for the specific market.
Explore the halal franchise option
Build a neighborhood dining experience around family meals, lunch and dinner, with pizza and a full Italian menu.
Serve guests at home and at work. Plan pickup access, packaging, staffing and delivery costs as part of daily operations.
Explore office lunches, celebrations and group orders with pizza and Italian food. Local relationships and reliable execution support repeat catering opportunities.
These channels create different ways to serve customers, not guaranteed sales or profit. Forecast each channel separately for your proposed location.
Hear from a franchisee
Hear Waruna describe his experience as a Russo's franchisee in Doha, Qatar. His owner interview gives you a firsthand perspective to consider alongside your own questions about training, opening and operations.
Individual experiences and results vary. Speak with current and former franchisees and review the applicable disclosure documents before making a decision.
Watch more franchisee storiesBefore evaluating Tempe, Arizona, understand the Russo's restaurant concept, review investment requirements and explore training and support. Then use the local research below to prepare your market questions.
Your local market plan
Study Downtown Tempe and Mill Avenue alongside university districts, Tempe Marketplace, and employment corridors. Compare access, parking, rent, nearby competition, and delivery boundaries. Map academic and event calendars against office lunches and residential dinners, then test dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering potential without presuming consistent demand year-round.
The places below are research starting points, not approved sites, existing restaurant locations or available territories.
Tempe site research
University schedules and lake-area events can create different demand patterns. Walk a Mill Avenue proposal during term time and a quieter period. For a Rio Salado site, review access from offices and residences, loading and pickup circulation before discussing a lease or development commitment.
Tempe Town Lake and Arizona State University provide context for a market visit. Use the official Tempe visitor guide to plan that research, then observe the specific property yourself. Attractions do not establish franchise availability, footfall at a unit or expected sales.
A prime location is one that fits the operating plan and approved restaurant format, not simply a famous district. Obtain property-level information on rent, utilities, ventilation, loading, accessible entry and parking. Do not sign a lease based on this guide alone.
Review the Arizona franchise guide, U.S. investment requirements and franchise support program with your advisers and the development team.
Discuss Your Tempe LocationThe right ownership conversation
An Arizona operator should understand Tempe property, permits, hiring, food safety, vendor availability, and warm-weather operating needs. Validate delivery expenses and staffing around the site's actual service area. Multi-unit candidates should identify accountable managers and detail how training and local outreach will be coordinated.
Propose a specific Tempe trade area and explain who will lead day-to-day operations. Review the investment and training before making a site commitment.
Show how your management team, capital and opening schedule could support more than one restaurant. Each proposed location requires review.
Qualified groups can discuss developing a defined area in Tempe. Territory boundaries, schedule, obligations and fees belong in approved agreements, not assumptions.
Chef-founded. More than pizza.
New York-style pizza brings people in. Pasta, Italian entrees, salads and desserts give guests more ways to order and return. Russo’s pairs a chef-created menu with dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering.
Your Tempe forecast should test each channel separately, including labor, food costs, delivery fees and local competition. More channels do not guarantee more profit.
Explore the menu and ingredientsKnow the commitment
A Tempe pizza franchise budget starts with the published U.S. range, then requires a site-specific estimate. The current Franchise Disclosure Document governs the investment table, fees, assumptions and obligations.
Do not treat historical Net Sales as profit or personal income. Review operating costs, working capital and the disclosure documents with your own advisers.
Review U.S. investment detailsPrepare to operate
Ask how site review, training, opening preparation, approved suppliers and operating systems fit your ownership plan. The applicable franchise documents define the full support program.
For Tempe, identify your restaurant leader early and map hiring, training, permitting and the proposed opening schedule together.
Review franchise training and supportDiscuss site evaluation, restaurant layout, equipment planning and opening coordination before committing to a property.
Review culinary and operational training, recipes, approved suppliers, food safety and service standards for your management team.
Ask about operating systems, technology, local marketing guidance, grand opening support and ongoing resources.
The applicable franchise documents define the support program, responsibilities, expenses and country-specific arrangements.
Before you inquire
This page starts a franchise development conversation about Tempe, Arizona; it does not confirm an open territory. Russo's must review the proposed area, candidate and development plan before confirming availability.
The published U.S. investment range is $439,350 to $1,490,000, including the $35,000 franchise fee. Your Tempe budget depends on the site and restaurant plan. Review the current FDD for the full investment table, assumptions, fees and obligations.
Yes. Qualified operators may discuss multi-unit ownership and area development agreements. Propose the cities or trade areas, management team, capital plan and development schedule. Any area, exclusivity, timing and commercial terms require approval and the applicable agreements.
Start with your contact details and preferred market. Include your ownership goals and capital range. Your experience, proposed trade areas, management plan and timeline help the team decide what to review with you next.
Compare the menu, investment, training, operating responsibilities and sales channels. For Tempe, investigate the named research areas on this page and build a site-level plan for access, staffing, delivery economics and competition. Historical sales are not profit or a guarantee.
Compare the complete investment, your role as an operator, training, supplier obligations and the proposed territory. Ask how the menu and sales channels fit your specific trade area. Review disclosures and agreements before committing capital or signing a lease.
Other Arizona markets to compare: pizza franchise in Chandler, Arizona, pizza franchise in Flagstaff, Arizona, pizza franchise in Gilbert, Arizona, pizza franchise in Glendale, Arizona, pizza franchise in Mesa, Arizona. Return to the Arizona pizza franchise guide for statewide registration status and trade-area research.
Watch owners in Texas and Qatar discuss their restaurants, training and day-to-day work. Their experiences describe existing restaurants; they do not predict results for a new market.
Watch franchisee experiencesIf you are searching for a pizza restaurant for sale in Tempe, compare buying an operating business with developing a new Russo's restaurant. An existing restaurant purchase requires review of its lease, equipment, liabilities and financial records. A new pizza franchise opportunity requires territory review, site approval and an opening plan.
This page is not a listing of a restaurant or business currently for sale. Discuss restaurant franchising in Tempe with our team and review the current franchise documents before investing. Neither a market guide nor an inquiry reserves development rights.
Get Started in TempeStart with your market
Share your preferred Tempe trade area, ownership interest and capital range. Franchise Development can help you review the concept and the right next step.
Prefer to speak first?
(832) 849-0724anthony@nypizzeria.comRequest Franchise InformationComplete the inquiry form to request franchise information and access the franchise toolkit after an accepted submission.
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