Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen Opens Its Fourth Location in Saudi Arabia, Accelerates Global Expansion
HOUSTON — Award-winning, Texas-based upscale casual brand Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen has opened its fourth location in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 19, 2022. Located at Park Avenue Mall, its 2400-sq. ft., two-story Pizzeria serves Russo’s full Italian menu including New York style pizza and pasta. Since 1978, Russo’s Founder and CEO, Chef Anthony, has been serving his original family recipes from Naples and Sicily. He prides himself on utilizing fresh, seasonal ingredients. Of course, those ingredients can be found in his premium, hand-tossed New York-style pizzas, including a giant, signature pie measuring 28 inches known as the party pizza.
Our unique menu items are what sets us apart from the rest. The Russo family promise, “If it isn’t fresh, don’t serve it,” remains as true today as it first did in 1978. We follow the same process in every location, both domestic and international.
We don’t have a commissary, and we don’t buy premade sauce or premade dough balls. We follow our old family traditions, and the consumer can taste the difference. Our family recipes have not changed over our 60 year history. Those include our fresh handmade pizza dough, meat sauce, and marinara sauce. Our sauces are made with premium San Marzano Italian tomatoes, hand crushed and simmered for 6 hours. From our salad dressings to pesto sauce to lasagna to fresh baked Tuscany bread to our homemade gnocchi pasta, our menu items are what sets us apart from other pizza chains. We carefully select our ingredients and select the best premium items to make every dish a flavor to remember.
Our menu includes salads, burrata cheese made from fresh mozzarella, Italian soups, pastas, pizzas baked in brick oven, calzones, and desserts. We also have Halal and gluten free options.
Our new location just opened December 19, 2022, in Park Avenue Mall. The 2,300-sq. ft. space will seat 160 guests and includes an outdoor patio. The restaurant is located in a remarkable mixed-use district. It will join an array of premier global food and beverage concepts in addition to a world-class hotel, theme park, department store, and cinema, where Russo’s pizza options will also be spotlighted.
“We’re thrilled to grow our international footprint and showcase our elevated upscale casual dining experience in Saudi. It is an incredibly exciting global market that I have become very fond of,” said Russo. “We are honored to have the support of our franchisees.”
Russo’s parents immigrated from Italy, settling first in New Jersey then moving to the Houston, Texas area. Anthony launched Russo’s in 1992 and has since expanded the brand in partnership with 56 locations across the United States, as well as eight restaurants situated throughout Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
We are continuing to seek out global franchise partners, specifically entrepreneurs interested in proven brands that are entirely chef-created and chef-driven. Several floorplan options provide flexible design and layout choices, spanning from pizza and delivery only to fast casual, full-service dining to full-service and elevated interiors.
Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen is a domestic and international franchisor of fast casual restaurants featuring classic New York-style pizza and authentic Italian dishes, including handcrafted pastas, calzones, salads, sandwiches, soups, and desserts. Based in Houston, TX, Russo’s currently has 52 corporate and franchised locations across Texas, California Oklahoma and Florida, plus international sites in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As the son of first-generation Italian immigrants, Chef, Founder and CEO Anthony Russo discovered his love of cooking at age 12, honed his culinary skills working in his parent’s fine dining Italian restaurant at age 18, and opened his first pizzeria at age 25. After launching three independent restaurants as proprietor, he created Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen, applying a trove of recipes passed down through generations to a menu made with love. At its heart, Russo’s reflects Chef Anthony’s commitment to his old world and east coast roots where food and family come first, and the kitchen is the center of all activity. For more information, consumers can visit www.nypizzeria.com and interested franchisees www.russosfranchise.com.
