Russo's New York Pizzeria Expands to Arizona State University Campus

The Tempe restaurant emphasizes a scratch-kitchen approach, eschewing frozen dough and artificial additives in favor of traditional New York-style techniques. The operation features signature items including oversized pizza slices and a 28-inch Giant Party Pizza, with dough fermented for 24 hours to achieve its characteristic texture. Founders maintain that the kitchen avoids seed oils, relying instead on premium flour and house-made sauces to replicate the recipes Chef Anthony Russo developed from his upbringing in a first-generation Italian-American family.

For the Alvarez team, the decision to open the franchise stemmed from a preference for the brand’s ingredient-focused model. The location is designed to cater to a demographic of students, faculty, and local residents. This expansion aligns with Russo’s broader national growth strategy, which utilizes compact 1,500-square-foot footprints to scale operations. According to corporate disclosure information, the franchise reports average unit volumes of approximately $1.1 million, as the company continues to recruit new partners through financing incentives and veteran-focused discounts.