Russo's New York Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen, helmed by CEO and Founder Anthony Russo, might just be coming to a town near you soon. With franchising ramping up, it has become an international brand, with four units in Dubai and four stores in Saudi Arabia. Russo will be exhibiting at a franchise show in London in April in the hopes of franchising Europe. There are more than 50 stores in total, and seven are expected to open in 2022.

The company has a long and storied history. Russo's parents moved to Texas in 1978 and opened Russo's Italian Restaurant, and it was there that Russo cut his teeth on the restaurant industry. Over the years he's owned several concepts, including a 500-square-foot pizzeria at just 18 years old, a trattoria and a café, and, in the mid-1980s, he opened a fine-dining Italian restaurant.