Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings

When evaluating a franchise investment in the premium casual dining pizza segment, the central question is not whether pizza is a viable business — it is whether a specific brand's differentiation is durable enough to command premium pricing, generate consistent traffic, and deliver returns that justify a seven-figure capital commitment. Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings answers that question with a two-decade operating history, a genuinely distinctive cooking method, an average unit volume of over $2 million, and a reinvigorated franchise development program backed by a publicly-traded parent company. Founded in 2002 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by Anthony Bruno, the brand introduced coal-fired oven pizza to South Florida consumers at a time when the regional casual dining market was dominated by gas-oven pizzerias competing primarily on price. Bruno's founding thesis was built on authenticity: hand-crushed Italian tomatoes, imported olive oil, fresh never-frozen jumbo chicken wings, dough made in-house daily, and meatballs prepared from his grandmother's original recipe. The first restaurant opened with a singular focus on flavor differentiation — 900-degree coal-fired ovens producing a charred, crispy crust that gas ovens structurally cannot replicate. From that single Fort Lauderdale location, the brand grew into a multi-state operation spanning New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida, with over 60 locations as of mid-2024, all of which were company-owned prior to the relaunch of its franchise program in 2023. Headquarters remain in Fort Lauderdale. In November 2021, BurgerFi International Inc. acquired Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings for $156.6 million, integrating the brand into a publicly-traded restaurant platform while preserving its distinct operational culture. For franchise investors, this means evaluating an operator with 22 years of brand history, a validated unit economics model, and the infrastructure of a publicly-traded corporate parent — a combination that materially reduces certain categories of early-stage franchise risk.

The U.S. pizza industry is one of the most resilient segments in the entire foodservice economy, generating over $46 billion in annual revenue across independent operators and chains, with the pizza franchise segment specifically accounting for tens of billions of that figure. Consumer demand for pizza has proven recession-resistant across multiple economic cycles, supported by its universal appeal across age demographics, its natural fit for both dine-in and off-premise consumption, and its high value perception relative to competing casual dining categories. The secular tailwind most relevant to the Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise opportunity is the growing consumer premium placed on authentic, high-quality food experiences — a trend documented across multiple consumer research studies showing that diners increasingly prioritize ingredient provenance, preparation method transparency, and flavor differentiation over pure price competition. This premium positioning trend directly benefits concepts that can credibly substantiate their quality claims, and a coal-fired oven cooking at 900 degrees is a verifiable, visible differentiator that consumers can taste and see. The off-premise dining trend, accelerated dramatically by the 2020 pandemic, also creates a structural tailwind for brands adapting their physical footprint — Anthony's new restaurant model at 2,000 to 2,200 square feet, down from legacy locations of approximately 3,200 square feet, is explicitly designed to optimize for delivery and takeout economics while reducing capital deployment requirements. The pizza franchise sector is moderately fragmented at the premium end, with dominant mass-market brands controlling delivery volume but leaving significant share available to premium coal-fired and artisan concepts that compete on quality rather than price. Additionally, the strong Italian-American cultural presence in the Northeast corridor — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, where Anthony's has established its deepest corporate-owned network — creates a consumer base with elevated expectations for authentic pizza that independent operators often struggle to meet consistently, giving scaled franchise brands a meaningful structural advantage.

The Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise cost requires a serious capital commitment that positions it in the premium tier of the pizza franchise category. The initial franchise fee is $50,000, which is materially higher than many pizza franchise concepts and reflects both the brand's premium positioning and the specialized operational infrastructure required. The total estimated investment range to open an Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise is $810,000 to $1,239,500, with a midpoint of approximately $1,024,750 — making this a seven-figure investment for most franchise development scenarios. The investment spread is driven by several key variables: leasehold improvements range from $350,000 to $562,000 depending on the condition of the physical space and geographic market construction costs; equipment, furniture, and fixtures represent an additional $300,000 to $350,000, reflecting the specialized cost of the coal-fired oven infrastructure; and rent ranges from $20,000 to $36,000 annually depending on market and location type. Additional capital requirements include security deposits of $10,000 to $25,000, initial inventory of $20,000 to $30,000, grand opening advertising of $15,000 to $30,000, architecture and engineering drawings of $20,000 to $35,000, permits and licenses of $2,500 to $15,000, signage of $4,000 to $15,000, insurance of $6,000 to $10,000, professional fees of $2,500 to $6,500, and three months of additional working capital of $10,000 to $45,000. The ongoing fee structure consists of a royalty rate of 5.5% of gross sales — in line with the industry average for premium casual concepts — plus an advertising contribution of approximately 3.5% of gross sales, bringing the combined ongoing fee burden to 9% of gross revenue. Prospective franchisees are required to demonstrate minimum liquid capital of $325,000 to $495,000, representing 30 to 40 percent of total investment, with a net worth requirement of at least $1,000,000. The brand's acquisition by BurgerFi International, a publicly-traded company under CEO Carl J. Bachmann, provides corporate infrastructure that supports franchisee development, though prospective investors should independently verify current SBA eligibility status and consult with a franchise attorney regarding the complete terms of the Franchise Disclosure Document.

The daily operational reality of an Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise is defined by its commitment to fresh-ingredient preparation, which creates a kitchen culture fundamentally different from most pizza franchise concepts. Because the brand maintains a strict no-freezer policy across all of its units, franchisees must manage daily production of fresh dough, hand-crushed tomatoes, and in-house meatballs — an operational discipline that demands experienced kitchen management and rigorous supply chain coordination. The 900-degree coal-fired oven is the operational centerpiece of every location, and mastering its nuances requires specialized training: pizzamakers must develop tactile expertise in reading the oven's heat distribution and timing, a skill that takes meaningful practice to develop consistently but produces the product quality differentiation that justifies the brand's premium price point. The coal-fired cooking method, now supplemented in new locations by gas-enhanced coal-fired ovens developed in collaboration with manufacturer Woodstone beginning in 2020, ensures flavor consistency while expanding the geographic markets where the concept can operate. The mandatory initial training program lasts up to four weeks at a designated training restaurant, encompassing both classroom instruction and hands-on operational training; the franchisee and their designated Operating Principal are required to complete this program, and the franchisor may require additional management staff to participate in portions of the curriculum. Menu execution is anchored around five core categories: traditional and specialty pizzas, which account for approximately 50% of sales; coal-roasted jumbo wings at approximately 15% of sales; large homemade meatballs; a classic Italian salad with proprietary dressing; and Eggplant Marino, named in recognition of NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino, a restaurant partner. The restaurants also offer beer and wine service. Franchisees receive protected territories as defined in their franchise agreement, with the franchisor committing not to open or license another traditional Anthony's location within that designated territory, subject to compliance with performance obligations. The new smaller-format restaurant model targeting 2,000 to 2,200 square feet is specifically engineered to support the growing off-premise dining trend while requiring less staffing and generating more favorable occupancy cost ratios than the legacy 3,200-square-foot footprint.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document, which means prospective investors cannot access audited unit-level revenue or profitability breakdowns through the standard FDD channel and must conduct additional independent due diligence to model unit economics. However, the brand has publicly disclosed an average unit volume of $2,009,000 in annual revenue — a figure that the brand describes as 255% above the pizza industry average, reflecting the premium pricing power enabled by the coal-fired differentiation and the upscale demographic targeting strategy. To contextualize this AUV, the investment midpoint of approximately $1,024,750 against $2,009,000 in annual revenue implies a revenue-to-investment ratio of approximately 1.96-to-1, which is a reasonable benchmark for the premium casual segment. With a combined royalty and advertising fee obligation of 9% of gross sales, the annual recurring fee burden at the $2,009,000 AUV would be approximately $180,810 — a figure that prospective investors must incorporate into their pro forma modeling alongside occupancy costs, labor, food costs, and debt service. The brand's no-freezer, fresh-ingredient operating model typically carries higher food costs than mass-market pizza franchise concepts, and the specialized labor requirements of the coal-fired kitchen suggest labor cost structures that warrant detailed independent analysis. Because Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings operates exclusively company-owned locations in its current network, investors can reference BurgerFi International's publicly-traded financial filings as a supplementary data source for system-level revenue and restaurant-level margin performance. Investors considering this franchise opportunity are strongly advised to engage a franchise attorney and an independent accountant to model payback periods, break-even timelines, and sensitivity analyses under conservative, base, and optimistic revenue scenarios.

The growth trajectory of Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings reflects a brand navigating a deliberate strategic pivot from pure corporate expansion to a hybrid corporate-franchise model under BurgerFi International's ownership. The brand grew from a single Fort Lauderdale location in 2002 to 50 locations across six states before reaching approximately 61 company-owned restaurants by 2023 — a measured but consistent expansion pace over two decades that prioritizes market depth over aggressive unit proliferation. The brand originally launched a franchising program in 2008, before subsequently focusing on corporate-owned development; the relaunch of franchising in 2023, now under the BurgerFi International umbrella, represents a new phase of growth that is both more capital-efficient from the corporate perspective and more accessible to qualified franchise investors. The first evidence of the renewed franchise strategy materialized in Spring 2023 with the opening of a co-branded BurgerFi and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings location in Kissimmee, Florida, developed by an existing BurgerFi franchisee under a multi-unit development agreement — a proof-of-concept for the co-branding strategy that could accelerate expansion in markets where both brands have complementary demographics. The new 2,000 to 2,200 square foot restaurant prototype is the most significant operational innovation of the current growth phase, reducing capital requirements relative to legacy 3,200 square foot locations and improving the economics for prospective franchisees in markets where full-size buildouts are cost-prohibitive. The brand's geographic expansion strategy targets adjacent Northeast markets and potential growth corridors in the Mid-Atlantic region, building outward from its established corporate-owned density in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Newsweek readers voted Anthony's "Best Pizza in America," a consumer recognition that provides an independent validation point for the brand's quality positioning that carries meaningful marketing value in new markets. CEO Carl J. Bachmann leads BurgerFi International, with John Reale as Chief Operating Officer, Rebekah Cooksey as Chief Financial Officer, and Michelle Zavolta as Chief People Officer providing the functional leadership infrastructure that supports franchise system development.

The ideal Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchisee is not a passive investor seeking an absentee-managed operation. The specialized nature of the coal-fired cooking method, the no-freezer fresh-ingredient operating model, and the daily production requirements for dough, meatballs, and hand-crushed tomatoes collectively demand an owner-operator orientation or a highly experienced multi-unit management team with demonstrated restaurant operations capability. The franchisor's training program requires the franchisee and the designated Operating Principal to complete a mandatory four-week initial training, signaling an expectation of active operational engagement at least through the launch phase. The financial profile of the ideal candidate includes minimum liquid capital of $325,000 to $495,000 and a net worth of at least $1,000,000, which filters the prospective franchisee pool toward individuals with significant prior business or investment experience. The brand's geographic focus on high-income demographics — specifically markets with median household incomes above $75,000, strong daytime populations, and proximity to commercial or mixed-use developments within established retail corridors — suggests that franchisees with prior experience in premium casual dining or urban and suburban market real estate will have a structural advantage in site selection. Available territories for franchise development are concentrated in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic expansion corridors, with the brand also targeting Florida markets adjacent to its existing corporate-owned network. The franchise agreement grants a protected territory within which the franchisor will not open a competing traditional Anthony's location, contingent on the franchisee's compliance with performance obligations, though this protection does not extend to non-traditional locations or alternative distribution channels. Prospective multi-unit operators should note that the existing BurgerFi franchisee who signed the first renewed franchise agreement executed a multi-unit development deal, suggesting the brand has a preference for candidates who can commit to multiple-unit development rather than single-location agreements.

For investors conducting serious due diligence on premium casual pizza franchise opportunities, the Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise opportunity presents a differentiated investment thesis built on 22 years of brand history, a genuinely defensible product differentiation through coal-fired cooking, a publicly disclosed average unit volume of $2,009,000, and a corporate parent in BurgerFi International with the infrastructure of a publicly-traded company. The reinvigorated franchise program, the new smaller-format prototype, and the geographic expansion targeting Northeast and Mid-Atlantic growth corridors collectively suggest a brand in the early stages of a franchise-driven growth phase — a timing dynamic that historically creates favorable territory selection opportunities for early-mover franchisees willing to do the work of rigorous due diligence. The premium investment range of $810,000 to $1,239,500 and the 9% combined ongoing fee burden are meaningful capital commitments that require careful pro forma modeling, independent legal review of the Franchise Disclosure Document, and direct conversations with existing operators in the corporate-owned network. Every element of this analysis — from the unit economics to the territorial structure to the competitive positioning — deserves systematic, independent verification before capital is committed. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark the Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise cost, revenue performance, and fee structure against competing premium casual dining and pizza franchise concepts across every relevant dimension. Explore the complete Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Wings franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.