Prestigious business publication includes rapidly growing pizza franchise on annual Franchise 500 list
Entrepreneur magazine recently published its prestigious “Franchise 500” list of top franchise opportunities and has once again included Marco’s Pizza®, the Ah!thentic Italian pizza franchise.
The Franchise 500 list is the U.S. media’s most comprehensive franchise ranking system. Nearly 1,000 brands registered for ranking in 2016, and of those, 500 brands made the top tier. Entrepreneur compiles extensive data in determining which brands make the cut; the metrics used to determine the list are those that determine which brands have staying power and proven business models and are poised for nationwide growth.
“All companies are judged by the same criteria: objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation,” Entrepreneur said. “The most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. We also consider the number of years a company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, startup costs, litigation, percentage of terminations and whether the company provides financing. Financial data is analyzed by an independent CPA.”
The metrics used to determine Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list reflect Marco’s Pizza to the letter. The Marco’s Pizza brand is consistently one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the country.
“We’re very honored to have been named a Top Franchise Opportunity by Entrepreneur,” says Marco’s Pizza Chief Development Officer Cameron Cummins. “This is a really exciting time at Marco’s. We are on track to become one of the top five largest pizza franchises in America, and customers are opting for better quality pizza with real, fresh ingredients.”
What makes Marco’s Pizza a Top Franchise Opportunity?
Marco’s Pizza prides itself on making the best pizza money can buy. It is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, making the dough in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. The brand’s proven business model and sustainable growth have been heralded by the likes of Forbes, Consumer Report, Nation’s Restaurant News, Franchise Times and now Entrepreneur with inclusion of Marco’s Pizza on the Franchise 500 list for 2016.
Marco’s has enjoyed stunning growth in recent years and is on pace to have 1,000 restaurants open by the end of 2017. The dynamic pizza franchise rolled out 113 new franchises in 2015 and has recently announced plans to open 150 more locations in 2016. Given these tremendous numbers, it should not come as a surprise that Marco’s Pizza has the fastest unit growth, according to Nation’s Restaurant News, which named the beloved pizza franchise as part of its Second 100 List. That list analyzes businesses that are smaller but are focusing on growing around the nation.
A bright future for a worthy brand
Unlike competing chains — such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars — who have saturated their markets, Marco’s Pizza has plenty of prime territories available for new franchises.
“We aren’t tapped out like our competitors,” Cameron says. “There is so much room left for Marco’s to grow. We have many regions available for multi-unit development.”
When our guests order from Marco’s Pizza, they know they are getting the best. We make our pizza dough in each store from spring wheat flour, specially filtered water and high-quality yeast. We then add our tasty sauce, which was developed by our founder and his father, made from specially grown hybrid tomatoes and proprietary spices. Our pizzas are then topped with a blend of Wisconsin cheeses, chopped fresh vegetables and premium meats.
“Almost half of our franchisees were consumers first; 100% of the people in our organization are here because they love our product,” Cameron says. “If you serve a great-tasting pizza, the business will follow. In our industry, you are only as good as your last pizza, and our customers keep buying from us because our pizzas taste better.”
Build your success on ours
Founded in Toledo, Ohio, in 1978, Marco’s has become one of the fastest-growing pizza franchise chains in the nation. Our homemade recipes and fresh ingredients are in the Italian tradition, and we are the only top 20 pizza franchise in the country that was founded by a native Italian. We are led by veteran pizza executives who have experience growing brands and supporting franchisees as they grow their businesses.
Learn more about Marco’s Pizza
For in-depth details about the Marco’s Pizza® franchise opportunity, download our free franchise report. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages.
