Franchisees are seeing strong results and pushing our brand forward to reach our goal of being one of the top pizza chains in the U.S.
We’re already moving at full speed into 2018 and looking forward in our efforts to be one of the top pizza chains in the U.S., but just for a second, let’s take a look back at a year that saw growing sales and 111 new Marco’s Pizza locations.
Guests love the fresh, high-quality ingredients we offer, which has fueled rapid growth.
Building a community of loyal, local fans
As a franchise system, what’s most important isn’t how we’re doing, but how you can do as a Marco’s Pizza owner. We’ve seen higher rates of sales growth than any other pizza franchise for two years in a row, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. And those nationwide numbers are reflected in our individual franchisees’ results.
“We keep raising the bar, every year,” says Franchisee of the Year and multi-unit owner Joe Jaros. “We took one store from an average store to one of the top stores in the chain. I decided that it was time to keep expanding.”
While there’s a lot of competition in the pizza industry, guests love to frequent a truly great brand like ours. With our mix of convenience, price and quality, we’ve found a sweet spot in the market for guests who want something better than the delivery options they’re used to. Our authentic, delicious pizza is a step above the competition, and our loyal guests have even voted us America’s favorite pizza chain, according to Market Force Information.
Building relationships in the community pays off for franchise owners by creating loyal fans who will be frequent patrons.
Another way franchisees grow their business is by connecting with their communities, becoming the go-to pizza joint for parties, family dinners and fundraisers. We know that the true battle for a guest’s dollars is won in their neighborhood, so our brand puts strong marketing muscle behind local store marketing efforts. We help Marco’s owners learn how to develop relationships with businesses, organizations and families in the community, which helps their guests recognize them for what they really are: a local pizza place that just happens to be backed by a national brand.
“One of my stores was able to donate $27,000 back to one of the schools in one year,” says Jaros. “It’s a great way to introduce Marco’s to young families who are going to be ordering a lot of pizza from someone anyway. We’re well-known for doing fundraisers for local charities.”
Growing smartly to become one of the top pizza chains
We grew rapidly in 2017, with 111 new store openings, including locations in several brand-new markets for our pizza franchise.
And we’re focusing on smart growth, too. Some franchise brands get into a growth mode and look to put a franchise anywhere they can fit one, but we know that building a strong business starts with picking the right location. We focus on helping new and expanding franchise owners pick a spot with the right demographics, traffic and opportunity.
So that’s what we’ve achieved in 2017, but what’s next for Marco’s Pizza in 2018?
We have an exciting year ahead as we prepare to hit a couple of major milestones: we’re on track to open our 1000th store and we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary. We plan to accelerate our growth trajectory and introduce some exciting new initiatives for franchise owners and their guests. We’re expanding in California, opening up a number of new markets to introduce our brand. And we’ll do it all while maintaining the outstanding quality and value that our brand and our franchise owners have been providing for 40 years.
Learn more about the pizza franchise opportunity
Download our franchise report for in-depth details about why we’re one of the top pizza chains for franchise owners. You can also learn more by exploring our research pages, our franchise referral program or our recent feature articles.
