President Bryon Stephens goes undercover to learn more about life inside Marco’s Pizza® franchise
Marco’s Pizza President and COO Bryon Stephens
Want a look at what life is like inside a Marco’s Pizza franchise? The CBS hit show Undercover Boss gave viewers a chance to see Marco’s Pizza President and Chief Operating Officer Bryon Stephens go undercover as a bearded employee named “Jay” during the episode that was broadcast Jan. 29.
This installment of the Emmy-winning show gave unprecedented insight into the inner workings of the Marco’s Pizza franchise, as the disguised Bryon criss-crossed the country, working as a Marco’s pizza delivery driver, cashier and pizza maker — even unloading a truck late at night at the company’s distribution center in Toledo, Ohio.
Bryon’s principal mission on Undercover Boss was to check in on his stores to ensure that the iconic pizza franchise is providing the necessary tools to keep franchisees and their employees successful as Marco’s Pizza becomes one of the fastest-growing franchise systems in the country. Along the way, Byron, who poignantly recounted the toll that his limitless ambition and drive for excellence has taken on his personal life, was touched by the Marco’s Pizza employees who coached him through his various roles. In turn, these employees were astonished to discover that the bearded “Jay” was Bryon in disguise.
During the show’s powerful emotional ending, Byron extended life-changing tokens of appreciation to the employees, and he pledged to take what he learned from them to his executive team to develop initiatives to improve the overall quality of the Marco’s Pizza franchise.
“We are opening new stores at a fast pace,” Bryon says. “Going undercover afforded me the unprecedented opportunity to expose issues and address them so that we can continue to grow smart. I also came away from this journey with an indelible sense of pride in our employees on the front lines. When it boils down to it, it’s about our product and the hardworking people behind it.”
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.
Marco’s has enjoyed significant 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 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.
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.
