Flexibility in locations and strong franchise development and training help drive expansion toward 1,000 locations nationwide
Marco’s Pizza® gets creative when it comes to opening restaurants in nontraditional locations so we can bring our delicious pizza to even more fans. Customers can find their favorite pizza at sports arenas, golf courses, hotels and even movie and game rental establishments.
Marco’s Pizza prides itself on making the best delivery pizza money can buy, and our growth is testament to our devoted fans nationwide. Marco’s Pizza is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, making the dough by hand in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. Founded in Toledo in 1978, Marco’s is the only Top 20 pizza chain founded by a native Italian. Our pizza franchise has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years and is on pace to have 1,000 restaurants open by the end of 2017.
“At Marco’s we are all about bringing our fresh and delicious pizza to customers where they shop, work, travel and live,” says Marco’s President and COO Bryon Stephens. “We want to share our delicious pizza with fans nationwide, and if that means supporting our franchisees who expand their reach to target nontraditional customers, such as tourists and business travelers and hockey fans, we are excited about the possibilities when it makes a great fit!”
Nontraditional locations like sports arenas mean high traffic
Thinking outside the box has allowed franchisees to maximize their footprint and take advantage of high-traffic areas. Marco’s established its first successful nontraditional location partnership with movie and game rental company Family Video in 2012. Marco’s Pizza began locating stores adjacent to Family Videos, and then having an order window cut into the movie store. People are now able to grab a favorite flick and a hot and fresh pizza in one convenient trip. Those getting pizza deliveries can also order a movie for delivery, and a deliverer can also pick up movies to return to the store.
Nothing goes better than pizza and watching your favorite sports team. Colorado Marco’s Pizza and sports fans can grab a slice of their favorite Marco’s pizza at one of four sports venues: Budweiser Events Center in Loveland; 1STBANK Center in Broomfield; Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, home of the Colorado Rapids soccer team; and the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets play. We have a letter of intent to add another major stadium in Colorado soon. Hockey fans in Georgia can enjoy their favorite Marco’s Pizza when they watch the Macon Mayhem hit the ice. We signed a multi-year deal with the professional hockey team in 2015.
Developing strong ties with the local community is part of our company mission to be the pizza of choice, employer of choice and partner of choice, and sometimes the perfect Marco’s Pizza location is where visitors go in those local communities. Rapid City, South Dakota, is home to two nontraditional Marco’s Pizza locations: Baymont Inn & Suites and MeadowBrook Golf Course. Area Representative Josh Holdinghausen says the locations have done well because of their unique proximity to customers. “Our two nontraditional Marco’s restaurants are both in highly visible areas. Hungry golfers and travelers visiting Rapid City become instant fans!”
Build your success on ours
Are you passionate about pizza and bringing Marco’s to your community? We are a longstanding brand founded in Toledo, Ohio, in 1978 and now one of the nation’s fastest-growing large pizza franchises. 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 helping franchisees grow their businesses.
Marco’s Pizza is seeking quality franchisees who are committed to making their franchises places where customers want to buy fresh, delectable pizza — welcoming, friendly individuals who remember customers’ names and are passionate about the Marco’s product. The investment required to start a Marco’s Pizza franchise is typically $350,000. The pizza franchise is looking for people who have a net worth of $350,000 and a minimum liquidity of $100,000.
Marco’s Pizza’s continued growth in 2016, with an average new store opening at a pace of every third day, couldn’t happen without this flexibility and support. We are racking up industry accolades, including recognition as having has the fastest unit growth, according to Nation’s Restaurant News, which placed our pizza franchise on its Top 100 List. Marco’s rolled out 113 new franchises in 2015 and we are on pace to have 1,000 stores nationwide by the end of 2017.
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.
