---
title: "Marco’s Pizza Ranks No. 1 in Limited-Service Pizza Category*"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/021fc092-a390-4fab-b4c6-23282631294c
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20260318_marcos_pizza_ranks_no_1_in_limitedservice_pizza_category.html
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2026-03-18T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:32:28.556Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/brands/social/marcospizza.jpg
---

# Marco’s Pizza Ranks No. 1 in Limited-Service Pizza Category*

**TL;DR:** Marco's Pizza is named America's Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category for the second year in a row, according to Nation's Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2025 data. The brand has over 1,200 stores in 34 states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2026-03-18. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20260318_marcos_pizza_ranks_no_1_in_limitedservice_pizza_category.html).*

## Story

TOLEDO – For the second year in a row, Marco’s Pizza is named America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category, according to Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer™ 2025 data*.

Marco’s earned the top ranking in the category with a 54.6% composite top-box rating, reflecting the highest share of recent guests who gave the brand the strongest possible scores across key guest experience attributes including food quality, flavor, and overall satisfaction.

The America’s Favorite Chain rankings are powered by Technomic Ignite Consumer™, an ongoing, nationally representative consumer research platform that measures how guests interact with and evaluate leading restaurant brands.

“This recognition underscores what our guests tell us every day – that Marco’s delivers an exceptional pizza experience rooted in real ingredients, bold flavor, and operational excellence,” said Marta DeAguiar, VP of Brand Marketing. “It’s also a reflection of the dedication of our franchisees and their team members who bring our brand promise to life in their communities. This recognition inspires us to keep evolving, advancing, and elevating every aspect of the guest experience.”

Flavor-First Quality That Guests Recognize

Marco’s history is rooted in an uncompromising commitment to quality – an approach that has fueled both guest loyalty and sustained growth. Every pizza begins with dough made fresh in-store daily, sauce crafted from founder Pat Giammarco’s original recipe, and its three-cheese blend that is always fresh, never frozen. Premium meats and a wide variety of vegetables complete a flavor-forward menu designed to deliver consistency and crave-ability across every location.

Under the culinary leadership of Chef Kathleen Kennedy, Marco’s continues to elevate its menu with guest-driven innovations that deliver bold flavor without adding complexity.

Unique fan favorites like Pepperoni Bread – layered with crispy shredded pepperoni and finished with signature Romesan seasoning – and Chocolate CinnaSquares® made with Ghirardelli® chocolate consistently resonate with guests. The brand’s acclaimed Magnifico® lineup, including the Triple Pepperoni Magnifico, Ultimate Magnifico, Pepperoni Magnifico®, Sausage Magnifico, and stand out Hot Honey Magnifico, shows its disciplined approach to innovation, quality, and bold flavor. Alongside past limited-time offerings such as the Margherita Magnifico and Fiery Flavors pizzas and breads, these culinary advances demonstrate Marco’s ability to test, learn, and scale winning ideas systemwide.

Marco's Pizza is one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands with 1,200+ stores in 34 states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Mexico. Marco's is seeking experience multi-unit franchisees to join the brand both in the U.S. and Internationally.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- QSR (sector)
- franchise growth (topic)
- brand expansion (topic)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- menu innovation (topic)
- Marco's Pizza (company)
- Ghirardelli (company)
- restaurant rankings (topic)
- Marta DeAguiar (person)
- Pat Giammarco (person)
- Chef Kathleen Kennedy (person)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20260318_marcos_pizza_ranks_no_1_in_limitedservice_pizza_category.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/021fc092-a390-4fab-b4c6-23282631294c).