Franchise watch: Marco’s Pizza plans for further growth

America’s “Most Loved Pizza Brand”, Marco’s Pizza, has been serving authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients since 1978. Coined one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands – Marco’s opens a new store every three and a half days on average – the company has its sights set on opening its 1,000th location in early 2020.

Constant celebration The milestone 1,000th location is projected to open in early 2020 and comes just one year after the brand celebrated its 40th anniversary. This location will cap an impressive year of expansion for Marco’s as it sets its sights on opening an additional 125-200 stores by the end of 2020. Opening its first location in Puerto Rico in 2015, Marco’s will close out 2019 with a total of 17 new locations, doubling its Puerto Rico footprint to a total of 34 locations on the island.

International expansion

The brand’s success in Puerto Rico has made Latin America a target of expansion for the new year. Marco’s will further its international growth, aiming to add more than 50 new international locations by 2025 through strategic franchise partnerships. Specific targets include Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands.

An authentic taste Making its mark in the $45bn-ayear pizza industry, Marco’s Pizza is the only major national pizza restaurant founded by a native Italian. The brand has found its niche by providing authentic Italian quality pizza; known for its fresh dough made daily on-site, with a proprietary cheese blend that is fresh, never-frozen, and a secret original pizza sauce recipe from its founder, Pat Giammarco.

This method has resonated with customers, naming Marco’s Pizza the Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. In the last year, Marco’s Pizza brand equity – a combination of familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration – increased 10 percentage points, according to the study. Its brand equity scored higher than all other pizza restaurant brands, including Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and Papa John’s.

Franchise opportunities

Join a dedicated team On the heels of Marco’s rapid expansion, the need for passionate and dedicated franchisees is top of mind for the company. With a structured, step-by-step training plan in place, prior restaurant experience is not required for franchisees. Instead, Marco’s is looking for franchise partnerships that capitalize on brand culture and the ability to deliver a high-quality experience with a high-quality product.

With an aggressive goal of 1,120 open locations by the end of 2020, Marco’s Pizza has been recognized for its impressive growth model. In 2019, Marco’s Pizza was ranked fourth in Forbes’ “Best Franchises to Buy” 2019 study, and No. 39 on Entrepreneur’s 2019 Franchise 500 ranking.

Name of franchise: Marco’s Pizza Established: 1978 Number of franchised outlets: 883 Location of units: U.S.A., Puerto Rico Investment range: $293,515 – $619,710 Minimum required capital: $125,000 (liquid assets), $400,000 (net worth)