Marco’s Pizza Named One of the Top Pizza Chains in America, Securing No. 2 Spot in Newsweek Ranking

Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, landed the No. 2 spot in Newsweek’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Pizza Chain*. Voted on by readers across the country, the award celebrates brands that deliver consistent quality, customer satisfaction, and crave-worthy flavor.

Marco’s has cultivated a loyal following by staying true to its uncompromising quality, growing from a single store into a beloved brand with international reach. Each pizza starts with dough made fresh in-store daily, sauce crafted from a recipe passed down by founder Pat Giammarco and blended in-store, and a proprietary three-cheese blend that’s always fresh, never frozen. Topped with bold premium meats and freshly sliced veggies, Marco’s flavor-first approach continues to set the brand apart.

“Pizza lovers who crave bold flavor have spoken — and it’s all thanks to our incredible franchisees and their team members who deliver handcrafted excellence every day,” said Denise Lauer, Chief Marketing Officer, Marco’s Franchising, LLC. “Being the top ranked among all QSR pizza on the list is an incredible honor. It inspires us to keep evolving, innovating, and elevating every aspect of the guest experience.”

In 2025, Marco’s wowed fans with craveable new offerings, all while maintaining operational simplicity. Under the culinary leadership of Chef Kathleen Kennedy, the brand rolled out standout permanent menu items like the Mike’s Hot Honey Pepperoni Magnifico, a bold twist on a classic featuring crispy Old World Pepperoni®, signature sauce, and fresh cheeses, finished with a drizzle of sweet heat.

Other innovations include the fan-favorite Pepperoni Bread, layered with crispy shredded pepperoni and Romesan seasoning, and sweet favorites like Chocolate CinnaSquares® made with Ghirardelli® chocolate. Marco’s introduced limited-time offerings built on its acclaimed Magnifico® line, including the Triple Pepperoni Magnifico, and the Margherita Magnifico - made with fresh mozzarella and a bright basil drizzle - reaffirming its commitment to bold flavor with minimal menu complexity.

With more than 1,200 locations and continued expansion, Marco’s is growing with purpose, anchored by a strong franchisee community and a people-first culture that values quality above all.

As Marco’s continues its upward trajectory, this recognition is a testament to the brand’s commitment to flavor, innovation, and exceptional guest experiences.

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate and franchise over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

Most recently, Marco’s was recognized as America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2024 dataꝉꝉ. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking, earning a coveted spot as the only top 5 pizza chain to rank on Newsweek’s 2025 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

ꝉꝉ According to Technomic’s 2024 America’s Favorite Restaurants data, Marco’s Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 53.4% composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible rating for each of the guest experience attributes. Data for America’s Favorite Chains comes from Technomic Ignite Consumer, which collects information about how brands impact consumers and how consumers interact with those brands, via online surveys. See here for more information: www.technomic.com/ignite-consumer.

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.