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Marco’s hits a growth tipping point with awards, TV campaign

Marco’s Pizza franchise has hit a major growth tipping point; plans to accelerate expansion.

A hand holds a metal ladle as it smooths pizza sauce across an unbaked circle of dough.

Marco’s Pizza still uses the family sauce recipe our Italian founder Pat Giammarco learned in his grandmother’s kitchen. It’s just one example of our commitment to authentic Italian flavors.

Marco’s Pizza is at a tipping point in the brand’s growth, with our 1,000th store on track to open in early 2020. The growth is being driven by the expansions of existing pizza franchise owners, as well as an influx of new owners eager to hop aboard as Marco’s achieves breakthrough national brand recognition.

Marco’s has been earning accolades at a breakneck pace in 2019:

  • Marco’s was named the Pizza Chain Brand of the Year following a Harris Poll/EquiTrend® Study. The survey also named Marco’s the Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Chain Brand by consumers. Our brand equity score — a combination of familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration — was higher than all other pizza chains, including Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars and Papa John’s. We’re the only large pizza chain that was founded by an Italian, Pat Giammarco. At the root of our success are family recipes passed down from Pat’s grandmother and a commitment to excellence and hospitality that honor our Italian roots.
  • Forbes magazine named Marco’s one of the top five franchise opportunities in the mid-range investment category. Startup costs for a 1,500-square-foot-or-less Marco’s location range from $293,515 to $619,710. If you have good credit, $125,000 in liquid capital available to invest, and a net worth of $400,000, you likely qualify to finance much of the startup cost. One of our unique qualities is where we sit in the brand’s growth cycle: We’re big enough to be well-known thanks to nearly 1,000 locations. Yet, we’re not so big that all the best territories have already been taken. For now, there are still prime locations and multi-unit territories available for development. See available territories here.
  • Franchise Times named us to their list of Top 200+ list of franchises with the most sales worldwide. We continue to climb in this annual ranking.

TV campaigns expanding brand awareness

Marco’s growth has also given the brand the resources to launch national TV advertisements, which began airing in spring 2019. This is a major milestone for any brand, since the enhanced brand awareness helps attract new customers and boost sales.

In addition to supporting the growth of existing franchisees, the national TV campaign is making Marco’s a familiar brand for customers in new territories, whetting their appetites so they’ll be even more eager to try Marco’s Pizza when franchisees bring the brand to new areas.

Learn more, and see if your preferred territory is available

To learn more about the franchise opportunity, fill out the form on this page. Be sure to let us know what area you’re interested in so we can check on territorial availability for you. After you fill out the form, we’ll send you a link to download a Free Franchise Report, which includes details about financial performance. We look forward to meeting you.