Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a 46-store development agreement that will bring new stores to the Phoenix metro market over the next six years. This development news contributes to the brand’s overall growth goal of 1,500 units by 2023, as Marco’s sets sights on becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza.
Behind this development agreement is 11-year Marco’s area representative and franchisee Robert Pina, who joined the brand in 2011 in Houston, Texas. He currently oversees development in Houston and San Antonio with his business partner Uyen Tran, which together boasts 67 stores, 20 of which are owned by Pina. As both growth and store expansion continue to surge, there are an additional 25 locations in development across both markets.
Coming from a franchising background – having previously owned a portfolio of Subway restaurants – Pina has established himself as a top-performing Marco’s franchisee, but he is not ready to stop anytime soon. This new agreement will bring 46 stores to the greater Phoenix market by 2028. Six stores are projected to open in the next 18-months, with the first store slated to open in Q3 2022 as site selection is well underway.
“I’ve always wanted to continue to grow with Marco’s because it’s a special brand. The timing was right to pursue the next opportunity – Phoenix was that answer,” said Pina. “With only one Marco’s location in the Phoenix DMA, there is an incredible opportunity to build out the market and bring a quality product to the pizza lovers of this community. Over the past few years, we’ve been on a phenomenal growth curve as a brand and particularly in my other two markets. With the right concept, a proven track record, and national advertising helping grow brand awareness, now was the time to really push the pedal to the medal and grow.”
Marco’s is experiencing record-breaking double-digit same-store-sales increases year-over-year and continues to pilot new programs – investing millions of dollars into technology and innovation – to sustain its performance. On track to reach $1B in annual systemwide sales in 2022, eager and sophisticated entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators are flocking to the franchise opportunity, as now nearly half of the franchise network is made up of multi-unit owners.
“We’re placing an emphasis on growing with sophisticated partners who believe in the strength of the Marco’s brand,” said Keith Sizemore, Vice President of Development for Marco’s Pizza. “When one of your seasoned, top-performing franchisees commits to 46 new stores, it speaks to the tremendous belief they have in our brand, our business model, and our people first culture. Robert’s focus on operational excellence and growth shines through and through. We’re extremely proud of him and our development. We’ve built an incredible infrastructure for growth and look forward to continued expansion, filling whitespace across the country with empire builders like Robert.”
The brand has set aggressive expansion goals to open over 150 stores in 2022 as it seeks multi-unit operators throughout the United States and internationally. According to FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, Marco’s 2021 FUND Score is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. The Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated $1,059,574 AUV for 2020*.
Marco’s Pizza is America’s Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study. 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 over 1,000 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2022 “Franchise 500” ranking, and No. 4 in the Fastest Growing category on Restaurant Business’ 2021 “Top 10 Fastest Growing Chains” ranking. Other recent accolades include a first-time presence on Newsweek’s 2022 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, ranked No. 42 on QSR’s Top 50 and has been featured five consecutive years on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.
*Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2020. Based on fiscal year 2020, 142 of 369 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2021 FDD – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.
