Marco's Pizza

Marco's Pizza, operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC, is an American restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio, that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store was opened in Oregon, Ohio, on Starr Avenue. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in February 18, 1978.

Marco's Franchising LLC
Marco's Pizza
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded1978 (1978) in Oregon, Ohio, U.S.
FounderPasquale "Pat" Giammarco,
Headquarters
Toledo, Ohio
,
U.S.
Number of locations
Increase 1,052
Area served
Key people
  • Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco, Founder
  • Jack Butorac, Chairman and CEO
  • Tony Libardi, President
  • Ken Switzer, Vice President
  • Tim Barr, Vice President of Purchasing
  • Steve Seyferth, Chief Marketing Officer
  • Todd Watson, Chief Legal Officer
  • John Ramsay, Chief Development Officer
Products
RevenueIncrease US$3 billion (FY 2020)[1]
OwnerJack Butorac
Number of employees
20,000 (2021)[1]
Websitemarcos.com

As of September 2023, Marco's has opened over 1000 stores in The United States and Puerto Rico, as well as in the Bahamas and India. In recent years, Marco's has been expanding rapidly, with its 1000th store opening in Kissimmee, Florida, on Oct. 21, 2020.[2] Marco's Pizza credits its franchisees as well as its dough, three-cheese blend, and pizza sauce for its strong growth.[3] Unlike most major pizza chains, Marco's dough is made from scratch everyday, and their cheese is never frozen.[4]

In 2016, Marco's Pizza was ranked at #10 on the Pizza Today list of the Top 100 Pizza Companies in the United States.[5] The company was also named one of Marketing Quarterly's Top 25 Pizza Chains and named by Franchising World as number eight on the magazine's list of "Fast and Serious Growth Franchises". Store locations offer online ordering and payment.

History

Founding

Born in Sulmona, Italy, Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco is the founder of Marco's Pizza.[6] Giammarco moved to the United States from the Abruzzo region of Italy when he was nine years old[7] and grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, where he worked in his family's pizzeria.[8] He and his father made the sauce recipe that is used in Marco's Pizza locations.

Modern history

In 2002, restaurant industry expert Jack Butorac was asked to analyze three restaurant concepts as potential growth opportunities, including Marco's Pizza. He traveled through Ohio and stopped at five Marco's Pizza stores in different cities along his route.[9] He found different exteriors and inconsistent branding, but pizza that was the same at each location. "It was delicious," he told the New York Times in a 2014 interview. A veteran of large franchise operations, he saw the possibilities in this regional brand. "What [Giammarco] didn't have was how to brand it and differentiate it from other brands out there," Butorac told Pizza Marketplace in an interview.[10]

Butorac began working as a consultant with Giammarco and soon began negotiations to purchase the franchising rights to Marco's Pizza. He assumed leadership of the company in January 2004 with a vision to take Marco's Pizza national.[9]

In 2005, nationwide expansion began. Marco's experienced rapid expansion under Butorac's leadership. Since he has owned the company, it has more than doubled in size and expanded to over 35 states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and India. Butorac was presented with the prestigious Golden Chain award, a lifetime-achievement award in the restaurant business, by Restaurant News in July 2017.[7]

Marco's Pizza and its president, Bryon Stephens, were featured on the January 29, 2016, episode of the CBS television program Undercover Boss.[11] The episode won its time slot in the TV ratings with 7.3 million viewers.[12]

The Marco's Pizza menu is available for delivery or take-out, while some locations offer dine-in and catering options. The menu includes pizza, subs, wings, salads, CheezyBread, CinnaSquares, pizza bowls, and co-branded Ghirardelli brownies.[13]

Some of Marco's specialty pizzas include White Cheezy, for which the pizza company won a gourmet competition in California.[14]

Among the unusual and specialty pizzas found at various times on the Marco's Pizza menu are Chicken Florentine, Pepperoni Magnifico, Chicken Fresco, Spicy Fresco, and Double Pepperoni Spicy Fresco pizzas. The signature ingredient of the Fresco pizzas is Marco's special giardiniera, an authentic Italian pepper relish.[15]

2017 accolades and ratings

Marco's Pizza is currently listed at #8 in Pizza Today's Top 100 Pizza Chains for 2017[16] and was named by Franchise Times as number eight on the magazine's list of Fast and Serious growth franchises.[17] In 2012, Marco's Pizza partnered with privately held movie rental chain Family Video to open Marco's locations in as many as 350 Family Video stores.[18]

In 2014, Marco's Pizza was named the #3 best pizza chain by Consumer Reports magazine on its list of Best and Worst Fast Food Restaurants in America based on survey results. It was the first time Marco's Pizza had ever appeared on this list.[19]

  • #1 America's Favorite Pizza Company (2017 Market Force study)
  • #2 Pizza company on Business Insider's List of 25 Best Fast Food Chains in America
  • #2 on the Restaurant Business Magazine Top Chains by Menu Pizza Category
  • #3 Ranking on the Franchise Gator Top 100 Franchises
  • #4 on the Franchise Times "Fast and Serious" Smartest Growing Brands
  • One of the "Five Chains Taking Over America" from NRN's Top 10 Fastest Growing Chains
  • #38 (Top ranked pizza company, up from #81 in 2016) on the Entrepreneur List of Top 500 Franchises
  • #46 on the Franchise Direct Top 100 Global Franchises
  • Top 200 Franchises Business Review
  • #251 (Only pizza company listed) on Forbes America's Best Employers 2017
  • Technomic Top 500 Chains

See also

References
  1. "Marco's Pizza Franchise | Own a Marco's Franchise". Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  2. "About Marco's Pizza". Marco's Pizza. Marco's Franchising LLC. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. Cho, Janet (August 7, 2014). "Marco's Pizza sees Northeast Ohio as ripe for expansion, with 14 more pizza shops by 2016". Cleveland.com. Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. Vijayan, Naveena (December 10, 2020). "The Untold Truth Of Marco's Pizza". Mashed.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  5. "2016 Top 100 Pizza Companies List". Pizza Today. Pizza Today. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  6. Ramsey, Duane (November 15, 2013). "Marco's continues to grow after 39 years in the pizza business". Toledo Blade. Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. Hoppe, Janet. "Marco's Franchising Inc". Supply Chain World. Supply Chain World. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  8. Livingston, John (December 13, 2013). "Marco's Pizza Previews New Headquarters, Sets Ambitious Growth Plan For 1997". The Free Library. The Free Library. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  9. Butorac, Jack (July 4, 2014). "Executive Chat Featuring Jack Butorac, CEO of Marco's Pizza". RebeccaPatt.com (Interview). Interviewed by Valerie Killifer. RebeccaPatt.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  10. Butorac, Jack (January 10, 2011). "Pizza Market Place". The Pizza Marketplace (Interview). Interviewed by Valerie Killifer. The Pizza Marketplace. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  11. Peralta, Katherine (January 20, 2016). "Undercover Boss episode to feature Marco's Pizza in Huntersville". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  12. Boedeker, Hal (January 30, 2016). "'Undercover Boss' delivers in ratings". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  13. "Marco's Pizza Menu". Marco's Pizza. Marco's Pizza. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  14. "Marco's Pizza maker wins gourmet competition in California". QSR Web. QSR Web. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  15. "Marco's Pizza's New LTOs a Little Sweet, a Little Spicy". QSR Magazine. QSR Magazine. August 8, 2014. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  16. "2017 Top 100 Pizza Companies List". Pizza Today. Pizza Today. November 1, 2017. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  17. Ewen, Beth (March 1, 2014). "Marco's Pizza". Franchise Times. Franchise Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  18. Brandau, Mark (February 9, 2012). "Marco's enters $100M deal with Family Video". Restaurant News. Restaurant News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  19. "Consumer reports survey ranks Marco's Pizza in the top three". PMQ Pizza Magazine. June 1, 2014. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
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