Why Marco’s Pizza ® Franchise Draws Twice the Repeat Customers As Competitors

Survey shows customers who try Marco’s pizza are likely to buy it again, driving profitability potential for franchisees

It’s an old business axiom, and not just in the pizza franchise business: You make more money with repeat customers than by constantly marketing to new ones.

In the food industry, customers are fickle and often make choices based on convenience, so marketing costs can soar. Every coupon, email, Facebook post or other creative marketing piece costs money, and the more you spend, the lower the profit. The way to run a profitable restaurant franchise is to surpass your competitors in quality and build customer loyalty.

Marco’s Pizza ® has done just that since we began franchising 35 years ago. We don’t just believe more people love our pizza than other brands — we have proof.

We hired Proctor & Gamble Test Kitchen MRSI to conduct a four-month study with focus groups, and 72% of people who tried Marco’s pizza said they’d purchase it again — more than twice the intent to repurchase of any other pizza delivery chains the kitchen tested.

Basically, if they try Marco’s, they’ll buy it.

That sort of customer loyalty means higher profitability for our franchisees. It was an eye-opening experience for Nashville Area Developer and franchise owner Stu Field, who received dozens of calls from happy customers in the first few weeks when he first opened his Marco’s in 2011.

“When an employee says, ‘Hey, there’s some guy on the phone and he wants to talk to you,’ right away your chin hits your chest and you take that walk of shame to the cash register, and you just know that you screwed something up,” Stu says. “Those 75 phone calls I mentioned earlier, those were all people calling us back to tell us they picked up their pizza or they just got a pizza delivered, and that it was the best pizza that they’ve ever had.”

Marco’s is unique in the delivery pizza segment of franchising — it focuses on high-quality pizza with fresh (never frozen) ingredients. We make our dough fresh in-store daily from a specially selected Minnesota-grown spring wheat. Our proprietary three-cheese blend is the perfect complement to our sauce, which is made from hybrid tomatoes developed just for Marco’s. We use the best available meats and fresh vegetables, and we have honed our oven temperature and time to deliver the perfect pie every time. Our company was founded by a native Italian, and every pizza is crafted in the tradition of the authentic artisan Italian pizza.

Pizza is a $40 billion industry that continues to grow, and Marco’s is definitely grabbing its slice of the pie. Many national pizza chains have already saturated the market, but Marco’s is on track to open 450 units by the end end of 2013, and we have another 1,000 stores in development. That gives investors a chance to get in on the ground floor of a great opportunity. We’ve been franchising since 1978, and our commitment to quality has never wavered.

“Marco’s is the franchise to watch,” says CEO Jack Butorac. “While other brands are all about selling a discounted product, we remain focused on quality. That’s why so many people are eager to repurchase Marco’s pizza. We don’t cut corners on quality, and neither do our customers.”

Investors who want to put their name behind the fastest growing pizza franchise in the country should give Marco’s a try. Many of our own franchisees started out as customers who fell so deeply in love with our pizza they knew they had to go into business with us. If you’re curious to learn more, fill out the form at right or give us a call at 1-800-262-7267.