Marco’s Pizza ® Franchises in Denver are Ahead of the Curve on Slice Sales
Largest pizza chains follow in Marco’s Pizza ® Franchise’s footsteps
Earlier this year, Pizza Hut, one of the biggest pizza chains in the country, started selling pizza by the slice. Fast-casual Mexican chain Chipotle invested in a pizza chain where slice sales are part of the strategy. Slice sales are quick and relatively inexpensive to make, and in markets with a lot of fast-food competition, they can give a restaurant an edge.
This isn’t exactly news to us. Slice sales have long been a revenue driver in markets like Denver, where Marco’s Pizza ® franchises do a booming lunch business. That piece of the puzzle makes for an even more compelling reason to buy into our Colorado franchise market, which is in the midst of an aggressive expansion strategy.
“A slice of pizza is the fastest food around,” says Chase Kintz, the Area Developer for Marco’s Pizza ® in Colorado. “It’s not a pre-made food at Marco’s. Pizza Hut just started selling by the slice, but we’ve been selling it by the slice for a while now. We make the dough fresh in stores every day, and we’re on the forefront of this gourmet pizza trend.”
Denver and surrounding areas are particularly good places to be a Marco’s Pizza ® franchise owner. Chase explains: “Coloradans consider themselves part L.A., part New York but outdoorsy. They’re modern, they’re on the forefront, they’re unique. They’re always looking for something better. When they find an artisan pizza like Marco’s at our price point, they’ve found it.”
Marco’s has built its business around being a great delivery pizza restaurant, and that’s still an important component in the Denver market. But with more walk-in traffic than a typical Marco’s, it made more sense for our pizza franchises in this area to capitalize on that.
“On the delivery side, we’re always competing with the Big Three — Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Domino’s — as well as some very good, high quality mom-and-pop pizza spots,” says Chase. “On the dine-in side, we’re more of a fast-casual style restaurant because we sell by the slice. People can get in and out quickly. We’re competing with Qdoba and Which Wich and Subway for the quick, affordable lunch crowd, rather than with other pizza places.”
Chase has been in the pizza business in this area since 1998, and he has been with Marco’s for several years. He is eager to add more Marco’s Pizza ® franchise locations in his territory and is looking for entrepreneurs who are self-motivated and people-oriented. No previous restaurant experience is necessary.
What should you know about Marco’s? At Marco’s, we care about quality and authenticity. We make our dough fresh in stores every day. Every pizza is topped with premium meats, never-frozen cheeses, vegetables prepared in-store and sauce made from a hybrid tomato developed especially for Marco’s. The typical investment to start a Marco’s Pizza ® franchise is about $350,000. We’re looking for people who have a net worth of $350,000 and a minimum liquidity of $100,000.
Nationwide, we grew by 33% last year, adding 109 restaurants, and we anticipate hitting the 500-store mark later this year. We are really excited about growing our Denver market. To learn more about opening a Marco’s in Denver, go to marcosslice.wpengine.com/denver. You also can contact Franchise Recruiter Paul Pieschel at 877-574-5094 or ppieschel@marcospizza.net.
