How Big is the Customer Demand for Pizza Franchises?

The Marco Pizza’s ® franchise is part of a $40 billion industry

Everybody loves pizza, or so it seems, and the numbers indicate a high demand for the American staple. Statistics from Franchise Disclosure Documents show that recent years have seen an annual $40 billion in sales, and Marco’s Pizza ® is increasingly tapping into that market.

Marco’s Pizza ®, the fastest-growing pizza franchise in the country, prides itself in making the best delivery pizza money can buy. Marco’s pizza is handmade in the Italian tradition, using fresh, never-frozen cheeses, dough that’s made in stores daily and only premium meats and vegetables. Founded in Toledo in 1978, Marco’s is the only Top 20 pizza chain founded by a native Italian. Marco’s has enjoyed stunning growth in recent years and is on pace to open 1,000 restaurants by early 2017.

“Sixty-eight percent of consumers order carryout pizza at least once a month, and 45 percent order pizza for dine-in service monthly,” says Jack Butorac, CEO of Marco’s Pizza ®. “The potential for earnings is huge.”

In a dynamic industry, 72 percent of pizza consumers who tried Marco’s Pizza ® said they would purchase it again, according to a four-month study of focus groups by the Procter & Gamble Test Kitchen. That percentage was more than double the rate that other pizza franchises earned in the same study.

Marco’s Pizza ® franchise stands above the competition because it doesn’t sell pre-made, mass-produced, frozen pies to individual stores for assembly and sale. Every pizza is made by hand from fresh ingredients at Marco’s. And while artisan foods made by independent operators are often threatened by fluctuating food prices, Marco’s is able to offer real value to its customers through the power of purchasing in large quantities. For $20-$30, you can feed a family of four at Marco’s.

Because of Marco’s dedication to high-quality ingredients, we continue to distance ourselves from our competitors. Regardless of the product or industry, high quality is always a long-term, sustainable niche. Marco’s customers can immediately taste our quality difference, and once they do, they’re hooked.

“When choosing Marco’s Pizza ® franchise over other franchises in the market, I think it comes down to the quality of the product,” says Justin Tarrant, a franchisee in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “I was recently looking through the reviews for our territory, and they all say the same things I thought on my first visit back in 2010 — the crust is like something you’ve never had before. It’s not bready, it’s handmade every day, and that sets us apart. Plus, I think our sauce is tangy, but not overpowering, and all the ingredients are fresh. Combined, all that makes the flavors really pop.”

Learn more

For in-depth details about the Marco’s franchise opportunity, download our free franchise report. You can also learn more by visiting our research pages.