Marco’s Pizza Franchise Continues Strong Development in Southeast Market

Pizza franchise to have 700 restaurants by year’s end

Marco’s Pizza®, which is among the top pizza franchises in the U.S., continues to thrive in the Southeast market — we are planning new stores for Birmingham, Alabama, and Charlotte, North Carolina — among other areas.

“With an intimate knowledge of the Marco’s brand and extensive experience in the restaurant industry, our development team is positioned well to grow in the region,” says Woody Johnson, Area Representative for Marco’s in North Carolina. “We are eager to find local business leaders to bring this growing concept to their town. With their help, pizza lovers throughout the Southeast will quickly find out that ours is unlike any other pizza franchise out there. Our product is hands-down the best quality, and our customer service outmatches the competition.”

Marco’s was founded by native Italian Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco in 1978. The company has grown from its roots as an Ohio brand to operate more than 650 stores in 35 states (with that number growing) and the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and India. Marco’s was ranked No. 95 on Entrepreneur magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500 list in 2015. Franchise Business Review included us on its annual Top 200, a list of the best systems for franchisee satisfaction. Nation’s Restaurant News ranked Marco’s 144 out of its top 200 restaurant chains, and also as the eighth-fastest growing chain in 2015.

Marco’s Pizza, one of the fastest-growing pizza franchises 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, making the dough in stores daily and using only premium meats and vegetables. Marco’s has enjoyed stunning growth in recent years and is on pace to open 1,000 restaurants by early 2017.

Franchising opportunities abound

The states in which Woody and other Area Representatives are actively seeking franchise partners include Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the Carolinas. Key areas of growth in these states include Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Tallahassee, Miami and Pensacola, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Marco’s has almost unlimited opportunities for growth. Competing big-name chains have saturated their markets with tens of thousands of units, but there are still lots of prime locations available to start a Marco’s Pizza.

We look for the ideal location for all Marco’s franchise stores, preferably in a high-density suburban area. A store requires just 1,400-1,600 square feet — a smaller operation with low overhead relative to other restaurant chains

Plus, other chains are known as “fast food.” Americans are growing choosier about what they feed their families, and they want their convenience foods to be high quality, too. Marco’s has always been focused on serving the highest-quality pizza using the best available ingredients. And while other chains are just now capitalizing on the trend toward artisan pizza, we have been making pizzas this way since 1978.

Eating at Marco’s is also affordable; $30 can easily feed a family of five. Pizza is a $40-billion-a-year industry, and PMQ Pizza Magazine estimates it will continue to grow, particularly worldwide. Citing Technomic’s Pizza Consumer Trend Report, About.com reported 68 percent of consumers order carryout pizza at least once a month, and 45 percent order pizza for dine-in service monthly or more often. The potential for earnings is huge.

“With recent population booms and a rising economy, the Southeast is an exciting development region for Marco’s Pizza,” says Cameron Cummins, Vice President of Franchise Development. “I am confident in our team’s ability to grow the Marco’s Pizza brand, expanding our footprint throughout key markets across the Southeast and other areas.”

Learn more about Marco’s Pizza

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