Marco’s Pizza Franchise Plans Expansion in Wyoming and Colorado

Fast-growing pizza franchise already has more than 650 locations

Marco’s Pizza is planning to open 10 new stores in Wyoming over the next five to seven years. The pizza franchise already has more than 650 locations across 35 states and the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and India.

What’s more, Chase Kintz, Marco’s Area Representative for Colorado and southern Wyoming, plans to open 47 stores in these areas by 2020. The northern part of the state is being developed by another Marco’s Area Representative, and both Area Representatives are coordinating efforts to find multi-unit operators.

The first store should open in Cheyenne in the second or third quarter of 2016, followed by one in Laramie — then in other cities; Casper and Gillette are on the list of potential markets. The Wyoming locations are likely to be a little larger than previously opened franchises, which average about 1,200 square feet.

“Both Colorado and Wyoming are experiencing a booming economy, thanks in part to the technology and oil industries. This area proves to be an exciting development region for Marco’s Pizza,” said Cameron Cummins, Vice President of Franchise Development. “The families that call the Rocky Mountains their home are always seeking out something better than what existed yesterday, and with our high quality, fresh ingredients and top notch customer service, that is what Marco’s Pizza provides. I am confident in the team’s ability to grow the Marco’s Pizza brand, expanding our footprint throughout key markets across the Rocky Mountain States.”

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 significant growth in recent years and is on pace to open 1,000 restaurants by early 2017.

Chase joined Marcos around 2008 when it was a relatively young company (as franchises go). He said his decision to join was based on two main factors. The first: Marco’s had the best product of any of the concepts he researched.

“With dough made in-house daily, veggies purchased locally and prepped daily and a three-cheese blend that is never frozen, the pizza is one of the best ones out there,” Chase says.

“The second factor was the mindset with which Marco’s is managed at a corporate level. Even as it grows, Marco’s is operated with a ‘unity wins’ culture that promotes feedback from every level. This gave me the opportunity to be heard as a franchisee and thereby be a direct part of the growth and the subsequent adaptation of the concept to fit its constantly changing size. Many other concepts operate from a ‘do as I say’ position. Not Marco’s.”

Bryon Stephens, President and COO of Marco’s Pizza franchise, notes that we have adopted a culture of accountability based on the premises that were laid out in the book “The Oz Principle.” This method defines accountability as a personal choice to rise above your circumstances and demonstrate the personal ownership necessary to achieve your key results.

Marco’s locations double in the past five years

Founded in 1978 by Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco, Marco’s grew steadily over its first few decades but remained mostly a regional chain, with about 120 restaurants in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. That changed in 2004; we have more than doubled our number of locations in the past five years alone.

“The growth really started coming exponentially,” says Marco’s spokeswoman Laura Johnstone. “We’re due to double again in the next five years.”

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.

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