Why Marco’s Pizza ® Franchise Had the Best Year Ever

And why 2014 will be even better for the rapidly growing pizza franchise.

Marco’s Pizza ® Franchise is wrapping up an awesome year, and the two most important things we could tell a potential franchisee are these: 2013 was our best year ever, and we expect 2014 to be even better.

We added more than 60 stores in both 2012 and 2011. And we’re going to surpass our 2013 goal of adding more than 100 new stores by the end of this year. Marco’s has some great momentum going, and it’s only going to pick up speed in 2014.

“With Pizza Today’s top ranking in Pizza Chains on the Move, Marco’s is the fastest growing chain in the U.S. We’ve got an outstanding product, unit economics and growth from franchisees that have been in the system for 15-plus years, so you know we are doing something right! Think of Five Guys Burgers and Fries where they created the better burger category. We are now clearly defining the ‘better pizza category,’ or as we call it, the ‘Perfect Pie category.’ With all this momentum, we have hit the tipping point,” says Cameron Cummins, Vice President of Franchise Marketing and Recruiting.

The tipping point is an exciting time for any franchise. Franchising experts Joe Mathews and Thomas Scott of Franchise Performance Group, authors of “Creating a Franchise Sales Tipping Point,” theorize, based on their combined decades of franchise development experience, that brand growth takes off exponentially at the 500-unit mark. They explain it this way in their book:

“All iconic, category-killing franchise brands at one time have experienced a franchise sales tipping point. Most started out as small franchises and grew slowly, struggling as most franchisors do to find their next franchisee. Then something happened, the precise moment in the company’s history when the franchise came out of obscurity and appeared to announce itself to the world, declaring, ‘We are now a force to be reckoned with.’ If you’ve ever worked for a company as it tipped, you will now remember it as the time when franchise candidates seemed to already know who you are and want what you have before you even have the chance to talk with them. It’s at this point that franchise candidates seem to come out of the woodwork in droves, seeking to join the brand.”

That’s where Marco’s finds itself. With this kind of momentum, we’ve set a big goal for ourselves for 2014. We plan to hit the 500-store mark in April. And we won’t stop there.

That’s why this may be the best time ever to get involved with Marco’s. If you’ve ever wanted get into the pizza franchise business, you’ve got an opportunity to get in on the ground floor with Marco’s — while many of the best possible locations are still available before we reach that crucial tipping point.

No matter how large we grow, we vow to maintain our commitment to the quality and consistency that made us what we are today. As the only national pizza chain founded by a native Italian, we have always prided ourselves on crafting every pizza in the tradition of the classic Italian cook. We make our dough fresh in-store daily using only spring wheat harvested from Minnesota. Our sauce is made from a hybrid tomato developed especially for Marco’s that combines the best elements of three tomatoes. Our cheese is a proprietary blend of three authentic cheeses produced in Wisconsin and Iowa. We use only premium, thick-cut and top quality meats, including two types of pepperoni and our own meatball-sized sweet Italian sausage. This commitment to quality ingredients gives our pizza a distinct flavor profile.

We are excited about our rapid growth, and there’s never been a better time for the new or experienced investor to join a proven concept. If you’d like to join Marco’s before we reach our tipping point, please fill out the form at right or give us a call at 1-800-262-7267. We’d love to start a conversation.