Marco’s Pizza Ranked No. 8 on Fast & Serious Listing

Fastest-growing pizza franchise in the country has ‘staying power,’ according to ‘Franchise Times’

Marco’s Pizza, the fastest-growing pizza franchise in the country, is ranked No. 8 on the Fast & Serious list, the “Franchise Times” ranking that evaluates franchise companies that are growing quickly and also have staying power.

As a company that has been in business since 1978, when native Italian Pat Giammarco opened the first Marco’s in Toledo, OH, we definitely have staying power. And having added 109 Marco’s pizza franchises in 2013 alone — that’s an increase of 33% — our growing pace is unquestionably healthy.

Our accolades are stacking up. So far this year, we’ve been ranked No. 104 on “Entrepreneur’s” Franchise 500 and included in Franchise Business Review’s Top 200.

“We’re really proud of how well our system is doing right now,” says Cameron Cummins, Vice President of Development. “Marco’s clearly has a lot of appeal for both customers and franchise owners, and we look forward to continuing to serve more customers and helping more people open a great pizza franchise.”

In response to what “Franchise Times” calls “multiple other rankings that include too many one-year wonders,” the magazine came up with a rating system that looked at percentage and dollar amounts of sales growth, number of units added over the past three years as well as percentage of growth. The ranking system gave more consideration to growth in years two and three. “Franchise Times” analyzed 298 franchise companies with more than $40 million in sales. The end result is a ranking, published in the March 2014 edition, that identifies “fast-growing franchise systems that also have staying power,” the magazine says.

We attribute much of our staying power to our dedication to quality. Fresh, authentic Italian pizza — ours is the only major chain founded by a native Italian — has always been at the heart of our brand. We also have superior systems, training programs and support networks for our franchisees, always keeping our sights set on a goal of making a perfect pizza every time.

Every perfect pizza at Marco’s starts with the perfect crust, made only from Minnesota-grown spring wheat flour because of its high protein content. The dough is made fresh in-store daily. Our sauce is made from an old Italian family recipe and a hybrid tomato developed especially for Marco’s. Our cheese is always fresh, never frozen. We pay just as much attention to our other toppings, as well as to our non-pizza menu items like subs, salads, wings, other sides and desserts.

We anticipate hitting the 500-store mark later this year, which will mark a significant point in our growth trajectory. However, we still have many prime territories available. On average, you can purchase your own Marco’s franchise for $350,000, with a franchise fee of $25,000. If you’d like to join our dynamic and growing company, please fill out the form at right or give us a call at 1-800-262-7267 to start a conversation — and go ahead and check out our Facebook page and Twitter while you’re at it!