Marco's Pizza Launches Month-Long Celebration in Honor of 1,000th Store

Marco's path to 1,000 charts an incredible journey - starting with an Italian founder, Pat Giammarco, and a dream of creating a pizza brand, to CEO Jack Butorac who discovered a wonderful growth opportunity. From a driver who's been delivering smiles for 30 years, to a couple who met and will marry at Marco's. From the 500^th store opened by veteran Joe Walker in South Carolina, to Edgardo Beniquez Santiago and Luisaliz Rivera co-owners of the 900^th location in Puerto Rico, to the immigrant entrepreneurs slated to open this milestone 1,000^th location, Marco's people and their commitment to hospitality earned them the title of most-loved and most-trusted pizza brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study. And, of course, it's about the guests, who make Delivering Memories the brand's greatest reward, as it strives to make a positive difference in the communities it serves.

'Reaching this significant growth milestone is cause for celebration,' said Tony Libardi, President & COO of Marco's Pizza. 'As a people-first organization, we wanted to celebrate this achievement with those who have helped us throughout our journey. This people-first mentality has been the secret to our long-term success – it's our passionate franchisees, dedicated team members, and loyal customers who have propelled this brand to greatness. We've built an incredible culture and look forward to the growth opportunities that lie ahead in our journey to the next 1,000.'

The flagship 1,000 location was a close timeline among a diverse group of franchisees including:

• Kattya Barbaran and Rafi Vargas and their Kissimmee, Fla. location. Both immigrated to the United States with the dream of owning their own business one day and providing a future for their family. As a general manager for Marco's, Kattya has a passion for training and growing people. Rafi, a regional director for Marco's, has always dreamt of being an entrepreneur.
• Travis Davis and his Buda, TX location. He and his partners also own almost 50 Sonic® drive-In locations and came to Marco's to grow and diversify their portfolio. He believes in creating a path to ownership for his general managers.
• Brandon Hudson and Damion Mason and their location in Richmond, Va. Both were fraternity brothers at Virginia State University and have partnered together on several business ventures including Marco's Pizza. These two see tremendous potential in the brand and want to help it diversify its franchisee base.
• Stephanie Moseley and her Yorktown, Va. location. As a veteran of the Air Force, Stephanie has brought grit and determination to her Marco's franchise. She credits much of her success to finding the right, experienced general manager who understood her vision to round out her team.

Ultimately, the numbers played out with Barbaran and Vargas' Kissimmee, Fla. store as the official milestone location. 

'This year has been a difficult one for many of our team members, customers and communities. Rafi and I feel very blessed to be able to fulfill our dream and give back to the Marco's family in the process,' said Barbaran.

Throughout the pandemic, Marco's remained committed to growth in 2020 – opening 51 stores thus far with upwards of 80 locations expected to open total this year. Plus, it has 89 new store commitments in the pipeline, and recorded historic sales milestones, all while supporting communities nationwide via its 'You Can Count on Marco's Pizza' commitment.

The pandemic also accelerated several innovations and pilot programs including the opening of ghost kitchens in several strategic markets, rapid expansion of third-party delivery and testing of robotic kitchen innovations that improve efficiencies without compromising pizza quality or craftmanship. Marco's is committed to the future and beyond as the company continues to push forward with new openings and signed agreements during the COVID era. 

'This is a very proud moment,' said CEO Jack Butorac, a 40-year restaurant industry veteran, who came out of retirement to build Marco's Pizza. 'I remember in my early conversations with Founder Pat [Giammarco] saying 'you have a 1,000-store concept here.' And now, amid a pandemic, the brand is about to achieve this amazing milestone while experiencing record-breaking sales. It has been an incredible journey and I cannot wait to hit 1,500!'

Marco's is the only national pizza franchise founded by a native Italian. It has carved out a niche in the industry for authentic Italian quality pizza, known for its fresh dough made in-store daily, signature three-cheese blend that is fresh, never-frozen, and a secret original pizza sauce recipe from its founder Pat Giammarco.

Opening a new store every three and a half days on average, the Top 50% of its franchised stores generated $918,047 AUV for 2019*. For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit www.marcosfranchising.com or call 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA 

Marco's Pizza is America's Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ('Pat') Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate nearly 1,000 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2020 'Franchise 500' ranking, and No. 6 in the Largest Pizza Chain category on Restaurant Business' 2020 'Top 500 Chains' ranking. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 4 in Forbes 2019 'Best Franchises to Buy' Small/Medium Investment and ranking five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious 'Top 200' ranking.

*Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2019. Based on fiscal year 2019, 127 of 291 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2020 FDD – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.