What Marco's Pizza does

Marco's Pizza is a U.S.-based pizza franchise brand founded in 1978 by Pasquale Giammarco in Toledo, Ohio, and operated through Marco's Franchising, LLC. The company's core business is franchising pizza restaurants, generating revenue through development fees, ongoing royalties, and marketing fund contributions from its network of over 1,200 independently owned and operated locations across 35 U.S. states, Puerto Rico (61 locations), the Bahamas (6 locations), and Mexico (1 location). The menu centers on a range of pizza formats — specialty pizzas, premium Magnifico pizzas, NY Style Pizza, and crustless Pizza Bowls — anchored by proprietary fresh in-store dough made daily, an original sauce recipe, and a signature three-cheese blend, supplemented by Pizzolis, calzones, wings, subs, salads, sides, and desserts.

The company operates a digital ordering ecosystem comprising its own website (marcos.com), native iOS and Android mobile apps, the My Rewards loyalty program (1 point per $1 spent, $5 reward at 50 points), and an SMS marketing program powered by Attentive with cart-reminder functionality. Ancillary revenue streams include gift card sales (via Cashstar) and catering services for groups. Distribution spans direct online ordering, third-party delivery apps, dine-in, carryout, and the Hot2Go delivery fulfillment option. Payments are processed via Openpay for Mexico-based transactions.

Marco's go-to-market is franchise-led, targeting 80+ new openings in 2026 versus 60+ in 2025, with current initiatives spanning domestic U.S. expansion (New Jersey debut, New Mexico development), international buildout (Mexico, Caribbean, supported by NCR Voyix technology partnership), and exploration of nontraditional formats including ghost kitchens. The customer base is predominantly individual and family consumers served via franchisees, with a secondary corporate catering segment and an experienced franchisee base including multi-unit operators like Teepu Khan (NJ/NY) and Baljit Gill (12-unit Southern California agreement). Recent executive appointments of CMO Steve Kennedy and CFO Bill Schaffler in late 2025, alongside President and co-CEO Tony Libardi, anchor an organization investing approximately $1.2 million in a new Orlando Operations Center of Excellence (slated fall 2026) housing Marco's University training hub.

Name

Marco's Pizza

Legal name

Marco's Franchising, LLC

Website

https://marcos.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Marco's Pizza is a private U.S. pizza franchisor founded in 1978, operating over 1,200 franchise locations across 35 states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. It sells proprietary-recipe pizzas and complementary menu items through dine-in, carryout, delivery, and catering, generating revenue via franchise fees and royalties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick-Service Pizza Restaurants

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Pizza QSR (THAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pizza Fast Casual (THAFABAB), Frozen Pizza & Flatbreads (CRADADAB), Pizza, Wings & Oven-Baked Prepared Foods (In-Store Concepts) (CRAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Pizza restaurants
• Pizza franchise
• Quick service pizza
• Pizza delivery
• Italian pizza chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Toledo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fee Revenue: Marco's Pizza operates as a franchise brand with new franchisees paying development fees to open locations. The company has over 1,200 franchise locations across 35 states and international markets.
2. Royalty Income from Franchisees: Franchisees pay ongoing royalties for the right to use the Marco's Pizza brand, operating systems, and proprietary recipes including fresh dough, original sauce, and three-cheese blend.
3. Retail Pizza Sales: Revenue from direct pizza sales through company-owned and franchise locations. Menu includes specialty pizzas, build-your-own pizzas, NY Style Pizza, Pizza Bowls, Pizzolis, calzones, breads, wings, subs, salads, and desserts. Available via delivery, carryout, and dine-in.
4. Catering Services: Catering orders for groups with menu items including pizzas, subs, wings, salads, CheezyBread, and CinnaSquares. Orders require 24-hour advance notice.
5. Gift Card Sales: Sale of Marco's Pizza gift cards available as e-gift cards (purchased online at marcos.cashstar.com) or plastic cards from store locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Marco's Pizza sells freshly-made pizzas and complementary Italian-American menu items through a franchise network of more than 1,200 locations. Its core food offering is built on dough made from scratch daily in every store, an original proprietary sauce recipe, and a three-cheese blend, and spans specialty pizzas, Magnifico premium pizzas, NY Style Pizza, crustless Pizza Bowls, Pizzoli, calzones, wings, subs, salads, sides, and desserts. Revenue is generated through retail pizza sales, franchise development fees and royalties, gift cards, catering, and the My Rewards loyalty program.

Product overview

Marco's Pizza is a U.S.-based pizza franchise brand founded in 1978 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Its product portfolio is organized around a core food platform — a range of pizza formats (specialty pizzas, Magnifico premium pizzas, NY Style Pizza, and crustless Pizza Bowls) — supplemented by complementary menu categories including Pizzoli, Calzones, breads, wings, subs, salads, and desserts, all built around fresh in-store dough, an original sauce recipe, and a three-cheese blend. The company layers digital and service products onto this food platform: an online ordering web platform and native mobile app (iOS/Android) for direct consumer ordering; the My Rewards loyalty program for customer retention; a text messaging marketing program powered by Attentive; catering services for group and event orders; and gift card products. A corporate foundation (Marco's Pizza Foundation, established 2022) handles charitable giving and community initiatives. The brand operates over 1,200 locations across 35 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hot Honey Magnifico: A permanent menu item featuring traditional pepperoni, crispy Old World Pepperoni, Romesan seasoning, and Mike's Hot Honey drizzle.
• NY Style Pizza
• Marco's University

Products and services

• NY Style Pizza Extra-thin 16-inch pizza with crushed tomatoes, signature cheeses, NY deli-style pepperoni, parmesan, and a garlic sauce crust. Available as a limited-time offering nationwide, developed with NYC pizza expert Scott Wiener and featuring foldable slices.
• Specialty Pizzas

Quantifiable outcome

• 54.6% composite top-box rating from guests on food quality, flavor, and overall satisfaction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and flagship.

• Scott WienercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026NYC pizza expert Scott Wiener collaborated with Marco's Pizza on the development of the new NY Style Pizza. The pizza underwent over 50 rounds of testing and months of development to create an authentic NYC pizza experience.
• God ShammgodkeyGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 May 2026Former NYC streetball legend and current Orlando Magic assistant coach served as brand ambassador for the NY Style Pizza launch. Featured at the one-day pop-up event in Orlando on May 28, 2026, with $1 slice promotion.
• NCR VoyixcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 October 2025Marco's Pizza selected NCR Voyix to support its international expansion efforts. NCR Voyix provides technological infrastructure for the company's growth outside its current markets in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and Mexico.
• Mike's Hot HoneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Marco's Pizza and Mike's Hot Honey reunited to bring the Hot Honey Magnifico Pizza as a permanent menu item. Hot honey is also available as a new topping option. This follows the success of the product launch in 2023 and the increasing popularity of hot honey as a flavor trend among consumers.
• Junior AchievementkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Marco's Pizza Foundation supports Junior Achievement and its chapters located in the communities that Marco's Pizza serves. Donations raised from round-up campaigns go to support financial literacy and career readiness programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jet's Pizza: Jet's Pizza is a Michigan-headquartered pizza franchise with several hundred U.S. locations specializing in deep-dish square pizza. Similar regional Midwest roots, franchise-led model, and emphasis on fresh dough differentiate it from Marco's but place it in the same competitive set.
• Papa Murphy's: Papa Murphy's is a take-and-bake pizza franchise with ~1,000-1,500 U.S. locations and a similar franchisee-led model. Comparable in size and growth stage to Marco's, though differentiated by take-and-bake rather than traditional delivery/carryout.
• Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut is the largest U.S. pizza chain by unit count (~18,000 globally), offering dine-in, carryout, and delivery with similar core menu formats to Marco's. Direct head-to-head competitor in the Limited-Service Pizza category where Marco's was just named America's Favorite.
• Little Caesars: Little Caesars is a ~5,000-unit U.S. pizza chain best known for value-priced Hot-N-Ready carryout. Competes directly with Marco's on everyday value pricing (e.g., Marco's $8.99 medium 1-topping) and pizza accessibility.
• Papa Johns: Papa Johns operates ~5,500 stores globally with similar franchise-led expansion and a premium-quality positioning that overlaps with Marco's. Direct competitor for catering, digital ordering, and multi-unit franchisee relationships.
• Domino's Pizza: Domino's is the dominant U.S. pizza chain by digital sales with ~20,000 stores globally and the industry-leading loyalty program. Competes with Marco's on delivery speed, app ordering, and price-promotional value, ranking No. 1 ahead of Marco's on the YouGov survey (17.1% vs. 4.7%).

Emerging players

• Donatos Pizza: Donatos is a regional pizza chain with ~170 locations, recently expanding via franchising after being acquired by Whole Health Hospitality. Comparable in franchise-led growth and product positioning (premium-edge-to-edge toppings) though smaller in scale than Marco's.
• Blaze Pizza: Blaze Pizza is a fast-casual assembly-line pizza concept with several hundred locations, founded by LeBron James among others. Comparable to Marco's on the innovation and menu breadth axis but differentiated by fast-casual dine-in positioning.
• MOD Pizza: MOD Pizza is a fast-casual pizza chain with several hundred U.S. locations, focused on build-your-own artisanal pizzas. Competes with Marco's for pizza occasion share and franchisee talent, though positioned more premium/fast-casual than Marco's QSR value positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Yum! Brands: Yum! Brands is the parent of Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger. As a multi-brand franchise holding company, it provides indirect comparability for Marco's franchise economics, royalty structures, and unit growth benchmarks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marcospizza
• Instagraminstagram.com/marcospizza
• Facebookfacebook.com/marcospizza

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marco's Pizza