Franchise News

Fastest-Growing Pizza Brand* Introduces the Marco's Pizza Foundation - Pledges to Help Communities Rise Together

Today, Marco's Pizza, the nation's fastest-growing pizza brand*, announces it has officially crossed the $1B annual systemwide sales milestone. The achievement comes on the heels of record-breaking growth catapulting its strong performance as America's No. 5 pizza brand in systemwide sales.

To commemorate the achievement, the company is launching the Marco's Pizza Foundation as an extension of its mission to empower franchisees and team members to make a positive difference in their communities. The new effort marks a deeper commitment to unification across Marco's as it brings the brand, its franchisees, and the communities it serves closer together under one common cause.

"We are very excited to have crossed the $1 billion annual sales milestone and owe a big thank you to our loyal customers and all our franchisees and team members at the store level who deliver on our brand promise each and every day," said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & president of Marco's Pizza. "We've grown from humble beginnings as a small, regional concept to a nationally accredited brand, and as we continue to expand our footprint, we will never lose sight of those neighborhoods that have made Marco's their pizza of choice. It's because of our long history working together with communities across the U.S. that the Foundation is now a reality."

The Marco's Pizza Foundation will bring people together to nurture and nourish local communities and will serve as a catalyst for collaboration in making the world better, little by little. The Foundation will support four key pillars: School & Education, Hunger Prevention & Nutrition, Workforce Development, and Entrepreneurship.

From delivering complimentary meals to healthcare workers and first responders, providing lunches to local schools, fundraising to support local organizations and more, there are countless examples of how Marco's stores have continuously stepped up and demonstrated true community involvement. By establishing the Foundation, Marco's can do more together and have an even greater impact.

Marco's now spans 1,100 stores across 33 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The brand is on track to rise in the ranks as Nation's Restaurant News Top 500 Report shows Marco's achieved the highest percent year-over-year sales change (+18.2%) when compared to the nation's top 4 pizza brands**, making Marco's the No. 5 pizza brand in systemwide sales in America.

With strong growth and performance, Marco's now sets its sights on becoming the No. 4 brand in pizza as it experienced a 12.8% increase in year-over-year Average Unit Volume (AUV), and the Top 50% of Marco's franchised stores generated $1,198,201 AUV for 2021***.

Marco's franchise expansion also continues to accelerate with more than 200 stores in various stages of development. Company leadership is prioritizing investments in enhancing the franchise development program, new technology, personnel, strategic vendor partnerships, multi-channel national advertising, and more – all with an eye on maximizing franchisee profits while meeting the needs of today's modern customer.

For example, Marco's recently announced the investment of millions of dollars in technology innovations over the next few years designed to create business efficiencies, maximize order growth, and improve the customer experience. Areas of investment include AI-enabled voice-to-text ordering and automated promise times, integration with third-party delivery services, migrating to a 100% cloud-based order management system, plus testing automated kitchen innovations and new operational equipment.

"Marco's wouldn't be reaching this enormous milestone if it weren't for our entire team coming together to deliver on a strong business model, quality food, exceptional service, and compassion to our communities," said Libardi. "From the franchise support staff, store owners, team members, and everyone in between, our achievements are a result of a collective dedication to our mission and local communities."

For more information on the Marco's Pizza Foundation, visit https://www.marcos.com/foundation.

For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or call 866-731-8209 to speak with Shannon Iverson, Vice President of Franchise Sales.

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 the fastest-growing pizza brand in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,100 stores in 33 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 2022 "Franchise 500" ranking, and No. 4 in the Fastest Growing category on Restaurant Business' 2021 "Top 10 Fastest Growing Chains" ranking. Other recent accolades include a first-time presence on Newsweek's 2022 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, ranked No. 42 on QSR's Top 50 and has been featured five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking.

*Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza brand based on year-over-year unit growth, according to 2021 NRN Top 500 U.S. Restaurant Ranking LSR Pizza Segment.

**Nation's Restaurant News partnered with Datassential and its Firefly data platform to provide an in-depth look at the performance across the Top 500 restaurant chains.

***Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2021. Based on fiscal year 2021, 146 of 389 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2022 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.