IMAGE: Susan Montgomery
Latin America is just one of the many planned growth areas for this premiere pizza franchise.
Founded in 1978, Marco’s Pizza positions itself as the only national American pizza franchise founded by a native Italian. Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco opened the inaugural Marco’s location in Toledo, Ohio, and has since grown the brand to more than 900 stores in over 34 states, with further locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Now, as part of strategic franchising plans, this fast-growing pizza brand will target even more international markets; specifically Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands. Marco’s aims to add at least 50 international locations by 2025, and is expected to double its Peurto Rico footprint, as it expands to 19 locations by the end of 2019.
“Marco’s Pizza has experienced amazing success in Puerto Rico, and we expect to build upon this, expanding our footprint throughout the Caribbean and Latin America,” said chief development officer, Ron Sitwell. “Marco’s is an organization rich in heritage and authenticity, and we pride ourselves on delivering a high-quality experience with a high-quality product.”
This announcement came hot off the heels off a recent Harris Poll EquiTrend Study, that saw Marco’s Pizza named as the Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand. The brand also ranked highly on Forbes’ 2019 list of Best Franchises to Buy, and appeared in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 ranking. A new franchisee can expect to pay between $160,667 – $788,610 for a Marco’s location, but the brand reports that restaurants could see revenues of $883,073 after one year.
