The Ranking Signal
Marco's Pizza has earned another spot on the Franchise Times Top 400, the annual ranking compiled through a five-month research process that measures the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by system-wide sales. The recognition arrives as the Toledo, Ohio-based chain closes in on its 1,300th location — a milestone that would mark a significant growth inflection for a brand that now operates more than 1,200 stores across 35 states, plus locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico.
For restaurant franchise development professionals watching the pizza segment, the timing matters. Three Marco's franchisee groups were simultaneously named to the Franchise Times Restaurant 200, the ranking of the largest restaurant franchisee companies in the U.S. — a signal that sophisticated multi-unit operators are increasingly selecting Marco's as a portfolio addition.
What's Drawing Multi-Unit Operators
Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco's Pizza, pointed to the quality of incoming franchisee talent as a leading indicator. "When operators who have built some of the largest restaurant portfolios in the country choose to invest in Marco's, it tells you something about the opportunity," Flores said, noting the brand is actively targeting underserved markets across the U.S., the Caribbean, and Latin America.
On the unit-economics side, Marco's Franchise Disclosure Document reports $1.28M average unit volume for the top 25% of franchised stores during the 2025 fiscal year — based on 250 of the 997 franchised stores open for the full 52-week period, of which 37% met or exceeded that average. The company's Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program offers early-stage royalty rates starting at 0% for qualified multi-unit operators who commit to development agreements and meet defined opening timelines.
Menu differentiation is part of the pitch to experienced operators who have seen plenty of pizza concepts come and go. Marco's makes dough fresh in-store daily and uses a never-frozen three-cheese blend. Recent chef-driven launches under menu innovation lead Chef Kathleen Kennedy include a New York-style pizza refined over more than 50 rounds of testing, alongside the returning Margherita Magnifico — all supported by a redesigned app and loyalty program that the brand says drives repeat visits.
Infrastructure Behind the Growth
Later this month, Marco's opens its Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Orlando. The facility houses a fully equipped training kitchen that replicates an operational Marco's store kitchen, serves as the home of Marco's University for franchisee and certified operator training, and will host discovery days for prospective franchise partners. The investment in physical infrastructure signals that corporate support — often cited as a friction point in franchise systems scaling past 1,000 units — is being systematically addressed.
Strategic vendor partnerships have also delivered supply chain cost savings for franchisees, according to the company, an increasingly critical lever as food and beverage operators manage ingredient cost volatility across their portfolios.
Beyond the Top 400, Marco's has accumulated a meaningful stack of third-party validation: ranked No. 2 on Pizza Marketplace's 2026 Top 100 Movers & Shakers, named to the QSR 50 for the third consecutive year, ranked No. 50 on Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500, and recognized on Newsweek's 2025 America's Best Customer Service list for pizza chains. Technomic's 2025 consumer data also placed Marco's atop the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 54.6% composite top-box rating among recent guests.
For operators evaluating franchise investments in the pizza QSR segment, Marco's trajectory — a credible ranking, multi-unit operator endorsement, and an infrastructure build-out ahead of a key unit milestone — adds up to a system positioning itself for a sustained next growth phase rather than a single-year burst.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.