Industry Restaurant CEO Jack Butorac (Jan 2004–) Type of business Limited liability company | Founder Pasquale Giammarco | |
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Key people Pasquale Giammarco, Founder
Jack Butorac, Chairman and CEO
Bryon Stephens, President & COO
Ken Switzer, Vice President and CFO
Don Vlcek, Vice President of Purchasing
Cathy Hull, Chief Marketing Officer
Tony Libardi, Executive Vice President of Operations Products Pizza, subs, Chicken Wings Headquarters Toledo, Ohio, United States Founded 1978, Toledo, Ohio, United States | ||
Marco's Pizza, operated by Marco's Franchising, LLC, is a restaurant chain and interstate franchise based in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. The first store is in Oregon, Ohio at Starr Avenue and Wheeling Street. It was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco in 1978.
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As of 2016, over 700 franchised Marco’s Pizza locations are operated in 35 states as well as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and India. Most recently, it was announced that Marco’s Pizza had doubled its size and was expected to open its 1,000th store by the end of 2017. Marco’s Pizza credits its fresh dough, three-cheese blend and secret pizza sauce recipe created by founder Pat Giammarco for its continued growth.
Marco's Pizza is currently ranked #12, on the Top 100 Pizza Companies in the United States by Pizza Today. Marketing Quarterly's Top 25 Pizza Chains named by Franchising World as number eight on the magazine's list of Fast and Serious growth franchises. The business operates locations in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as the Bahamas. Store locations are available with online ordering and payment.
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History
Born in Sulmona, Italy, Pasquale “Pat,” Giammarco is the founder of Marco’s Pizza. Giammarco moved to the United States from the Abruzzo region of Italy when he was nine years old and grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, where he worked in his family’s pizzeria. He and his father ultimately refined and perfected the secret sauce recipe that is still used today in over 500 Marco’s Pizza locations.
In 2002, restaurant industry luminary, Jack Butorac, was asked to analyze three restaurant concepts as potential growth opportunities, including Marco’s Pizza, a 123 unit chain based in Northwest Ohio. Jack took a long drive through Ohio and stopped at five Marco’s Pizza stores in different cities along his route. What he found was a revelation for an expert at packaging concepts - different exteriors and inconsistent branding, but the same great pizza at each location.
Butorac began working as a consultant with Giammarco, and soon began negotiations to purchase the franchising rights to Marco’s Pizza. Butorac assumed leadership of the company in January 2004 with a clear vision: Marco’s Pizza would go national.
In 2005, with the right people and plan in place, Marco’s expansion began. Marco’s experienced rapid expansion from the very beginning under Butorac’s leadership. Since Butorac has owned the company it, has more than doubled in size and expanded to over 35 states, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
Marco's Pizza and its president and chief operating officer, Bryon Stephens, were featured on the January 29, 2016, episode of the CBS television program Undercover Boss. The episode won its time slot in the TV ratings with 7.3 million viewers.
Growth
Marco's Pizza is currently listed #12 in Pizza Today's Top 100 Pizza Chains and was named by Franchise Times as number eight on the magazine's list of Fast and Serious growth franchises. In 2012, Marco’s Pizza partnered with privately held movie rental chain Family Video to open Marco’s locations in as many as 350 Family Video stores.
In 2014, Marco’s Pizza was named the no. 3 best pizza chain by Consumer Reports magazine on their list of Best and Worst Fast Food Restaurants in America based on survey results. It was the first time Marco’s Pizza had ever appeared on this list.
Menu
Marco’s Pizza menu is available for delivery or take-out, while some locations offer dine-in and catering options. The menu includes pizza, subs, wings, salads and breadsticks. Also offered is Marco’s Pizza’s signature CheezyBread and CinnaSquares.
Some of Marco’s specialty pizzas include the award-winning White Cheezy, the Chicken Fresco pizza, and the Pepperoni Magnifico.
In 2013, the company introduced two Limited Time Offers: Chicken Florentine and Spicy Fresco Pizzas. On August 4, 2014 Marco’s Pizza launched the Spicy Fresco and Double Pepperoni Spicy Fresco pizzas. The signature ingredient on both pizzas is Marco’s special Giardiniera, an authentic Italian pepper relish.