Marco’s Pizza – Entrepreneur’s Highly Competitive 500

Marco’s Pizza® Jumps 20-Plus Spots on Entrepreneur’s Highly Competitive Franchise 500®

Leading Pizza Franchise Earns No. 2 Ranking in Pizza Category, Prioritizes Strategic Nationwide Expansion in 2022

TOLEDO, OH (StLouisRestaurantReview) Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, was recognized as No. 70 on Entrepreneur’s 2022 Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking.  The 43rd annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500® is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry.  Marco’s moved up more than 20 spots, previously ranking No. 92 in 2021.  Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the 2022 Franchise 500® also ranks Marco’s Pizza as No. 2 in the pizza category for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power.

The 1,000-plus unit brand grew store counts almost 10% in 2021 with more than 70 store openings, all while achieving continuous double-digit same-store-sales record increases year-over-year and over 130 signed agreements.  To build off this successful momentum, Marco’s has set a vision to become the No. 4 pizza brand in America with aggressive expansion goals to open over 150 stores in 2022 as it seeks multi-unit operators throughout the United States and internationally.  Marco’s proven performance coupled with high-tier franchisee support has resulted in eager and sophisticated entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators flocking to the franchise opportunity.

“Being recognized No. 2 in the pizza category and jumping to No. 70 overall is a great honor – an honor I share with our dedicated franchisees, hard-working team members, our loyal guests, and our dedicated executive leadership team, who are the true makeup of this brand,” said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & President of Marco’s Pizza.  “The future of the industry remains strong and vibrant.  Our growth strategy has been centered on finding the right multi-unit franchise partners who want to grow with the brand all while executing with strong operations, and we look forward to a momentous 2022 as we build on our achievements, inch closer toward major brand milestones, and grow our nationwide presence.”

In Entrepreneur’s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s 43-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well.  The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.  Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order.

“The past year has been one of the most challenging for businesses in recent memory, which made putting together our 43rd annual Franchise 500 list more enlightening than ever,” says Entrepreneur Editor in Chief Jason Feifer.  “The companies named to this year’s list showed us how being resilient, supportive, and nimble can help navigate extraordinary challenges and also underscore the grit and innovation that define entrepreneurship.”

Over its 43 years in existence, the Franchise 500® has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees.  Marco’s position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

Marco’s Pizza continues to grow at a rapid pace, projecting a new store opening every two and a half days on average in 2022.  According to FRANdata, leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, Marco’s 2021 FUND Score is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands.  The Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated $1,059,574 AUV for 2020.