Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, is celebrating a powerful start to 2025 with 41 new store openings, expanded global presence, and increased investments in franchisee success — positioning the brand for a projected 28% year-over-year increase in new locations.
“We entered 2025 with momentum from a very intentional development strategy – and that pipeline is now turning into stores,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “The potential of our model and the power of our culture create an opportunity to grow with a brand that’s not just expanding but doing so the right way.”
A Strategic Focus on Real Estate
Earlier this year, Marco’s welcomed back longtime team member Joe Stephens as Vice President of Real Estate to support franchisees’ site selection and other real estate consultation. Stephens, a 13-year veteran of the brand, brings deep industry expertise to accelerate store openings in key markets.
With 41 store openings year-to-date, Marco’s continues to demonstrate the power of a strategic, data-driven real estate approach. By utilizing predictive tools and consumer behavior insights, Marco’s is looking far beyond traditional site selection methods.
This tech-forward strategy helps identify potentially untapped markets. As the cost of capital rises and competition tightens, Marco’s is doubling down on its commitment to innovative technology tools to aid its growth and help franchisees.
Franchisees Fueling Growth
Current franchisees continue to expand with the brand – nearly 65% of 2024 signed agreements came from existing franchisees. Prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as the Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports $1.3M AUV for the top 25% of franchised stores in 2024.*
To further support expansion, Marco’s recently launched a Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program designed to reduce barriers for qualified multi-unit owners. With early-stage royalty incentives starting at 0%**, plus real estate, construction, and operations support, the brand offers a streamlined, resource-rich path to growth.
Global Expansion Milestones
Alongside domestic expansion, Marco’s just marked two key international milestones – marking one year since opening its first location in Mexico and ten years of operations in Puerto Rico. Notably, Mexico’s expansion is led by Grupo Pizza Amantes SA de CV, a 50-unit master franchise partner with deep hospitality experience. The Mexico team is on pace to have 3-4 total locations open in Mexico by year-end.
Marco’s now boasts 66 locations across the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, with a long-term development vision targeting Latin America and Canada.
Culture-Driven Growth: Empowering Teams, Fueling Communities
Marco’s Pizza continues to live out its “People First, Mission Always” philosophy by empowering both franchisee teams and the communities it serves. At the store level, the brand is scaling its We’re Golden development program – a system-wide training initiative designed to help franchisees build an in-store culture rooted in hospitality, opportunity, and personal growth. The goal: train franchisees across 700 stores by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, The Marco’s Pizza Foundation is making meaningful strides through its four cause pillars: school and education, hunger prevention, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. In April, the Foundation announced a $317,000 donation to Junior Achievement USA (JA) – a figure that has since grown to more than $530,000, surpassing fundraising goals.
“As a franchise-driven brand, we know the power of entrepreneurship to transform lives,” said Stephanie Moseley, President of the Marco’s Pizza Foundation and a multi-unit franchisee. “We’re proud to invest in the next generation of business leaders and to see our franchisees and customers embrace this mission with heart and purpose.”
