Marco's Pizza® Named to Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 Hall of Fame While Ranking as a 2023 Fastest-Growing Franchise

Nation's Fastest-Growing Pizza Brand* Receives High Praise for Historical Growth and Ongoing Aggressive Development

TOLEDO, Ohio, May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marco's Pizza, the nation's fastest-growing pizza brand*, was named to Entrepreneur's first-ever Franchise 500 Hall of Fame list. This prestigious list honors the elite franchise brands that have ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 ranking for 25 or more years, consecutively. Alongside this prestigious honor, Marco's was named among Entrepreneur's 2023 fastest-growing brands, showing the franchisor's commitment to ongoing aggressive new store development.

"As a franchise brand, our success is rooted in the success of the franchisees. We are proud to be recognized by Entrepreneur magazine for our longstanding growth and strong performance, and for being named a fastest-growing brand in 2023," said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & President of Marco's Pizza. "It validates our nearly 45-year history of proven success with our aggressive vision for continued expansion. This recognition serves as a testament to the power of collaboration and the endless possibilities that come with a shared vision and a steadfast commitment to growth."

Today, Marco's boasts more than 1,100 stores while achieving strong performance - surpassing $1B in annual systemwide sales. Franchise expansion continues to surge, with more than 200 stores in various stages of development, and hundreds of agreements signed. In 2022, Marco's opened 90-plus stores and awarded 140 franchises. In the last six years, the fast-growing brand has doubled its store footprint. At the crux of Marco's ongoing growth is its renowned high-quality pizza, which has provided the basic foundation to scale. With prime territories across the country, company leadership has identified 4,200 potential U.S. locations.

"We're honoring these A-list brands who have shown through and through their commitment to growth, to their franchisees, and to their communities," said Entrepreneur Senior Vice President of Franchising Liane Caruso. "Ranking in the Franchise 500 is highly competitive, and achieving that distinction year after year is quite an accomplishment."

Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 has been evaluating and ranking franchise opportunities for 44 years. The company's proprietary ranking formula analyzes brands based on more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. The ranking grows more competitive each year—1,321 companies applied for a chance at a spot in the top 500 in 2023—and only 49 franchise brands have managed to rank every year for the last 25 years or more, and thus earn a spot in the 2023 Hall of Fame.

The Fastest-Growing Franchises ranking is based on information submitted to the Franchise 500^®. Franchise companies are ranked based on their net U.S. and Canada franchise unit growth from July 31, 2021 to July 31, 2022.

To view Marco's Pizza in the Franchise 500 Hall of Fame list & Fastest-Growing Franchises list, visit https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise/introducing-the-franchise-500-hall-of-fame/444749 and https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/directory/fastest-growing-ranking.

For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or call 866-731-8209 to speak with Shannon Iverson, Vice President of Franchise Sales.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA
Marco's Pizza is one of America's Top 10 Favorite QSR Brands according to the 2022 Market Force Information Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza brand in the United States*. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and delivers a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,100 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 51 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2023 "Franchise 500" ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek's 2023 "America's Best Customer Service" in pizza chains list, ranked No. 40 on QSR's Top 50 and has been featured six consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 500" ranking.

*Marco's Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza brand based on year-over-year unit growth, according to 2022 NRN Top 500 U.S. Restaurant Ranking LSR Pizza Segment.

SOURCE Marco's Pizza