Marco's Pizza

Marco's Pizza is an American restaurant and franchise brand specializing in pizza and related Italian-American foods. The company was founded in 1978 by Italian immigrant Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco, who opened the first location on Starr Avenue in Oregon, Ohio, near Toledo. Giammarco had immigrated to the United States from the Abruzzo region of Italy as a child and grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, working in his family's pizzeria. The sauce used by Marco's locations originated from a recipe developed by Giammarco and his father. For much of its early life, Marco's was a regional Ohio chain. Its later expansion was shaped by Jack Butorac, a restaurant-industry executive who evaluated the concept in 2002 while comparing possible franchise opportunities. Butorac visited several Marco's restaurants and observed that the stores had inconsistent visual presentation, but that the pizza quality was relatively consistent. He subsequently became a consultant to Giammarco, negotiated to acquire the brand's franchising rights, and assumed leadership in January 2004. Under his direction, Marco's began a national expansion program in 2005. The company operates through a mixture of company-related operations and franchised restaurants under Marco's Franchising, LLC. Its core service model is delivery and carryout, although some restaurants also provide dine-in and catering. The menu has expanded beyond traditional pizzas to include specialty pizzas, subs, chicken wings, salads, bread products, desserts, pizza bowls, and brownies sold through a co-branding arrangement. Signature or recurring offerings include Pepperoni Magnifico, White Cheezy, Chicken Florentine, Chicken Fresco, Spicy Fresco, and Double Pepperoni Spicy Fresco pizzas. Fresco products use giardiniera, an Italian-style pepper relish, as a defining ingredient. Other recognizable menu items include CheezyBread, CinnaSquares, wings, and Ghirardelli brownies. Marco's has also used nontraditional retail partnerships to increase its footprint. In 2013, it partnered with Family Video, placing Marco's restaurants in or alongside many Family Video locations and linking pizza service with video-rental traffic. That arrangement ended after Family Video closed its stores in 2021. The brand's television exposure included a January 2016 appearance by Marco's president Bryon Stephens on CBS's Undercover Boss. The chain has received favorable recognition in industry and consumer surveys. Consumer Reports ranked Marco's third among pizza chains in its 2014 fast-food restaurant survey, its first appearance on that list. Pizza Today ranked the company among the leading U.S. pizza companies in 2016 and 2017, while trade publications also recognized its franchise growth. Marco's reported opening 41 new stores during the first half of 2025. Reference material states that the chain had more than 1,300 locations by June 2026, including restaurants in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, India, and Mexico. The business continues to position itself as a growing, value-oriented pizza franchise emphasizing made-to-order food, recognizable Italian-inspired recipes, and convenient delivery and carryout.

Marco's Pizza was established on February 18, 1978, when Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco opened the first restaurant on Starr Avenue in Oregon, Ohio. Giammarco was born in Sulmona, in Italy's Abruzzo region, and moved to the United States at the age of nine. He grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, where he worked in his family's pizzeria. His early experience in pizza preparation helped shape Marco's recipes, including the sauce developed with his father and later used by the chain. The business initially developed as a regional Ohio pizza operation rather than an immediately national franchise. Its stores shared a reputation for consistent pizza quality, but the brand's physical presentation and operating identity were not uniform. A turning point came in 2002, when restaurant executive Jack Butorac evaluated Marco's as one of several restaurant concepts with national potential. He visited five Marco's restaurants in different Ohio cities and found considerable variation in their exteriors and branding, while finding the food quality broadly consistent. Butorac concluded that the underlying concept could support a larger franchise system. Butorac first worked with Giammarco as a consultant and later negotiated to purchase Marco's franchising rights. He assumed leadership in January 2004 with the stated objective of taking the chain national. Nationwide expansion began in 2005. Under this model, Marco's grew beyond its original Ohio base and expanded through franchised restaurants across the United States. The brand later entered Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, India, and Mexico. Reference material reports more than 1,300 locations by June 2026 and describes recent growth of approximately 80 new stores per year, although the precise current store count and pace may change over time. Expansion was accompanied by increased attention from restaurant and franchise trade publications. In 2014, Consumer Reports placed Marco's third among pizza chains in a survey of American fast-food restaurants. Pizza Today ranked the company tenth among its Top 100 Pizza Companies in 2016 and eighth in 2017. Franchise and marketing publications also recognized Marco's as a fast-growing chain. In July 2017, Butorac received Restaurant News's Golden Chain award, according to the cited reference material. The company experimented with a retail-location partnership in 2013, when it worked with Family Video to place Marco's outlets in many video-rental stores. The arrangement allowed customers to combine pizza purchases with video-rental traffic and gave Marco's access to existing retail premises. It ended when Family Video closed all of its stores in 2021. Marco's public profile also expanded through television. President Bryon Stephens and the company appeared on CBS's Undercover Boss in January 2016. The chain has continued to operate primarily as a delivery and carryout business, with some locations offering dine-in and catering. Its menu has broadened from core pizza products to include subs, wings, salads, bread, desserts, pizza bowls, and brownies. Specialty pizzas such as Pepperoni Magnifico, White Cheezy, Chicken Florentine, Chicken Fresco, Spicy Fresco, and Double Pepperoni Spicy Fresco provide differentiated menu points, with giardiniera serving as a signature ingredient in the Fresco group. Marco's remains an active private franchise brand headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Its recent development has focused on adding restaurants and extending geographic coverage rather than changing its core category. The available source material records 41 new stores in the first half of 2025 and continuing international and domestic expansion.

1. 202541 new stores reported in the first half of the year

   Reference material reports that Marco's opened 41 locations during the first half of 2025.

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2. 2021Family Video partnership concludes

   The partnership ended after Family Video closed its stores.

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3. 2016Undercover Boss appearance

   President Bryon Stephens and Marco's Pizza appeared on CBS's Undercover Boss.

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4. 2014Consumer Reports ranking

   Marco's was ranked third among pizza chains in a Consumer Reports fast-food restaurant survey.

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5. 2013Family Video partnership starts

   Marco's began placing restaurants in or alongside Family Video locations.

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6. 2005National expansion begins

   Marco's launched a broader national expansion effort beyond its regional Ohio footprint.

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7. 2004Butorac assumes leadership

   Jack Butorac assumed leadership after negotiating to acquire Marco's franchising rights.

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8. 2002Jack Butorac evaluates the brand

   Restaurant executive Jack Butorac visited several Marco's restaurants and identified national franchise potential despite inconsistent store branding.

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9. 1978First Marco's Pizza restaurant opens in Ohio

   Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco opened the first Marco's Pizza on Starr Avenue in Oregon, Ohio.

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A mainstream, delivery-and-carryout pizza franchise positioned around made-to-order food, Italian-American recipes, fresh toppings, recognizable signature products, and accessible everyday value.

• Specialty pizzasPizza

  Marco's core menu consists of made-to-order pizzas available for delivery and carryout. Specialty recipes include Pepperoni Magnifico, White Cheezy, Chicken Florentine, Chicken Fresco, Spicy Fresco, and Double Pepperoni Spicy Fresco. The Fresco family is distinguished by the use of giardiniera, an Italian-style pepper relish. The range combines conventional American pizza formats with ingredients and recipe names intended to communicate an Italian influence.

• CheezyBreadSide dish

  CheezyBread is a branded bread side served alongside Marco's pizzas and other meals. It extends the chain's cheese-and-dough proposition beyond the main pizza and is designed for sharing or pairing with delivery orders.

• CinnaSquaresDessert

  CinnaSquares are a branded sweet bread dessert offered as an add-on to pizza orders. Their inclusion gives the chain a dedicated dessert option built around the same convenient delivery and carryout occasion as its main menu.

• Subs, wings, and saladsRestaurant food

  Marco's supplements its pizza menu with subs, chicken wings, and salads. These products broaden the brand's appeal for group orders and customers seeking alternatives to pizza while retaining the chain's delivery and carryout operating model.

• Pizza bowlsPizza-inspired meal

  Pizza bowls are a crustless or bowl-form menu format intended to provide pizza toppings and flavors in a different serving configuration. They represent Marco's effort to extend its menu beyond the conventional round pizza format.

• Ghirardelli browniesDessert

  Marco's menu includes brownies sold through a co-branding arrangement with Ghirardelli. The product adds a recognizable branded dessert to the chain's pizza, sides, and sweet-bread offerings.

• 2016Undercover Boss

  United States

  Marco's Pizza and president Bryon Stephens were featured on CBS's Undercover Boss, bringing the franchise system and its leadership into a national television format.

  Outcome. The appearance increased the brand's television exposure; the available reference does not document a specific measurable commercial outcome.

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• 2025Continue store expansionStrategy

  Marco's continued to pursue geographic growth through its franchise network.

  What changed. Reference material reports that the chain opened 41 new stores during the first half of 2025.

  Aftermath. The openings contributed to the brand's continuing domestic and international footprint growth.

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• 2013Partner with Family VideoStrategy

  Family Video operated a large network of retail stores that could provide premises and customer traffic for additional Marco's restaurants.

  What changed. Marco's placed franchise locations in or alongside many Family Video stores and connected pizza orders with video-rental visits.

  Aftermath. The arrangement ended after Family Video closed all of its stores in 2021.

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• 2005Begin national franchise expansionStrategy

  Marco's had developed primarily as a regional Ohio chain. After evaluating the consistency of its food and the potential of its concept, Jack Butorac sought to take the brand national.

  What changed. The company began nationwide expansion through its franchise system.

  Aftermath. Marco's expanded beyond Ohio into more than 35 states and later entered Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, India, and Mexico.

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• 2025Marco's Pizza opens 41 stores in the first half of 2025

  Reference material reports that Marco's opened 41 new stores during the first six months of 2025 as part of its continuing franchise expansion.

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• 2021Family Video partnership ends after store closures

  The Marco's and Family Video relationship ended after Family Video shut down its remaining stores.

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• 2017Marco's Pizza rises in Pizza Today rankings

  Pizza Today ranked Marco's eighth among its Top 100 Pizza Companies in the United States, while Franchise Times again listed it among fast-growing franchise concepts.

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• 2016Marco's Pizza appears on Undercover Boss

  President Bryon Stephens and the company were featured on a January episode of the CBS reality television series Undercover Boss.

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• 2016Marco's Pizza receives industry growth recognition

  Marco's was ranked tenth by Pizza Today among the Top 100 Pizza Companies in the United States and received recognition from franchise and marketing trade publications for growth.

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• 2014Marco's Pizza receives strong Consumer Reports ranking

  Consumer Reports ranked Marco's third among pizza chains in its survey of the best and worst fast-food restaurants in the United States.

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• 2013Marco's Pizza partners with Family Video

  Marco's entered a partnership that placed pizza restaurants in or beside many Family Video locations, combining food service with the video-rental retailer's store network.

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• 2005Marco's Pizza begins nationwide expansion

  The company began a broader national expansion program after Jack Butorac assumed leadership and pursued growth beyond Marco's regional Ohio base.

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1. Marco's Pizza
2. Marco's Pizza official website