Marco’s Franchising, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brand franchises, announces a 50-unit master franchise agreement marking its debut in Mexico City as international development takes center stage in 2024.
Behind the development is Grupo Pizza Amantes SA de CV, a Mexican company run by four business partners. With the three principals having more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant, hospitality, and retail industry, Grupo Pizza Amantes has been appointed as the master franchisee for Mexico City. The team is currently in the process of building out a site and is seeking both traditional and nontraditional units, with the first store projected to open in Q2 2024.
“This is a historic moment for the Marco’s brand," said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “The announcement highlights our commitment to growing our international footprint, specifically in Mexico, which is one of the most vibrant QSR markets today. Mexico shares several demographic profiles as the United States, and with a business-friendly environment and acceptance of U.S. brands, this is an ideal market for our continued international expansion efforts.”
Marco’s currently operates 60-plus locations across the Bahamas and Puerto Rico with a master franchisee for the Caribbean. Company leadership is expecting strong penetration in the United States to continue and is now strategically targeting international development to fuel growth in 2024. Near-term opportunities exist most abundantly in the LATAM region with future sights set on Middle East, Europe and Canada.
“Our successful expansions in the Caribbean reinforced the global appeal of our brand, and we’re confident in the Grupo Pizza Amantes team and their ability to grow our brand presence in Mexico City,” said Tony Libardi, Co-CEO & President of Marco’s Franchising. “Marco’s is currently undergoing some of our greatest expansion to date. We now have more than 180 stores in various stages of development, and hundreds of agreements signed.”
Marco’s provides a development support system, including technology and tools to help identify the right territories for expansion plus provides support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and finding financing, all to assist franchisees and multi-unit operators.
According to FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, Marco’s 2023 FUND Score of 895 is in the top 1% of all evaluated franchise systems and is among the top three scores for all QSR brands. These impressive rankings are a testament to the brand's commitment to financing guidance as a core focus of its franchise development strategy which has led the 1,200-unit brand on a path to continued growth.
Alongside impressive expansion, Marco’s is prioritizing investments in new technology, innovation, strong leadership, strategic partnerships, product quality and variety, multi-channel national advertising, and more – all with an eye on maximizing franchisee profits while meeting the needs of today’s modern customer.
The brand’s impressive performance has earned multiple awards and recognition: Ranking in Newsweek’s 2023 America’s Best Customer Service in the pizza chains category, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, appearing on Nation’s Restaurant News’prestigious Top 500 ranking, and most recently claiming the No. 48 spot on Entrepreneur’s 2024 Franchise 500® ranking.
For more information on Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Beth Heminger at [email protected], 866-731-8209.
ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver 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 1,200 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking. Other recent accolades include a high ranking on Newsweek’s 2023 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.
*Based on the Average Sales Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for our fiscal year 2022. Based on our fiscal year 2022, 160 of 414 Franchised Stores in the category (or 39%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2023 FDD – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.
