Like several pizza chains these days, Marco’s Pizza has been expanding and growing faster than a customer can say “One large pie to go.” In fact, Marco’s Pizza surpassed its 1,000th store this year and now operates 1,018 outlets.
Despite the devastating effects of the pandemics on many restaurants, it is slated to open between 120 and 140 new locations, mostly franchised, in 2021. Like many pizza franchises, it has prospered at a time of uncertainty.
Most of its stores, which cover 34 states, are franchised, and only 42 of them are company-owned.
Moreover nearly all of its revenue stems from carry-out and delivery, perfect for these pandemic times. In fact, only about 100 of its locations offer indoor dining, and they remained open during the crisis for off premises sales.
It’s reaped the rewards of offering comfort food, delivered to a consumer’s door or easy to pick-up, at a reasonable price.
During the pandemic, it saw double-digit growth compared to its 2019 revenue. Indeed most of its sales stem from pizza, though it also offers chicken wings, salads, submarine sandwiches and desserts.
In fact, one customer on Yelp referring to the pizza at its Toledo, Ohio outlet, wrote that “Marco’s Pizza is regular pizza. If you asked a child to draw pizza, he’d draw Marco’s pizza. It’s the apotheosis of pizza.”
But Marco Pizza’s co-CEO Tony Libardi, who is based in Toledo, Ohio, explains that Marco’s Pizza “was positioned well when the pandemic hit. We were a delivery company when supermarkets were closing, and Marco’s was deemed essential as was pizza.”
It adapted quickly to what Libardi terms “the new reality,” with its staff wearing masks, and emphasizing delivery and curbside pick-up. It launched a national advertising campaign to get the word out that Marco’s Pizza was primed for delivery.
And Libardi adds that pizza is relatively inexpensive. “You can feed a family on a large pie.”
The pandemic also helped attract franchisees who were multiple unit operators. “If you didn’t have pizza in your portfolio, it became important to put it in,” he states.
To attract first-time franchisees to Marco Polo, Libardi says “it’s working its Rolodex of known large franchisees. It’s more people to people.”
But Libardi is not one to rest on the laurels of his pizza chain. Knowing that restaurant fads dissipate, Marco’s Pizza is launching new products to keep consumers interested.
For example, it introduced on January 18, 2021 its Build-Your-Own-Pizza-Bowl, a crustless pizza that is more nutritional than the normal pie. That way it can attract consumers who are on Keto or Atkins diets or not eating carbs, Libardi notes.
For those who crave more indulgent pizza, it will be launching a brisket pizza, which he describes as Texas-style, on a limited basis, though no start date has been announced.
It’s also launching a new national TV campaign that highlights pizza lovers, and how consumers tap pizza as a way to celebrate life and various events.
He admits that people who are on diets or watching their weight or cholesterol levels may steer away from pizza. “It’s an indulgent product,” he acknowledges, though it offers gluten-free pizza for those weight-watching.
Libardi describes the three keys to Marco’s Pizza sustained success as: 1) Focusing on people, because everything revolves around franchisees and team members, 2) Availability of real-estate, because when the economy booms, there’s less real-estate on the market, 3) Commodity management, because certain products, such as chicken wings, have been hard to find.