- Two-Unit Agreement to Bring Marco’s Signature Products to New Region
- Experienced Pizza Franchisee, Jack Praizner, Leads Expansion with Focus on Mentorship and Market Growth
- One of Nation’s Fastest-Growing Pizza Brands Looks to Develop Across the State with Qualified Franchisees
PHILADELPHIA, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces its entry into Philadelphia with a signed two-unit area development agreement. Seasoned pizza industry veteran Jack Praizner will lead the expansion into this vibrant, untapped market. The first location is expected to open in Bethlehem in Q3 2025, followed by Whitehall in Q4 2025.
Praizner, a resident of Folsom, Pennsylvania, brings more than two decades of pizza expertise to Marco’s. Starting his career at 15-years-old as a Domino’s employee, Praizner quickly rose through the ranks to become a multi-unit franchisee, owning and operating 12 Domino’s locations before selling them in 2021. Ready to re-enter the industry with a fresh perspective, Praizner was drawn to Marco’s for its high-quality product, modern store design, and robust corporate support – and views his home market as having growth potential for the brand.
“After years in the pizza business, I knew exactly what I was looking for in my next venture: a brand with great growth potential and a product that stands out,” said Praizner. “Philadelphia is ready for Marco’s – it’s a blank canvas, and I see incredible potential here. I’m excited to bring Marco’s to this community and mentor the next generation of franchisees.”
With a passion for leadership and a commitment to fostering growth, Praizner views this venture as more than just expanding his business portfolio – it’s an opportunity to invest in people. His vision extends beyond opening stores; he is determined to mentor his district managers, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to become franchise owners themselves. By cultivating a culture of empowerment and entrepreneurship, Praizner aims to create a pipeline of future leaders who can carry the Marco’s legacy forward while achieving their own dreams of business ownership.
“Jack’s extensive experience in the pizza industry and his passion for mentorship make him an ideal partner to lead Marco’s debut in Philadelphia,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “With his dedication to cultivating future franchisees and fortifying the market, Jack’s leadership sets the stage for Marco’s imminent growth in this dynamic region.”
Prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as the Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports the Top 50% of Marco’s franchised stores generated average net royalty sales of AUV $1,208,653 during the 2023 fiscal year*.
As multi-unit franchise development continues to grow, Marco’s leadership prioritizes a development support system, including technology and tools to help identify territories for expansion, plus support in real estate, construction management, field operations, and information related to financing.
FRANdata, a leading research and advisory firm that analyzes the franchise market, reports Marco’s 2024 FUND Score ranks among the Top 10 of all evaluated franchise systems. More impressively, Marco’s ranks in the Top 3 scores for all QSR brands and No. 2 in the pizza category, maintaining its strong position from 2023. 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 the path to continued growth.
For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Jamie Cecil at [email protected] or 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 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s was recognized as America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2024 dataꝉ. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking, earning a coveted spot as the only top 5 pizza chain to rank on Newsweek’s 2025 “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 U.S. Franchised Stores for our fiscal year 2023. Based on our fiscal year 2023, 185 of 447 Franchised Stores in the category (or 41%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of Marco’s Franchising’s 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) – please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.
ꝉAccording to Technomic’s 2024 America’s Favorite Restaurants data, Marco’s Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 53.4% composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible rating for each of the guest experience attributes. Data for America’s Favorite Chains comes from Technomic Ignite Consumer, which collects information about how brands impact consumers and how consumers interact with those brands, via online surveys. See here for more information: www.technomic.com/ignite-consumer.
SOURCE Marco’s Pizza
