Marco’s Pizza, the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., is continuing to grow at a breakneck pace. The company opened 41 new stores in the first half of 2025—a pace which, if it continues, would signal a 28% year-over-year jump in store openings.
“We entered 2025 with momentum from a very intentional development strategy, and that pipeline is now turning into stores,” said Gerardo Flores, chief development officer at Marco’s Pizza.
Marco’s recently welcomed back veteran team member Joe Stephens as vice president of real estate, a move aimed at helping franchisees find prime locations. According to a press release, the brand’s site-selection process leans on predictive tools and consumer behavior data to identify high-potential markets—an approach they say helps franchisees open strong in competitive areas.
Nearly two-thirds of new development agreements in 2024 came from existing franchisees, a sign of strong operator confidence. The company has also rolled out a “Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program” to lower barriers for qualified multi-unit owners.
Marco’s international growth is picking up speed as well. The brand just marked its first anniversary in Mexico and celebrated 10 years in Puerto Rico. Led by master franchise partner Grupo Pizza Amantes SA de CV, Marco’s plans to have three-to-four locations in Mexico by the end of the year. The company now counts 66 locations across the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Mexico, with future sights set on Latin America and Canada.
According to QSR magazine—sister publication to PMQ Pizza—Marco’s Pizza ended 2024 with 1,162 locations across the U.S. The brand still trails the fourth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., Papa Johns, by over 2,000 locations—but Marco’s has good reason to believe in its current trajectory. Between 2018 and the end of 2024, Marco’s grew its systemwide sales by 68.8%. The next closest major pizza chain was Domino’s, which grew systemwide sales by about 44% during that same time frame.
