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Quick-service pizza franchise Marco's Pizza has officially opened its new Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Orlando, Florida, establishing a dedicated operational and training hub to support its national franchise network.
The grand opening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a ceremonial "First Slice" presentation with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, alongside Marco's Pizza founder Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco, Chairman and Co-CEO Jack Butorac, and President and Co-CEO Tony Libardi.
The commissioning of the facility arrives as the restaurant chain advances toward an operational target of more than 80 new store openings across the United States in 2026. With Florida representing one of the group's largest domestic markets, the central facility is engineered to provide hands-on kitchen training, protect brand consistency, and support multi-unit franchise expansion across the estate.
"Great brands are built by great operators. This centre gives our franchisees practical, hands-on training, and stronger operational support," said Libardi. "As Marco's grows, that investment will help us protect consistency and improve performance across the system."
Training Infrastructure and Replicated Kitchen Architecture
Spanning approximately 14,030 square feet, the facility functions as a combined regional corporate office, franchisee education centre, and supply chain collaboration space:
Replicated Store Kitchen: The core of the facility features a fully equipped commercial kitchen engineered to replicate standard Marco's Pizza store configurations, allowing operators and store managers to train at operational volume and speed.
Marco's University Host: The location will house the company's proprietary Marco's University curriculum, providing ongoing advanced operational courses for established operators and store leaders.
Prospective Franchisee Discovery Days: The centre serves as the physical staging ground for franchise recruitment, hosting discovery sessions for prospective multi-unit investors evaluating the operating model.
Supply Chain Alignment: The hub provides meeting facilities to convene brand leadership, regional store owners, and procurement partners to coordinate supplier logistics and back-of-house workflow enhancements.
"We built this centre to train the way our operators actually work – in a real kitchen, at real speed," said John Meyers, Chief Operating Officer at Marco's Pizza. "Execution is the foundation, and empowerment is what sets it apart. Situational empowerment means every team member knows what great looks like and is trusted to make the right call for the guest in front of them. When someone turns a guest's day around, even in a small way, it shows up in loyalty, retention and sales."
Supporting Responsible Multi-Unit Expansion
The establishment of centralised operational hubs reflects an ongoing trend among fast-growing quick-service restaurant (QSR) networks to reinforce unit-level economics before executing large-scale estate rollouts.
Rapid physical expansion in the restaurant franchise sector often introduces operational variability across disparate geographies. Providing immersive, standardised kitchen training helps mitigate regional labour turnover, standardises ingredient prep margins, and preserves product consistency across both franchised and corporate-managed units.
"Growth only matters if our operators are set up to perform, and this centre is how we make sure they are," added Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco's Pizza. "When prospective franchisees visit for Discovery Day, they'll see our commitment in action, not just on paper."
Local civic officials welcomed the commercial development, noting the site's role in driving daytime economic activity within Orlando's commercial business district.
"Marco's made a commitment to downtown Orlando earlier this year, and today we celebrated that commitment becoming a reality," stated Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "The Centre will bring daytime activity to downtown's streets, with Marco's team members supporting small businesses and also taking advantage of all that our downtown has to offer."
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