Franchising

Marco's signs deal for 20 Texas units

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December 16, 2020

Marco's Pizza — which just opened its 1,000th store in October — it has signed a multi-unit development agreement to bring 20 restaurants to Texas by the end of 2025.

Travis Davis of Solis Management, which has nine stores open or in various stages of development throughout Texas, will run these as well, a news release said.

Marco's is hoping to aggressively expand in the southern U.S. particularly, and as a native Texan, Davis and his business partners — who own nearly 50 Sonic drive-ins — said they saw an opportunity to expand Marco's footprint across the state.

"While the pandemic has posed significant challenges for small business owners, it was critical for our team to remain focused on the long-term vision — to not let this moment in time be the end of time," Davis said in the release. "As a multi-unit, multi-brand operator, it quickly became evident that there is tremendous value in having a diversified portfolio to allow for balance and stability during times of uncertainty. The pandemic forced us all to realize the value in not only preparing for the future but acting on it soon. This is why the timing was right to invest and be aggressive with growth plans to set our team up for long-term success."

Marco's opened 60 stores this year and expects to add 20 more by year's end. The company has 110 store commitments in the pipeline, and recorded continued significant increases in Q3 same-store-sales, it said.

"Travis and his team have been incredible partners who truly embody our People-First approach to business that has proved to be a critical element to our brand's success," Ron Stilwell, Marco's vice president and chief development officer said in the release. "With the right team in place, they have been able to maintain a growth mindset and actualize their development goals.

"Texas is an ideal state for our continued expansion as it has a strong foundation in terms of unit count and franchisee health, all while yielding an impressive number of high-profile opportunities. Now is the time to build on that foundation and we look forward to working with franchise partners who align with that mission. Additional target development markets across Texas include Dallas — Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Rio Grande Valley among others."

Marco's Pizza is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.