Top 10 Newcomers-Marco's Pizza

Marco's Pizza ranked No. 2 this year on the Nation's Restaurant News' Top 10 Newcomers, part of the trade publication's prestigious Second 100 list that reviews the second-largest 100 restaurant chains.
On the overall list of restaurant chains ranked from 101-200, Marco's came in at No. 166, up from No. 189 last year. The rankings are based on Marco's outstanding growth for 2012. Food service sales were $197 million last year, compared to $148.7 million in 2011 and $115.4 million in 2010.
The Second 100 ranking includes chains that generated at least $134.4 million in sales in 2012 and compared three years of data on each brand.
NRN wrote, in part:
Marco's Pizza boosted its system sales by 32.5 percent in the latest year with a sales growth strategy that balanced specialties like South Philly Cheese Steak Pizza with promotions such as the Big Square Deal combo to counter those of bigger rivals.

• Latest-Year sales growth: +32.5%
  
• Second 100 sales rank: 166
  
• U.S. unit count: 334 (+21%)
  
• ESPU: $645,900 (+7.1%)

That 32.5% increase was the largest among the seven pizza chains included in this year's Second 100, and Marco's ranked No. 3 overall for its systemwide sales growth. In a stronger economic climate, CEO Jack Butorac says the numbers could have been even higher. Marco's commitment to quality, artisan pizza and its relatively inexpensive initial investment make it very attractive to franchisees.
"To build a casual dining place costs millions of dollars; if you build a Marco's, it's $300,000," Jack says.
Marco's closed out 2012 with 334 units nationwide, which landed it at No. 17 on the list of total units nationwide, up five spots from the preceding year. It's on track to open 125 more stores by the end of 2013.