{"id":1774375,"date":"2026-06-17T10:07:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/news\/marcos-pizza-invests-over-1-million-in-new-orlando-operations-center\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:47:42","slug":"marcos-pizza-invests-over-1-million-in-new-orlando-operations-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/news\/marcos-pizza-invests-over-1-million-in-new-orlando-operations-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Marco&#8217;s Pizza Invests Over $1 Million in New Orlando Operations Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- ARTICLE START --><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Marco&#8217;s Pizza is doubling down on its franchise infrastructure. On June 16, 2026, the pizza <a href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/our-franchises\/\">franchise brand <\/a>announced a more than $1 million investment in a new Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Orlando \u2014 a 14,030-square-foot facility designed to strengthen franchisee training and support the franchise concept&#8217;s target of more than 80 new store openings in 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new facility, located at 222 South Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando, will serve as an extension of the company&#8217;s headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. Construction is currently underway, with the center expected to open in fall 2026. The announcement comes as <strong>Marco&#8217;s Pizza<\/strong> operates more than <strong>1,200 locations<\/strong> across <strong>35 states<\/strong>, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico \u2014 up from more than 60 new stores opened in 2025. The investment reinforces the company&#8217;s long-term commitment to scaling its <a href=\"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/articles\/what-is-a-franchise\/\">franchise concept<\/a> through enhanced operational support and franchisee development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-94867c0576fa963e959b973a1601d5e7\">A $1 Million Training Hub in the Heart of Orlando<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spanning approximately <strong>14,030 square feet<\/strong>, the Operations Center of Excellence will function as a corporate office, franchise training destination, and operational support hub. A key feature is a fully equipped training kitchen built to replicate an actual Marco&#8217;s Pizza restaurant, giving franchisees, operators, and managers hands-on instruction in store systems and daily operations. The facility is expected to accommodate around <strong>50 corporate team members<\/strong> and will host Discovery Days for prospective franchise investors evaluating the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote\" style=\"--color: #e74c3c; \"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__content\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__quote-wrapper\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg-wrapper\"><svg class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__svg\" width=\"56\" height=\"40\" viewBox=\"0 0 56 40\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M40.6 16.52H46.06C51.38 17.64 55.3 21.14 55.3 27.58C55.3 34.72 49.84 39.2 42.98 39.2C34.72 39.2 29.54 32.62 29.54 23.24C29.54 9.52 38.64 0.699999 55.58 0V5.04C46.62 6.3 41.3 9.52 40.6 16.52ZM10.92 16.52H16.52C21.84 17.64 25.76 21.14 25.76 27.58C25.76 34.72 20.3 39.2 13.44 39.2C5.18 39.2 0 32.62 0 23.24C0 9.52 9.1 0.699999 26.04 0V5.04C17.08 6.3 11.76 9.52 10.92 16.52Z\" fill=\"#e74c3c\"\/><\/svg><\/div><blockquote class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__text\">This investment reflects the intentional way we scale our business. We are building the systems, environments, and capabilities that allow our franchisees not only to grow, but to operate with precision, consistency, and confidence.<\/blockquote><\/div><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author\"><div class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-details\"><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-pre-text\">A QUOTE FROM<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-name\">John Meyers<\/p><p class=\"lc-gut-blog-post-author-quote__author-title\">Chief Operating Officer, Marco&#039;s Pizza<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-73f8308f21110aebd9a29bdb27e6eae5\">Marco&#8217;s University and Franchisee Development Under One Roof<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Orlando facility will serve as the home of Marco&#8217;s University, the brand&#8217;s advanced education and development platform. Beyond initial training, the center is intended to support ongoing franchisee education, leadership development, and collaboration between corporate teams, franchise operators, and supply chain partners. According to the company, centralizing these functions is part of a broader strategy to maintain operational consistency across a rapidly growing network. The location was chosen in part for its workforce availability, accessibility, and the local business climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7bc777800d288eec36fc64b0ed059cd9\">Over 80 New Stores Targeted as the Brand Accelerates Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marco&#8217;s Pizza is targeting more than <strong>80 new store openings<\/strong> in 2026, building on the more than 60 locations that opened last year. The brand was founded in 1978 by Italian immigrant Pasquale &#8220;Pat&#8221; Giammarco and has grown from its roots as a regional Ohio chain into one of the largest pizza franchises in the United States. The Orlando Operations Center of Excellence reflects a broader industry trend: as quick-service restaurant franchisors compete for operators, investment in training infrastructure has become a key differentiator for brands looking to attract and retain franchisees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by state and individual circumstances and may change over time. Readers should consult a qualified attorney, tax professional, or other licensed professional regarding their specific situation. Nothing herein creates an attorney-client relationship.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><!--\n=== SOURCES ===\n- Marco's Pizza press release (PR Newswire, June 16, 2026) : https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/marcos-pizza-expands-headquarters-with-new-operations-center-of-excellence-in-orlando-302801201.html\n- citybiz (June 16, 2026) : https:\/\/www.citybiz.co\/article\/860939\/marcos-pizza-expands-orlando-presence-with-new-operations-center-of-excellence\/\n- Marco's Franchising (unit targets) : https:\/\/marcosfranchising.com\/marcos-pizza-to-open-over-80-locations-in-2026\/\n\n=== SEO META ===\nTitle tag (< 60 chars) : Marco's Pizza Opens $1M+ Training Center in Orlando\nMeta description (150-160 chars) : Marco's Pizza is investing more than $1 million in a new Operations Center of Excellence in Orlando, targeting over 80 new franchise openings in 2026.\nSlug : marcos-pizza-orlando-operations-center-excellence\nH1 : Marco's Pizza Invests Over $1 Million in New Orlando Operations Center\n--><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Marco&#8217;s Pizza is doubling down on its franchise infrastructure. On June 16, 2026, the pizza franchise brand announced a more than $1 million investment in a new Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Orlando \u2014 a 14,030-square-foot facility designed to strengthen franchisee training and support the franchise concept&#8217;s target of more than 80 new store [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":788,"featured_media":1774384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Marco's Pizza Opens $1M+ Training Center in Orlando","_seopress_titles_desc":"Marco's Pizza is investing more than $1 million in a new Operations Center of Excellence in Orlando, targeting over 80 new franchise openings in 2026","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"content-type":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"1774347,1603810,1632352,1563438,1644769,1579684","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1847,3594],"tags":[],"type-de-post":[2066],"class_list":["post-1774375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reseaux","category-franchise-networks","type-de-post-articles-actualite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/788"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1774375"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1774397,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774375\/revisions\/1774397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1774384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1774375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1774375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1774375"},{"taxonomy":"type-de-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lexpress-franchise.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-de-post?post=1774375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}