Marco’s Pizza invests $1 million in Orlando operations hub

Marco’s Pizza is putting more than $1 million into a new Operations Center of Excellence in downtown Orlando, a sign that growth in pizza is increasingly about training, coaching, and tighter execution as much as opening new boxes. The 14,030-square-foot site at 222 South Orange Avenue is expected to open in fall 2026 and is designed to function as a corporate office, a training destination, and an operational hub.

The center will include a fully equipped kitchen that mirrors a real Marco’s store kitchen, which is the part operators will care about most. That setup should let the brand standardize how managers learn prep, make-line flow, and store routines before they ever step into a busy unit, while also giving franchisees a place to work through Discovery Days, Marco’s University training, and education sessions with corporate leaders and supply chain partners. About 50 corporate team members are expected to work from the site.

For franchise systems, that kind of centralized coaching can make the difference between growth that sticks and growth that stretches stores thin. Orlando Economic Partnership helped Marco’s with incentives, permitting, public relations, and regional networking connections, underscoring how brands often need local infrastructure as much as they need new customers. The company said the Orlando location gives it a closer support base for fast-growing Southeast markets, where it already has a sizable store footprint.

The timing matters. Marco’s said it plans to open more than 80 stores in 2026, after opening more than 60 in 2025. It grew by 25 units last year to 1,184 U.S. locations, and its franchise disclosure document projected 71 franchised U.S. openings this year. The chain is also pushing into new domestic markets, international territories, and nontraditional venues, while leaning on digital tools, operational upgrades, and menu changes to support the run-up.

For Pizza Hut managers and franchise operators, the playbook is familiar. Pizza Hut requires franchisees and key operators to complete an 8-to-12-week operations training program in a certified training restaurant in Plano, Texas, and its U.S. business runs through more than 100 franchise organizations. The brand had already built a home office by 1966, when franchise units reached 145, a reminder that pizza systems have long needed strong back-office support to keep the front line steady. Marco’s latest investment is another bet that the real competitive edge lives in manager readiness, franchise consistency, and faster onboarding, not just in the dining room or the delivery zone.