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Jose Salas put cheese on a pizza he made last week at Marco's Pizza. (Photo by Mike Moore/mmoore@jessaminejournal.com / February 13, 2013) |
With a menu chock-full of traditional and specialty pizzas, Marco’s Pizza sprang onto the Jessamine County scene when it opened its doors Jan. 15 at 134 Bellerive Blvd.
Owner Ritesh Kunvarji, who owns franchising rights in the Lexington and central Kentucky area, said quality is what sets Marco’s apart from other national pizza chains.
“How we’re different from the others in the area is we make our own dough every day; it’s made fresh daily on site,” Kunvarji said. “Marco’s started a long time ago. A guy by the name of Pat Giammarco started the franchise (in 1978). The main thing was making his own recipe — his dough, sauces ... everything.”
While Kunvarji touted all of his pizzas, he said the White Cheezy pizza is the Marco’s signature.
“It’s a white sauce based on garlic and Parmesan,” Kunvarji said. “It has bacon, onions, sliced roma tomatoes and feta cheese. It’s a great pizza which is made with our hand-tossed dough.”
Marco’s has 30 full-time and part-time employees.
The Bellerive location is the second Marco’s Kunvarji owns in the central Kentucky area.
He also owns one store in Lexington on Locust Hill Road, and another store will be opening off Nicholasville Road within the next few months.
Kunvarji’s goal is to open 15 Marco’s locations throughout central Kentucky over the next five or six years.
“The majority of the people (in this area) have never heard of Marco’s, but once they’ve tried it, they love it, and I’m starting to see repeat customers, which is great,” Kunvarji said.
The Marco’s business model focuses on carryout and delivery (in a 4-mile radius of the store), but the Jessamine store has limited dining to accommodate 16 people.
Aside from pizza, Marco’s also serves up a variety of items.
“We have subs, salads, chicken wings and other items,” Kunvarji said. “But pizza is our main focus.”
The Toledo, Ohio-based chain has more than 330 stores nationwide. According to its website, Marco’s Pizza opened 61 stores in 2012 and is on track to open more than 100 locations in 2013.
The Jessamine Marco’s store hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.
For more information on Marco’s Pizza, visit www.marcos.com or call 859-223-0304.
