Marco’s Pizza Announces Maryland Expansion with 3-Unit Franchise Deal in Germantown

Marco's Pizza

Family-Owned SS Brothers Pizza Taps into Growth Opportunity, Citing Brand Strength and Market Potential

Germantown, MD – Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a new three-unit franchise agreement to develop in Germantown, Maryland and the surrounding area. Behind the multi-unit deal are cousins Sri Masabathula and Sasi Vaddi, operating under SS Brothers Pizza, LLC – a family-run venture rooted in drive, grit, and a shared love for great pizza.

Masabathula, who got his start in the industry delivering pizzas for Papa John’s, always dreamed of owning his own pizza franchise. While he briefly pivoted to a career in IT, he quickly realized that his passion and long-term vision lived in the community connections of the pizza business.

“Pizza never left my mind,” said Masabathula. “Marco’s stood out to us because of its commitment to operational excellence and quality ingredients – something we saw firsthand after visiting multiple stores and meeting other franchisees. There’s a lot of brand loyalty here in Maryland, and Marco’s is primed for even more growth.”

Vaddi brings two decades of experience in financial services, creating the perfect complementary partnership with Masabathula’s operational background. Together, they aim to open their first Marco’s Pizza location within 12 months, followed by their second in 18 months and the third in 24 months – all within the Germantown area.

“Our vision is to build something lasting – a family legacy that also serves the local community,” said Vaddi. “Marco’s offered the right model, strong support, and room to grow in a market that’s still wide open.”

Marco’s Pizza currently has four locations open and operating across Maryland, and continued interest from prospective franchisees across the state. The Germantown DMA in particular is showing strong demand, setting the stage for these new stores to capitalize on market potential.

As Marco’s continues expanding its national footprint, Maryland remains a priority growth market. Additional expansion plans are underway, with mapping in progress across key regions of the state.

“We’re proud to welcome Sri and Sasi to the Marco’s family,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “Their passion, business acumen, and commitment to quality reflect exactly the kind of operators we are excited to have be a part of the brand. We look forward to supporting their journey as they introduce Marco’s to a new community.”

Prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as the Marco’s Franchising Franchise Disclosure Document reports $1.3M AUV for the top 25% of franchised stores in 2024.*

To further support expansion, Marco’s recently launched a Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program designed to reduce barriers for qualified multi-unit owners. With early-stage royalty incentives starting at 0%**, plus real estate, construction, and operations support, the brand offers a streamlined, resource-rich path to growth.

For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Beth Heminger at bheminger@marcos.com or 419-279-5795.

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Most recently, Marco’s was recognized as America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2024 data^ꝉꝉ. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 48 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2024 “Franchise 500” ranking, earning a coveted spot as the only top 5 pizza chain to rank on Newsweek’s 2025 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.

*Based on average sales volume of the top performing 25% (or 239 units) of Marco’s Pizza Franchised Stores that were open during our 2024 fiscal year. Of the 955 Franchised Stores that were in operation for our entire 2024 fiscal year, 239 were included in the top 25% set and 40% obtained or surpassed the average sales volume. This information excludes (i) international locations (including Puerto Rico); (ii) Franchised Stores not open for the entire 52-week period in 2024; (iii) special venue and non-traditional franchised locations; and (iv) Franchised Stores that closed in 2024. See Item 19 of our 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document for additional information. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

**The information provided in this article should not be construed as an offer to sell any Marco’s Pizza® franchises in, nor is any such communication directed to, the residents of any jurisdiction requiring registration of the franchise before it is offered and sold in that jurisdiction. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Marco’s Pizza® franchises will not be sold to any resident of such jurisdiction until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such jurisdiction and the required franchise disclosure document (if applicable) has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law. To qualify for the incentive program, the participant must sign a development agreement and open the stores within the following timeframes: 1^st Store within 365 days of signing; 2^nd Store within 6 months of 1^st store opening; 3^rd Store within 6 months of 2^nd store opening; 4^th Store within 6 months of 3^rd store opening; 5^th Store within 6 months of 4^th store opening. Additionally, the participant must meet our financial, creditworthiness, and operational criteria to qualify for the incentive program and be approved by us to open each Store. If the franchisee is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other legal entity, the qualifying participant must maintain at least 50% ownership in the entity, as well as the qualifying existing Stores, to qualify for this program, and the franchisee must comply with program requirements. In the event the participant fails at any time to meet the timelines to qualify for the applicable incentive program while developing a Store, the Store being developed and any remaining unopened Stores to be developed will pay the then-current standard Royalty Fee rate. See Marco’s Franchising’s Franchise Disclosure Document for more information.

^ꝉꝉAccording to Technomic’s 2024 America’s Favorite Restaurants data, Marco’s Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 53.4% composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible rating for each of the guest experience attributes. Data for America’s Favorite Chains comes from Technomic Ignite Consumer, which collects information about how brands impact consumers and how consumers interact with those brands, via online surveys. See here for more information: www.technomic.com/ignite-consumer.