The Partnership
Marco's Pizza has formalized an education benefits agreement with American Public University (APU), part of American Public University System, giving franchisees, their employees, eligible family members, and Marco's support center staff access to a 15% tuition grant toward more than 200 online degree and certificate programs. The Toledo, Ohio-based pizza chain operates more than 1,200 locations across 35 states, putting the total addressable population for the benefit at more than 18,000 people.
The arrangement is structured around the realities of hourly and shift-based foodservice work. APU's programs carry monthly start dates and no fixed lecture times, lowering the scheduling friction that typically undercuts employer-sponsored education in restaurant franchise operations. Benefits are honored at both APU and its sister institution, American Military University (AMU), widening the program catalog available to participants.
Franchisee Workforce Context
The deal carries internal credibility: it was championed by two Marco's executives who are APU alumni. Rod Sanders, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, and Kelly Robinson, Director of Culture, both hold degrees from AMU. "We're proud to provide this meaningful opportunity for franchisees and their employees to build new skills, help advance their careers, and invest in their own futures while still working in a dynamic workplace," Robinson said.
For a franchise system of Marco's scale, workforce retention and development tools carry real unit-economics weight. Turnover in the limited-service pizza segment remains elevated relative to pre-pandemic baselines, and franchisors increasingly compete on benefits packages — not just royalty rate structures — when recruiting area development candidates. Marco's was ranked No. 50 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2026 Franchise 500 and was cited by QSR as one of the "16 Best Franchise Deals for 2025," metrics that reflect franchisee demand for the brand.
What It Means for Operators
For multi-unit franchisees managing labor across several locations, a tuition-grant program accessible to hourly team members and their families represents a differentiated retention lever that costs the franchisee nothing directly — APU absorbs the 15% discount from its standard tuition schedule. That structure is increasingly common among national foodservice workforce benefit programs, where the university partner subsidizes access in exchange for volume enrollment and brand alignment.
The program is also notable for extending eligibility to franchisee family members, a broader definition of coverage than most quick-service competitors currently offer. As chains work to attract younger workers who weigh total compensation more holistically, family-inclusive benefits are becoming a meaningful differentiator in franchise disclosure documents and recruitment marketing.
Eric Morris, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at AMU and APU, framed the initiative around workforce readiness: "We believe in a growth mindset that encourages critical thinking and digital literacy." The university system reports more than 109,000 current students and 250,000-plus alumni worldwide, giving it the operational infrastructure to absorb large-scale corporate partnership enrollment without service disruption.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
