Marco's Pizza is staging a one-day, single-unit pop-up in Orlando on May 26 to mark the chain-wide rollout of its new NY Style Pizza, selling slices at the iconic $1 New York street price — a promotional entry point designed to drive mass trial for the brand's newest menu platform.
The activation centers on a single Orlando franchised location, with the stunt mechanic built around Florida's status as the top relocation destination for former New York City residents. The appearance of God Shammgod — Orlando basketball coach and NYC streetball legend — adds a culturally resonant hook to what is otherwise a targeted LTO launch event. No unit-level revenue figures or comp sales data were disclosed in connection with the promotion.
For Marco's, which operates more than 1,000 units across the U.S. and competes in the highly fragmented QSR pizza segment alongside Domino's, Papa Johns, and Pizza Hut, LTO velocity has become a key lever for franchisee traffic and ticket. A NY Style format — typically defined by a larger, thin, foldable crust cut into oversized slices — represents a meaningful daypart and occasion expansion, particularly for the lunch segment where slice-format pizza commands strong off-premise demand. The $1 slice price point is promotional and not reflective of standard menu pricing.
The migration angle is strategically grounded: Florida has absorbed significant inbound population from the New York metro area over the past decade, creating a consumer base with established pizza preferences and high brand-recognition for the New York slice format. By anchoring the launch event in Orlando — one of the state's fastest-growing markets — Marco's is signaling where it sees near-term unit growth and franchisee development opportunity in the Sun Belt corridor.
Chain leadership has not disclosed AUV targets or royalty rate adjustments tied to the NY Style launch, but menu innovation of this scale typically supports franchisee-level average check and positions the brand for area development agreement conversations in high-migration markets. Further systemwide promotional details are expected as the LTO moves through its full rollout window.
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.
