Marco's plans Orlando training kitchen to support franchise expansion

Marco's Pizza announced a new Orlando operations center on June 16, 2026, adding a planned replica restaurant kitchen and training destination to the support infrastructure behind its franchise expansion.

The company said construction was underway at 222 South Orange Avenue, with opening expected in fall 2026. The approximately 14,030-square-foot facility represents an investment exceeding $1 million and would extend its Toledo headquarters. Marco's announcement describes a combined office and teaching facility.

From a development plan to a teaching space#

Marco's had already flagged an Operations Center of Excellence in its March 30 development update. That report said the brand opened more than 60 stores in 2025 and planned to surpass 80 openings in 2026. It linked growth with training, digital tools and operational support.

The earlier update also described entry into New Jersey and a development agreement for New Mexico. Expanding into new markets adds a practical teaching challenge: local teams need a common understanding of the brand's operating standards. A central training site could help establish that shared starting point.

June's announcement gives the training initiative a physical form. The planned replica kitchen would let instructors teach in a setting that resembles the restaurants trainees operate. It would place equipment and kitchen routines alongside instruction rather than treating all learning as classroom material.

For a franchise system, the kitchen could make the details of execution visible across markets. Instructors can demonstrate where tasks happen and how work moves between stations. Trainees can compare their understanding of a procedure with its physical execution, then take that shared reference back to their own restaurants.

Three audiences, different purposes#

The center is intended to host Discovery Days for prospective franchisees, Marco's University training for franchisees and general managers, and continuing education for existing operators. It will also bring together corporate leadership and supply-chain partners. The June release identifies those audiences without publishing a course schedule.

The audiences give the same space several jobs. Prospects can evaluate the operating demands of the business before committing. General managers need instruction they can carry back to their crews, while experienced operators may use continuing education to update practices across several stores.

Housing those activities together could let a prospective owner see the environment used to train the people who will run the restaurant. It would also put continuing education near the same equipment used for initial instruction. Those are potential benefits of the design; Marco's has not yet demonstrated them in operation.

Roughly 50 corporate team members could work from the center. Marco's did not disclose classroom capacity, instructor staffing or the number of courses it would offer. Those details will determine how many franchise teams the teaching facilities can serve.

What the investment can establish now#

Construction, a target opening season and a kitchen plan show that the support initiative has advanced beyond a general statement of intent. They do not yet show whether managers will complete training faster, retain more of it or achieve better store results.

The center's audience also extends beyond the next group of new stores. Continuing education gives established operators a reason to return as procedures change. That makes the investment part of maintaining standards across the system as well as preparing for expansion.