Marco's Pizza area franchise owner Kirk Luchman, a former basketball player with the Jacksonville Barracudas, said Wednesday he wants to open 34 stores over the next five-10 years in North Florida and into South Georgia.
Luchman, the operating partner in the area franchise, said the first area Marco's Pizza in Southwest Jacksonville should open the second week of January and he is negotiating a second site.
The City recently approved the first Marco's Pizza at 8415 Cheswick Oak Ave. in the Argyle area. The build-out cost for the 1,725-square-foot location was shown as $55,000.
Luchman said each store represents an average $240,000-$250,000 investment, ranging from $230,000 to $275,000, and each employs 15 people, ranging from 12 to 18 drivers and inside employees. At the low end of those figures, 34 stores represent a $7.8 million investment and 408 employees.
The investment cost includes equipment, leasehold improvements, franchise fees, licensing, permits, construction, architectural plans, startup inventory and marketing costs and other fees, he said.
Because the Marco's model is takeout and delivery, the stores range from 1,200 to 1,800 square feet in size. They can seat 10-20 per store, Luchman said.
He said the Jacksonville territory, called a demographic market area, comprises Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties as well as Palatka in Putnam County and a few sites in Georgia — St. Marys and Brunswick.
"People want value," Luchman said. "A lot of people are worried about price and quality. We give them a much better pizza."
The menu and more information can be found at marcospizza.com. The menu features pizzas, subs, salads and wings, among other items.
Luchman said the chain looks for densely populated areas with a targeted median income.
Luchman, 37, and his business partner also have the Tallahassee area, where two Marco's Pizzas are open and two more are planned. That franchise has been operating about three years.
"We are focused on Jacksonville right now," Luchman said. He established the Fab Five Pizza Holding Co. to own the Jacksonville stores.
Originally from New Jersey, Luchman said he played basketball from 1993-97 at Florida State University, where he graduated with a degree in business. He went on to play professional basketball with the Barracudas in the former United States Basketball League.
Based in Tallahassee, Luchman also is vice president of marketing with a property casualty insurance company.
Marco's Pizza is based in Toledo, Ohio. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale "Pat" Giammarco. It operates more than 325 franchised and company-owned stores in 26 states and the Bahamas.