Director of Culinary Innovation Chef Kathleen Kennedy hand-selects five delicious Marco’s combinations to order every week in October
TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — October is National Pizza Month, and Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, is marking the occasion the way it knows best, by tapping Director of Culinary Innovation Chef Kathleen Kennedy to build five complete, craveable pairings that turn a Marco’s order into a full flavor experience – pizza, apps, salads, dip cups, and dessert included.
With more than 40 years of culinary experience in both high-end restaurants and across brands like Kraft, Starbucks, and Walmart, Chef Kennedy has spent the past two years leading Marco’s boldest menu innovations yet. For National Pizza Month, she’s turning her attention to something pizza lovers do every day but rarely think strategically about…what to pair with their pizza.
Below are Chef Kennedy’s five Marco’s Pizza pairings, curated exclusively for National Pizza Month:
THE FIRE & HONEY: Sweet heat from crust to dessert, for guests who like their pizza night with a kick.
- Pizza: Hot Honey Magnifico® – traditional and crispy cupped Old World Pepperoni®, our signature Romesan seasoning, and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey®
- Wings: 10-piece Wings and a Mike’s Hot Honey® dip cup
- Dessert: Chocolate CinnaSquares®, finished with Ghirardelli® chocolate sauce
THE CLASSIC COMFORT: A nostalgic, crowd-pleasing lineup built for family pizza night.
- Pizza: Pepperoni Magnifico® – traditional and crispy cupped Old World Pepperoni® with our signature Romesan seasoning and a garlic sauce crust for an everyday value of $12.99*
- Salad: Garden Salad with cheddar cheese, black olives, red onions, green peppers, Roma tomatoes, and house-made croutons
- CheezyBread: House-made dough baked with our three fresh signature cheeses and garlic sauce, served with a side of our original pizza sauce and ranch.
- Dessert: Original CinnaSquares® with vanilla icing
THE VEGGIE FEAST: Fresh, vegetable-forward pairing that proves Marco’s flavor doesn’t require meat.
- Pizza: Garden Specialty Pizza – mushrooms, black olives, red onions, sliced Roma tomatoes, and feta.
- Pro Tip: Try Marco’s Cauliflower Crust – a gluten-friendly alternative with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
- Salad: Greek Salad with feta, black olives, tomatoes, red onions, and banana peppers
THE ULTIMATE GAME DAY: Built to feed a crowd and win the couch, from kickoff to dessert.
- Pizza: Ultimate Magnifico – a loaded meat specialty pizza featuring traditional pepperoni, crispy cup-style Old World Pepperoni®, classic Italian sausage, and bold sliced Old World Sausage.
- Wings: 15-piece Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Handheld: Pepperoni Pizzoli, Marco’s house-made dough stuffed and rolled with pepperoni and a signature cheese blend
THE LIGHT & BRIGHT: A fresh, Italian-inspired pairing for guests who want simplicity at its finest
- Pizza: Margherita Magnifico – Marco’s house-made dough stretched into a thinner, golden crust with signature sauce, three fresh never-frozen cheeses, sliced fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, and a fresh Marco’s signature basil drizzle, finished with a garlic sauce crust and Romesan seasoning
- Salad: Chicken Caesar Salad with romaine, Parmesan, and house-made croutons
In a Category Full of Shortcuts, Marco’s Standards Don’t Move
It’s easier than ever to take shortcuts on pizza – frozen dough, sauce built for shelf life instead of flavor. Chef Kennedy’s stance is simple: Marco’s won’t do it. Every recipe is held to a high-quality standard before it earns a place on the menu with the goal of delivering the best, brightest flavor to our guests. Those standards start at the foundation, not the toppings. The dough is made fresh in store, never frozen, undergoes multi-day cool proofing, and is hand-stretched to order. The sauce is our Italian Founder’s original recipe. The fresh, never frozen three-cheese blend is built for a full, consistent melt in every bite.
“Guests shouldn’t have to compromise to get a great meal, and we’re not willing to compromise to give them one,” said Chef Kathleen Kennedy, Director of Culinary Innovation for Marco’s Pizza. “It would be easier, and less expensive, to cut corners on the dough or the sauce or the cheese. Our guests deserve more and we look to deliver. Standards matter – that’s true whether you’re ordering a pizza, a salad, or a dessert.”
How to Celebrate National Pizza Month with Marco’s
All five pairings are available at participating Marco’s Pizza locations nationwide for delivery, carryout, or dine-in. Guests can order any of Chef Kennedy’s curated combinations, or mix and match their own, at marcos.com or through the redesigned Marco’s Pizza app, available on the App Store and Google Play. The app makes it faster to go from craving to checkout. Checkout is easy too, with Apple Pay and Google Pay accepted. Guests can also track rewards through the Marco’s More loyalty program.
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. Notably, Marco’s was recognized as America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2025 dataꝉꝉ. Other recent accolades include being recognized by QSR as one of the “16 Best Franchise Deals for 2025”, ranking No. 50 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2026 “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. For Marco’s Pizza franchise information and opportunities please visit www.marcosfranchising.com to fill out an inquiry form.
*Use codePEPMAG12: $14.99 in CA, CO and Las Vegas. CA, CO and Las Vegas residents use code: PEPMAG14. Valid on the large Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza only for a limited time. Price and participation may vary. No substitutions. Price does not include extras. Not valid on catering orders, with other offers or discounts or through 3rd-party delivery apps. Delivery orders must meet stated minimum. Delivery fee/tax extra (varies by store). Other restrictions may apply. See store for details. ©/® 2026 MP Marks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
ꝉꝉAccording to Technomic’s 2025 America’s Favorite Restaurants data, Marco’s Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 54.6% 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.
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SOURCE Marco’s Pizza
