Chef Kathleen Kennedy, Director of Culinary Innovation at Marco's Pizza, has designed five chef-curated meal pairings to run throughout October in recognition of National Pizza Month — a move that frames the brand's quality standards as a differentiator in a crowded QSR pizza segment.
Kennedy brings more than 40 years of culinary experience across high-end restaurants and large consumer brands, and has spent the past two years leading menu development at Marco's. Her National Pizza Month pairings go well beyond topping combinations, matching specific pizzas with wings, salads, handhelds, dip cups, and desserts into five distinct flavor profiles: The Fire & Honey, The Classic Comfort, The Veggie Feast, The Ultimate Game Day, and The Light & Bright.
The Five Pairings
The Fire & Honey centers on the Hot Honey Magnifico® — featuring Old World Pepperoni®, Romesan seasoning, and Mike's Hot Honey® — paired with 10-piece wings, a Mike's Hot Honey® dip cup, and Chocolate CinnaSquares® finished with Ghirardelli® chocolate sauce. The Classic Comfort builds around the Pepperoni Magnifico® (available at an everyday value of $12.99 at participating locations) with a Garden Salad, CheezyBread, and Original CinnaSquares®. The Veggie Feast spotlights the Garden Specialty Pizza and recommends Marco's Cauliflower Crust as a gluten-friendly alternative free of artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The Ultimate Game Day leans on the loaded Ultimate Magnifico, 15-piece Garlic Parmesan Wings, and a Pepperoni Pizzoli handheld. The Light & Bright rounds out the lineup with the Margherita Magnifico — made on a thinner, hand-stretched crust with fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, and a basil drizzle — alongside a Chicken Caesar Salad.
Quality as a Positioning Tool
For operators tracking how pizza chains compete on perceived quality, Kennedy's public commentary carries strategic weight. "Guests shouldn't have to compromise to get a great meal, and we're not willing to compromise to give them one," she said. "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." The brand's production standards — dough made fresh in-store, never frozen, with multi-day cool proofing and hand-stretching to order, plus an Italian founder's original sauce recipe — are being positioned as the foundation beneath every pairing.
That messaging lands at a moment when menu quality perception is increasingly central to QSR loyalty strategies. According to Technomic's 2025 America's Favorite Restaurants data, Marco's secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 54.6% composite top-box rating — the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible score across guest experience attributes. The chain has also ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2026 Franchise 500 (No. 50), QSR's "16 Best Franchise Deals for 2025," and Newsweek's 2025 "America's Best Customer Service" list for pizza chains.
Ordering and Reach
All five pairings are available at participating Marco's locations nationwide — more than 1,200 stores across 35 states plus Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico — for delivery, carryout, or dine-in throughout October. Orders can be placed at marcos.com or through the Marco's Pizza app, which supports Apple Pay and Google Pay and integrates with the brand's Marco's More loyalty rewards program. For beverage and food pairing trends shaping full-service and QSR menus alike, the structured pairing approach reflects a broader operator push to increase average check size and drive trial of non-pizza menu items.
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.
