Fast-Growing Marco’s Pizza Reduces Cheese Waste by 80% with the Randell Cheeser Station®

The Growth of Marco's Pizza

Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza chains in the country.

Established outside Toledo, Ohio, in 1978, the popular chain has grown beyond the Midwest and now has a footprint across 34 states, as well as locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. 

In the wildly competitive world of fast-casual pizza chains, Marco’s credits its successful growth in part to the quality of its ingredients.

The Cheese Waste Challenge

Squeezed margins are a grim reality in foodservice and a major obstacle to growth.

Profits are drained by everything from ingredient inflation (cheese, flour, meat) to rising energy costs and wage pressure. Some margin compressors are unavoidable, but others can be addressed.
 

For example, Marco’s Pizza locations faced the common challenge of preventable cheese waste. When cheese falls off the pizza and onto the floor during prep, each shred doesn’t seem like much – until it adds up to a sizable hit every week.

Since the price of cheese can be a moving target, this is a costly problem that’s also an unpredictable budget line item.

How the Cheeser Station Helped

To combat preventable cheese waste, Marco’s Pizza turned to the Randell Cheeser Station®.

The Cheeser Station’s refrigerated holding bin accommodates 30 pounds of cheese with a stainless steel grate to hold the pizza during preparation. Whoever is preparing the pizza sets it on the grate and reaches down into the holding bin to get the right amount of cheese.

Any pieces that don’t land on the pizza end up back in the holding bin, not on the floor.

“We’re not losing (cheese) on the floor, it’s not getting left out in the bins. Huge for saving us money.” 

– Desiree Holcomb, Marco’s Pizza Franchisee

Paired with a Randell Prep Table

Marco’s Pizza got even more out of their prepping by pairing the Cheeser Station with a Randell Raised Rail Prep Table, also known as a make line.

Staff add the cheese on the Cheeser Station, then easily slide the pizza directly onto the Raised Rail Prep Table to add the
toppings. Marco’s Pizza said their prep is much more efficient and ergonomic because they can fit what they need in the prep table, rather than wasting time and energy constantly reaching underneath for toppings.