“Most of the big pizza chains — pizza industrials, we like to call them — make dough in centralized locations,” he said. “They take various efforts to actually get to the store, possibly even several days.”

The sauce is a secret recipe that only the founder, Pat Giammarco, knows. It is, Wise claimed, the perfect blend of flavors and spices.

Marco’s also prides itself on a special blend of cheese and fresh, thickly cut meats, Wise said.

“By freezing the ingredients, (other chains) take out the freshness, even if they claim ‘fresh out of the oven,’” Wise said. “(Pizzas are) best when the ingredients are fresh. All of our procedures culminate in a fresh product.”

Some students who have eaten at the restaurant said they didn’t notice any extra freshness in the pizza, but they liked it just the same.

“The food was pretty good,” accounting junior Taylor Roznowski said. “I didn’t get any overwhelming freshness, but I can’t say it wasn’t (fresh).”

Marco’s must now compete in a local pizza market that is inundated with restaurants. Astrophysics senior Andrew Degroot said he thinks new pizza places may have difficulty garnering a following.

“There’s always an overabundance of pizza joints,” he said. “It’s hard at any time for a new place to find a niche in a college town. People stick to their favorites.”

The chain currently has 174 stores in 14 states and is growing. Despite most likely falling short of its 2010 goal of 500 stores, Wise said he’s confident about the company’s growth.

“We’ll have 10 stores opening in the first quarter (of this year),” he said.