Today, we are reviewing Marco’s Original Crust Cheese Pizza. This is the fourth of a six-part series called the Cheese Pizza Challenge. The concept is simple: I visit six chain pizza shops and review six similar cheese pies. The goal is to rank how the cheese pies stack up.
Marco’s was founded in Oregon, Ohio, by Italian immigrant Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco on February 18, 1978. As of July 2024, it has 1,052 franchises in the United States, Bahamas, India, and Mexico.
The Construction
The Cheese Pizza Challenge involves trying similar large round cheese pizza options from various pizza chains. Marco’s offers several crusts; like the other three pizzas, I opted to go with the default “original crust.” A large size was selected. The “normal bake” option (as opposed to well done) was used. Normal amounts of sauce and mozzarella cheese were used. Since this is a cheese pizza challenge, no other toppings were used. This pizza was made to order.
- Crust: Original
- Size: Large
- Cheese: Three Cheeses (Not disclosed)
- Sauce: Pizza Sauce (Normal Amount)
- Diameter: 13 1/2″
- Weight: 2.20 lbs (including box)
- Bake: Normal Bake
- Location Purchased: Indian Trail, NC
- Price: $11.99
- Pies Purchased: 1
The Experience
Crust
The Original Crust is primarily a wheat and malted barley-based flour crust. This was a firmer crust, not very doughy. I would have liked it slightly thinner and crisper, but it was still quite tasty.
Perhaps a big plus was the corn meal undercarriage. This is something put on pizzas to prevent it from sticking, but I like how it contributes to the overall experience of the crust.
Score: 1.5 out of 2.5 points
Sauce
Marco’s Pizza Sauce has a nice flavor. It has a crushed tomato base. The sauce has some sugar, which can be tasted, but it is balanced nicely by garlic and spices.
Score: 1.5 out of 2.5 points
Cheese
Marco’s has a three-cheese blend. While they disclose the ingredients used for the cheeses, they don’t disclose the actual cheeses. Most believe the cheese is mozzarella, parmesan, and Romano, and I subscribe to that theory. Most importantly, this is a really good cheese blend. Normally, I’m not a fan of mozzarella-cheese blends, but Marco’s three-cheese blend scores nice here.
Except for a few spots, the cheese has crisped from the baking process, which I like.
Score: 2.0 out of 2.5 points
Intangibles
If you follow the cheese pizza challenge, there are three specific intangibles I look for in a pie:
- “Orange Glow”: This is created when the cheese melts into the sauce with some of the oils blending in. It’s enhanced when the cheese is crisp. The Marco’s Original Cheese Pizza had a nice amount of crispness on the pizza. I would have preferred a little more orange glow.
- Well-defined Edge: This is when the crust is slightly thicker and doesn’t have sauce and cheese over it. In this case, there was a well-defined edge on this crust with the right amount of crispness.
- Firm Bottom Crust: The bottom pizza should not be floppy, nor should it taste doughy. As mentioned, Marco’s Original Crust Pizza did not have a floppy undercarriage and was not doughy. However, I wish it were slightly crisper.
This pizza had a good balance of cheese and sauce. Overall, all of the components tasted good together. On a side note, the pizza saver packaged in the middle of the pie is a nice touch. It prevents the pie from sliding around.
Score: 1.50 out of 2.5 points
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
I like when a pizza can stand on its own without toppings, and Marco’s has done the best in this area of the four pizzas assessed thus far. It’s above average for crust, sauce, and cheese. In particular, Marco’s shines in the cheese department. Marco’s seems to slip under the radar regarding pizza chains, but the $11.99 price point delivers great value for a cheese pie. This is definitely a cheese pizza I plan to buy and eat again.
Summary
| Crust | 1.50 |
| Sauce | 1.50 |
| Cheese | 2.00 |
| Intangibles | 1.50 |
| Total | 6.50 |
Score: 6.50 (out of 10 points)
Value: Slightly Above Average
Cheese Pizza Challenge Standings (Thru 4 Pies)
Each category is worth 2.5 points, with a maximum of ten points per pizza.
| Pizza | Crust | Sauce | Cheese | Intangibles | Score | |
| 1 | Marco’s Original Crust | 1.50 | 1.50 | 2.00 | 1.50 | 6.50 |
| 2 | Papa Johns Original Crust | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 6.00 |
| 3 | Domino’s Hand Tossed | 1.00 | 1.50 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 5.00 |
| 4 | Little Caesars Round Cheese Pie | 0.50 | 1.50 | 1.00 | 0.75 | 3.75 |
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to Charlie Minato at Halfwheel, who suggested including the measurements and weight of the food products and the store location. We will use this information in our future food product assessments.
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
