The owners of Family Video plan to open a Marco’s Pizza, alongside their Collinsville video store location, by the middle of October.
Family Video at 108 St. Louis Road, Collinsville. A Marco’s Pizza will open in the adjacent store front / Photo by Roger Starkey
The stores at 108 St. Louis Road will not simply be neighbors, there will be a window between the businesses allowing customers to place and pick up a Marco’s Pizza order from inside Family Video. Brian Welk, regional manager for Hoogland Foods, the owners of Family Video and the largest franchisee of Marco’s Pizza, likened the window to an indoor drive through.
“You can place your order and shop for a video,” Welk said. “Then pick it up when it’s finished, all from Family Video.”
Marco’s Pizza delivery drivers will also return movies rented from Family Video. Welk said plans are in the works for customers to be able to order both a movie and pizza for delivery.
“We are reinventing the video business,” Welk said.
Family Video is the only video store chain remaining, and it is thriving, Welk said. More than 150 stores have opened since 2010.
There are more than 750 Family Video locations in 19 states and Canada, and more than 470 Marco’s Pizza locations in 33 states and the Bahamas. The Collinsville location will be the 75th in which the two share a direct relationship.
Marco’s founder, Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco, migrated from Italy to the United States when he was 9 years-old and grew up working in his family’s pizzeria. The recipes used at Marco’s are from Italy, Welk said.
“Our trademark is authentic Italian pizza,” Welk said.
The company plans to open another 1,500 stores, according to its website. The reason the company is expanding so quickly, Welk said, is the quality of the pizza.
The dough is made fresh daily in each store, with a special blend of vegetable and olive oil added. Vegetables cut on site, never frozen cheese, sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes and abundant meat portions are signatures for the company that has the freshest, and best, ingredients, Welk said.
“We give our guests the value they deserve, and we don’t ask a premium price,” Welk said.
In addition to standard toppings, old world pepperoni and feta cheese are options to adorn Marco’s thin and classic crust pizzas. The menu also has a variety of fresh baked subs, salads, meatball bake, chicken wings, cheese bread and cinnamon bread.
The Collinsville store, which will be the second Marco’s in the Metro East – Belleville was the first – will be carry out and delivery only. The delivery area will be anything within a 10-minute drive from 108 Collinsville Road, in evening rush hour conditions, Welk said.
I have tried Marcos on 3 different occasions. They were new to town and of course I would give them a try.
1st visit within a week of them opening I stopped by Family Video in the evening and ordered a pizza,, when I opened the box the meat looked dried out and kind of chewy. I still ate.. within hours it seemed like my colon was going to EXPLODE!!!!
2nd visit. a few week later we ordered some pizzas and a steak sandwich. Pizza was better and the steak sandwich was good.
3rd visit on 9/27 ( today) i wanted to grab a bite on my way home. I called while I was in town right by The Bread Company, a young man picked up the phone and said “hello” be seemed startled, I was like , Is this Marco’s Pizza? He was hesitant.. I’m like are you open ? He sounded confused.. He said ” yes” and can i place you on hold? I’m still driving in the directions to Marco’s . I get all the way to Marco’s while still on hold.. a total of 5 minutes. I pull up in front and see that the parking lot is not full and there are 4 to 5 employee’s inside the pizza place behind the counter. I get out of my car and come inside and a young lady came to the counter.. I proceed to tell her that i tried to call in a order and to look at my phone to show her that I am still on hold!!!! This is unacceptable at all time. I am a business owner of a small eatery and I would blow a gasket if my employee’s ran my business this way. Looked like a bunch of kids behind the counter with no experienced management on site. Tsk.. Tsk.. Marco’s