Jack Butorac knows a strong franchise operation when he sees one. He is an industry veteran with 35 years of experience turning high-quality local restaurant concepts into thriving national chains. As president and CEO of Marco’s Pizza (Marco’s Franchising, LLC), Butorac’s goal is to help expand Marco’s brand of Ah!thentic Italian pizza from its Ohio roots to a nationwide presence.
Jack Burtorac Butorac’s restaurant industry experience began with Zapata’s, a small group of Mexican fast food stores and grocery products. He held nearly every position with the company, from manager trainee to supervisor, and eventually became director of operations. Zapata’s became a booming success and in 1975, Butorac was part of a deal with Heublein, Inc. (owner of KFC) to acquire the company. He was responsible for packaging Zapata’s (renamed Zantigo) for national expansion. Zantigo was later purchased by PepsiCo and folded into the Taco Bell chain.
Butorac recognized another opportunity in Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant. He became the second employee of record in 1978 and was part of the small group that quickly took the restaurant from a good idea to a national favorite. Butorac left Chi-Chi’s in 1984, and the family-owned restaurant Fuddruckers approached him to guide its expansion. As senior vice president of operations, Butorac helped systematize Fuddruckers and position the chain for rapid growth across the U.S.
In 1995, Butorac purchased Tumbleweed, a chain of Southwest-style restaurants. Under his leadership, the company went public and expanded to more than 60 restaurants nationwide.
Butorac retired in 2000, but two years later a friend asked him to analyze the growth potential of Marco’s Pizza and he was immediately impressed with the quality and consistency of the product. Butorac started working as a consultant for Marco’s Pizza founder Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco and purchased the franchise rights in 2004. Butorac assumed his current role as president and CEO that same year, creating a lean corporate infrastructure targeted toward aggressive growth and recruiting a select team of seasoned executives.
Butorac holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Minnesota State University Mankato. His favorite Marco’s pizza topping is sausage.