Local couple’s plans to bring Marco’s Pizza to New Mexico stall

Plans for one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza chains to expand into New Mexico have come to a standstill.

Marco’s Pizza announced in August that it would come to New Mexico thanks to a nine-unit agreement with local franchisees Chris and Kristian Ornelas, who operate 38 Fiesta Auto Insurance locations across three states.

The first two Marco’s locations were slated to open in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho areas before the end of March.

The pair actually signed the agreement in 2022, but a health scare prevented them from moving forward at the time. The couple felt ready to “seize the moment” in 2024, a statement in an August news release said, but on Friday, Chris Ornelas told the Journal in an email that “Marco’s and I decided not to open.”

Ornelas did not respond to the Journal’s inquiry into why the plans didn’t move forward. It’s unknown if the pizza chain still has plans to open in New Mexico, as Marco’s Pizza did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment.