Marco’s Pizza leaned into one of New York City’s most recognizable food traditions to introduce its new NY Style Pizza, reviving the iconic $1 slice for a one-day event in Orlando, Florida.
The activation, brought together former New Yorkers, local pizza fans and Harlem basketball legend God Shammgod to sample the brand’s new oversized, foldable slice. Marco’s chose Orlando as the setting because Florida remains a major destination for people relocating from New York City, giving the brand a built-in audience familiar with the expectations around a classic New York slice.
Marco’s Pizza Tests Its NY Style Pizza With Former New Yorkers
During the event, guests lined up at a Marco’s Pizza location in Orlando to try large, foldable slices inspired by New York City slice shops. The one-day promotion revived the $1 slice tradition, a longtime part of the city’s quick-service pizza culture.
The brand used the event to highlight the texture, size and flavor profile of its new NY Style Pizza. The 16-inch pizza comes cut into six oversized slices and features dough made fresh in-store daily, stretched extra thin to support the foldable slice experience.
The pizza also differs from Marco’s traditional recipe. Instead of the brand’s usual pizza sauce, the NY Style Pizza uses crushed tomatoes packaged hours after picking, cheese, large-diameter deli-style pepperoni, Marco’s signature garlic sauce crust and parmesan.
God Shammgod Joins Marco’s Pizza for NYC-Inspired Launch
God Shammgod, a New York basketball figure known for his Harlem streetball roots and current work as an assistant basketball coach, joined the activation to weigh in on the new menu item.
“As a New Yorker, I take pizza seriously,” said God Shammgod, current assistant basketball coach and legendary Harlem streetball icon. “You can tell Marco’s really put the work in to get this right. They actually went to New York, studied the pizza culture and visited some of the city’s most iconic slice shops to understand what makes a real New York slice. The fold, the flavor, the whole experience — it reminds me of home.”
Marco’s said it spent months developing the pizza with input from pizza expert Scott Wiener. The process included studying New York City pizzerias and refining the dough structure, sauce composition and foldability associated with the city’s slice shop experience.
“We knew if we were going to create a NY Style Pizza, we had to do it authentically and respectfully,” said Steve Kennedy, Chief Marketing Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “That meant learning directly from the culture and traditions that make New York pizza so iconic. Seeing transplanted New Yorkers respond so positively to the pizza — especially in a place like Florida where so many former New Yorkers now live — was incredibly rewarding for our team.”
Marco’s Pizza, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, operates as a national pizza franchise brand with restaurants across the country. The company continues to use limited-time launches and product innovation to connect with pizza fans in different regional markets.
