His parents ran Pizza by Marco. Now, he’s keeping their legacy alive in our neighborhood with Ghost Pizza.

Frank Nuccio was only in the seventh grade when he was put in charge of running his family’s pizzeria, Pizza by Marco, by himself for a week when his mom was having surgery.

Although it was a daunting responsibility for a middle schooler, Nuccio had been helping his father with the pizzeria since he was 8 years old. By then, he knew the ins and outs of creating the perfect pie.

Decades later, those early lessons continue to shape Nuccio’s approach to pizza. As the owner of Ghost Pizza, located in Northview Plaza in Lake Highlands, he’s applying everything he learned about consistency and quality to a new generation of customers.

“I never really pictured myself staying in the business, and throughout my life, I’ve had my own businesses,” Nuccio says.

His first venture was Video Quest, a video rental store at Preston Road and Royal Lane. When the Dallas Stars relocated from Minnesota, Nuccio gambled on adding a small selection of roller hockey equipment. The move paid off, eventually leading him to open Center Ice Hockey Supply in Addison.

However, everything changed in 1995 when Nuccio’s father died. The following year, he stepped in to manage Pizza by Marco’s books, inventory and ordering.

Even as he helped run the family business, Nuccio continued pursuing new ventures. Following the release of the Counter-Strike video game, he launched a video game league that eventually grew into a company producing multimillion-dollar esports tournaments around the world.

After selling his esports company, Nuccio turned his attention back to Pizza by Marco since he says Preston Hollow was “devoid of good food.” As the restaurant’s lunch business continued to grow, he returned to his entrepreneurial roots and began thinking bigger.

“The pizzeria was doing better and better in the shopping center, and Borders Bookstore had just moved in, and we’re getting a big lunch business,” he says. “And I was like, I’m going to open up a couple more of these.”

By the late 2000s, Nuccio had expanded Pizza by Marco beyond its original Preston Road location, opening restaurants in West Plano, Addison, Carrollton and The Woodlands. But growth came at a cost. As the only person who knew the family’s sauce recipe, Nuccio was making sauce for multiple restaurants while also overseeing the flagship location.

“When I was a teenager, I’d asked my dad, ‘Let’s open up more stores,’ and he’d say, ‘No, it’s too much work. We’re doing fine right now,’” he says. “I didn’t like the answer they gave me, but now, I understand.”

After manning multiple locations, the final push to close Pizza by Marco was with the passing of Nuccio’s mother in 2019. Once the pizzeria’s leases ended, he decided to close them down. After trying his hand at owning a boba store called Squishies, Nuccio remembers feeling his parent’s strong personalities urging him to get back into the pizza business.

“I kept hearing in the back of my head my mom, my dad nudging me to get back in the pizza business,” he says. “Their ghosts were talking to me.”

Those “ghosts” became the inspiration behind Nuccio’s newest pizzeria, Ghost Pizza. Nuccio hopes to give customers an affordable option by keeping menu prices at 2019 levels, including a two-pizzas-for-$20 special.

Keeping prices low starts with his business model. Rather than investing heavily in renovations or a large staff, Nuccio has focused on keeping overhead costs down while making gradual improvements as his business grows. He hopes to replace the restaurant’s tables with booths later this year.

“People are trying to maximize their profits. But me, I just want to pay my bills. I want to save some money, but I’m not looking to be a jillionaire,” he says.

About five years ago, Nuccio began experiencing joint pain that he initially thought was arthritis. After researching possible causes and changing his diet, he says the pain disappeared once he focused on high quality ingredients — a practice he is implementing in his pizzeria.

Today, Nuccio uses organic flour, cooks sausages and hamburger meat in-house, fries appetizers in beef tallow, and says he prioritizes ingredients such as imported olive oil, black and green olives, and tomatoes from Italy and California.

Ghost Pizza’s opening has already reunited Nuccio with longtime customers who grew up eating Pizza by Marco.

“I’ve been going to Marco’s since the ’70s, and when I heard it opened up, I had to come,” customer Adam Naxxon says. “I live all the way over by the Galleria, and I’m really excited the (pizza) is back.”

Among Ghost Pizza’s most popular offerings is the Maximus (starting at $14.95), a loaded pizza topped with onions, cheese, sausage, ground beef, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, black olives, green olives, green peppers and mushrooms. Another customer favorite is the Spartan (starting at $14.95), which features sausage, onion, hamburger, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, green peppers and bacon.

For customers looking for something beyond pizza, Ghost Pizza also offers a Caesar salad (starting at $4.95), a pecan salad (starting at $4.95), calzones ($9.95) and fried ravioli ($8.95), among other items. Ghost Pizza is also currently offering a special that includes one 10-inch pizza and 20-ounce soda for $6.99.

Nuccio attributes the pizzeria’s success to the overwhelming support of the Lake Highlands community. On its first Friday, the restaurant sold roughly 150 pizzas, a turnout that exceeded his expectations.

“My customers keep me motivated. I (want) to keep making them happy, making them smile,” Nuccio says. “Hopefully, new customers will come back.”

Ghost Pizza, 10675 E. Northwest Highway #1635, 214.363.6122