Marco’s Pizza Finds New Missouri Growth Partners in Anderson Family
Marco’s Pizza has found new growth partners in Missouri, and they already know a thing or two about building businesses and running pizza restaurants.
The franchise has signed a three-location development agreement with members of the Anderson family in Columbia.
Russ Anderson and Betzayda “Betzy” Alvarez-Anderson will own the business, while Betzy’s husband, Klayton Anderson, will manage operations. Klayton is also Russ’ nephew, making the new venture a closely connected family operation.
The first restaurant is expected to open in October 2026 on Rain Forest Parkway in Columbia.
After that, the family plans to add two more locations and expand Marco’s presence throughout mid-Missouri.
A Family Business With Restaurant Experience
Many new restaurant franchisees enter the industry with general business experience and learn foodservice along the way.
The Anderson family is coming into Marco’s with both.
Russ Anderson has spent decades as an entrepreneur in Missouri. He bought his first business at 19 and later founded Anderson Homes, which became a major homebuilding company in central Missouri.
Along the way, he developed experience in construction, real estate, operations and business management. He also served eight years in the Army Reserves.
That experience gives him a strong understanding of the development side of the new franchise venture.
Betzy Alvarez-Anderson brings direct restaurant knowledge.
Before joining Marco’s, she spent close to nine years working in the pizza industry with Domino’s. She started inside restaurants, moved into management and eventually worked at the corporate level.
That progression gave her a view of the pizza business from several different perspectives, from serving customers and managing employees to understanding the systems behind a national restaurant chain.
Klayton Anderson adds another layer of operating experience.
He previously worked in multi-unit pizza management and has also spent time learning Marco’s restaurant operations. He will now use that experience to oversee the family’s new locations.
The Family Saw an Opening in Missouri
Columbia is already home to a crowded restaurant market, but the Andersons believe Marco’s has room to establish itself there.
The brand has grown significantly across the country but still maintains a smaller footprint in Missouri.
That caught the family’s attention.
Instead of buying into a concept that already has restaurants on nearly every corner of the market, the group saw an opportunity to help build Marco’s name locally.
The food also played an important role in their decision.
Marco’s differentiates itself through its focus on fresh preparation, including dough made in the restaurant and a signature cheese blend.
After looking at several pizza and quick-service restaurant concepts, the family decided Marco’s offered the right combination of product quality and growth potential.
More Than a Three-Store Investment
The family’s plans also extend beyond simply signing leases and opening restaurants.
Because Russ already operates in construction and real estate, the group plans to take a more hands-on approach to its properties.
Where it makes financial sense, the family intends to own or develop restaurant sites rather than rely solely on landlords.
That could provide more control over the locations and create a real estate component alongside the restaurant operation.
It also shows that the Andersons appear to be thinking beyond short-term store openings.
Developing property requires more capital and planning, but it can give an experienced ownership group greater flexibility over time.
For a family already familiar with construction and development, that strategy is a natural extension of its existing business experience.
Marco’s Wants More Multi-Unit Owners
The Missouri deal arrives while Marco’s Pizza continues recruiting operators capable of building several restaurants.
The company has created incentives for qualifying multi-unit franchisees that can reduce royalty costs during the early period after a new restaurant opens.
For operators signing larger development agreements, those savings can provide additional cash that may be used for hiring, marketing, new-store expenses and future expansion.
It is part of a larger strategy by Marco’s to grow through experienced franchise groups rather than depending entirely on individual one-store owners.
The company has expanded to more than 1,240 restaurants in 35 states, with additional locations in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Marco’s traces its history back to 1978, when Pat Giammarco founded the company in Toledo, Ohio.
Today, the company continues looking for markets where its restaurant count remains relatively low and experienced franchisees can build clusters of locations.
Missouri fits that strategy.
Franchise Economics Remain Part of the Appeal
Marco’s has also been promoting the financial performance of its stronger franchised restaurants as it recruits new operators.
Its 2026 franchise disclosure information reports that the top-performing 25% of qualifying franchised restaurants averaged about $1.28 million in annual sales during 2025.
That figure does not represent the entire system and does not guarantee the performance of a new restaurant. Location, operating costs, management, competition and local demand can all affect franchise results.
Still, the number provides prospective operators with another data point as they evaluate whether the concept fits their investment goals.
For the Anderson family, the decision appears to have been based on more than one metric.
Their investment combines a product they believe can compete in Columbia with a market where Marco’s still has space to grow.
October Opening Starts the Next Chapter
The first restaurant will be the most important step.
Once the Columbia location opens in October, the family will begin building awareness for Marco’s while learning how the concept performs in its local market.
From there, two additional restaurants are expected to follow under the development agreement.
The family enters the business with advantages that many first-time restaurant franchisees do not have.
They understand local real estate. They have experience building companies. They know pizza operations. And they already have established ties to the Columbia business community.
Marco’s now has an opportunity to turn that local experience into additional franchise growth.
For the Anderson family, the three-store agreement opens another chapter in a long history of entrepreneurship, this time with pizza at the center of the business.
Learn more about Marco’s Pizza Franchise opportunities.
