Marco's Pizza has signed a three-unit franchise development agreement in Columbia, Missouri, with co-owners Russ Anderson and Betzayda "Betzy" Alvarez-Anderson, joined by Klayton Anderson as operator. The first location is scheduled to open in October 2026 at 911 Rain Forest Pkwy., with the remaining two units part of a broader regional build-out across mid-Missouri.
The Ownership Team
The group brings an unusual depth of operational experience to the deal. Betzy spent nine years with a leading national pizza brand, advancing from in-store roles to general manager before moving into a corporate position. Klayton worked as a multi-unit general manager in the pizza industry before joining Marco's. Russ, founder of Anderson Homes — described as the largest homebuilder in central Missouri — adds a real estate and construction background that directly supports the group's strategy of owning or building its locations rather than leasing, a longer-term capital commitment that signals confidence in the market.
"What drew us to Marco's was the authenticity behind the product," Betzy said. "Other brands cut corners, but Marco's starts fresh every day with dough pressed in-house and a three-cheese blend that's always fresh, never frozen. That level of prep and care is built into every location, so customers know exactly what they're getting no matter which Marco's they walk into."
Why Columbia, Why Now
For the ownership group, Columbia represented a clear white-space opportunity. Marco's Pizza currently has only a limited footprint in Missouri, and after evaluating multiple pizza and QSR concepts, the partners concluded the brand was underrepresented in the region relative to its product quality. Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco's Pizza, framed the deal as the type of operator-driven partnership the brand is actively seeking. "Russ, Betzy, and Klayton bring a rare combination of operational depth and local commitment," Flores said.
Columbia — home to the University of Missouri and a growing mid-sized metro — fits a profile that pizza franchise operators have increasingly targeted: a college-anchored consumer base with consistent demand and lower real estate costs than major metro markets.
Franchise Incentive Structure
To support multi-unit growth, Marco's currently offers a Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program with early-stage royalty rates starting at 0% for qualifying operators. The program pairs the royalty reduction with support in real estate, construction, and operations. According to Marco's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, the top 25% of franchised stores posted $1.28 million in average unit volume during the 2025 fiscal year, based on 250 qualifying units out of 997 franchised stores open for the full 52-week period.
The Toledo, Ohio-based chain now operates more than 1,200 locations across 35 states, plus Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. It ranked No. 50 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2026 Franchise 500 and was recognized by Nation's Restaurant News as America's Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2025 data. For operators tracking pizza segment franchise activity and evaluating growth brands in the QSR tier, the Columbia deal reflects a wider pattern: experienced, multi-unit operators with sector-specific backgrounds are increasingly choosing emerging regional build-outs over saturated major markets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
