Family-Run Ownership Group Brings Extensive Pizza Operations Experience to Mid-Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo., Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, announces a new three-unit development agreement in Columbia, Missouri, led by franchise co-owners Russ Anderson and Betzayda “Betzy” Alvarez-Anderson. Joining them in the agreement is Betzy’s husband and Russ’ nephew, Klayton Anderson, who will serve as operator. The first location is scheduled to open in October 2026, at 911 Rain Forest Pkwy., marking the start of a broader regional development plan across mid-Missouri.

“This agreement reflects exactly the kind of operator partnership that drives sustainable growth for our brand,” said Gerardo Flores, Chief Development Officer of Marco’s Pizza. “Russ, Betzy, and Klayton bring a rare combination of operational depth and local commitment, and they are confident in their ability to build a lasting presence in Missouri.”

Operators Bring Deep QSR and Pizza Experience

The ownership group pairs a strong regional business foundation with decades of pizza operations experience. Russ is the founder of Anderson Homes, the largest homebuilder in central Missouri. As a longtime entrepreneur who bought his first business at 19 and served eight years in the Army Reserves, he brings extensive background in real estate, construction, and operational leadership to the partnership. Betzy spent nine years with a leading national pizza brand, rising from in-store roles to general manager before moving into a corporate position. Klayton built a background in multi-unit operations as a general manager in the pizza industry before transitioning to Marco’s.

“What drew us to Marco’s was the authenticity behind the product,” said Betzy. “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. We saw that difference firsthand before we decided to move forward with Marco’s. 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.”

Building a Foundation in Columbia

For the Andersons, the agreement is rooted in Columbia, where the family has built their business presence. After exploring top pizza and QSR brands, the group found that Marco’s consistently stood out with the quality and flavor of the pizza. With only a small Marco’s footprint in Missouri currently, the partners saw an opportunity to establish the brand in an underserved market.

The group’s approach to development favors owning or building its sites rather than leasing, reflecting a long-term commitment to the region.

Incentivizing Growth for Multi-Unit Operators

To further support franchise expansion, Marco’s currently offers the Franchise Development Royalty Incentive Program, designed to lower barriers for qualified multi-unit owners. With early-stage royalty incentives starting at 0%*, along with comprehensive support in real estate, construction, and operations, the program provides a streamlined, resource-rich path for franchisees to expand.

Prospects are taking note of the business opportunity, as Marco’s Franchise Disclosure Document reports $1.28M AUV for the top 25% of franchised stores in 2025.** 

For more information Marco’s Pizza franchise opportunities, visit https://www.marcos.com/franchising/ or contact Brad Smith at bradsmith@marcos.com or 419-279-5795. 

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza brands in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives to deliver a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,200 stores in 35 states with locations in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Notably, Marco’s was recognized as America’s Favorite Restaurant in the Limited-Service Pizza category by Nation’s Restaurant News using Technomic Ignite Consumer 2025 data^ꝉꝉ. Other recent accolades include being recognized by QSR as one of the “16 Best Franchise Deals for 2025”, ranking No. 50 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2026 “Franchise 500” ranking, earning a coveted spot as the only top 5 pizza chain to rank on Newsweek’s 2025 “America’s Best Customer Service” in pizza chains list, earning a spot on QSR’s Top 50, and being featured on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 500” ranking.    

 *The information provided in this article should not be construed as an offer to sell any Marco’s Pizza® franchises in, nor is any such communication directed to, the residents of any jurisdiction requiring registration of the franchise before it is offered and sold in that jurisdiction. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Marco’s Pizza® franchises will not be sold to any resident of such jurisdiction until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such jurisdiction and the required franchise disclosure document (if applicable) has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law. Additionally, the participant must meet our financial, creditworthiness, and operational criteria to qualify for the incentive program and be approved by us to open each Store. If the franchisee is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other legal entity, the qualifying participant must maintain at least 50% ownership in the entity, as well as the qualifying existing Stores, to qualify for this program, and the franchisee must comply with program requirements. In the event the participant fails at any time to meet the timelines to qualify for the applicable incentive program while developing a Store, the Store being developed and any remaining unopened Stores to be developed will pay the then-current standard Royalty Fee rate. See Marco’s Franchising’s Franchise Disclosure Document for more information. To qualify for the incentive program, the participant must sign a development agreement and open the stores within the following timeframes: 1^st Store within 365 days of signing; 2^nd Store within 6 months of 1^st store opening; 3^rd Store within 6 months of 2^nd store opening; 4^th Store within 6 months of 3^rd store opening; 5^th Store within 6 months of 4^th store opening.  

**Based on average sales volume of the top performing 25% (or 250 units) of Marco’s Pizza Franchised Stores that were open during our 2025 fiscal year. Of the 997 Franchised Stores that were in operation for our entire 2025 fiscal year, 250 were included in the top 25% set and 37% obtained or surpassed the average sales volume. This information excludes (i) international locations (including Puerto Rico); (ii) Franchised Stores not open for the entire 52-week period in 2025; (iii) special venue and non-traditional franchised locations; and (iv) Franchised Stores that closed in 2025. See Item 19 of our 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document for additional information. Individual results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well. 

^ꝉꝉAccording to Technomic’s 2025 America’s Favorite Restaurants data, Marco’s Pizza secured the top spot in the Limited-Service Pizza category with a 54.6% composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible rating for each of the guest experience attributes. Data for America’s Favorite Chains comes from Technomic Ignite Consumer, which collects information about how brands impact consumers and how consumers interact with those brands, via online surveys. See here for more information: www.technomic.com/ignite-consumer. 

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SOURCE Marco’s Pizza