Entrepreneurial Missouri Family Bets on Marco’s Pizza Growth
A Missouri family with backgrounds in homebuilding, real estate and restaurant operations is making a new move into franchising with plans to develop three Marco’s Pizza restaurants in the Columbia area.
Russ Anderson and Betzayda “Betzy” Alvarez-Anderson are leading the investment as franchise co-owners, while Klayton Anderson will oversee restaurant operations.
Their first store is scheduled to open in Columbia in October 2026, followed by two additional restaurants as the group builds out its territory.
What makes the partnership notable is the experience behind it. This is not simply a group of investors buying into a restaurant concept. Each partner brings skills that could play a different role in growing the business.
Three Partners With Complementary Experience
Russ Anderson has spent much of his career building businesses.
He purchased his first company when he was only 19 and later became the founder of Anderson Homes, which has grown into a leading homebuilder in central Missouri.
His experience includes real estate, construction, leadership and business operations. He also served for eight years in the Army Reserves.
That background could be particularly valuable when the group begins choosing sites and developing new restaurants.
Real estate is often one of the most important parts of restaurant expansion. Finding the right location, controlling construction costs and negotiating property arrangements can have a significant effect on the economics of a franchise.
Russ already understands that side of the business.
Betzy Alvarez-Anderson, meanwhile, understands pizza.
She spent approximately nine years with Domino’s, working her way from restaurant-level positions into management before eventually moving into a corporate role.
That experience exposed her to both the daily challenges of running a pizza restaurant and the systems required to support operations across a much larger organization.
Klayton Anderson also has multi-unit pizza management experience and will serve as the operating partner for the new Marco’s restaurants.
The result is a family business with expertise on both sides of restaurant development: creating the physical locations and running the operations inside them.
Product Helped Marco’s Win the Deal
The group did not immediately settle on Marco’s Pizza.
They evaluated other pizza and quick-service restaurant opportunities before making their decision.
Marco’s ultimately stood out because of its approach to the product and the opportunity available in Missouri.
The brand emphasizes fresh preparation, including dough made in the restaurant and its signature cheese blend. For operators with previous pizza experience, those product differences became an important factor in choosing the franchise.
The family also saw something equally important from a business perspective: available market space.
While Marco’s has grown to more than 1,240 restaurants, the company still has a comparatively small presence in Missouri.
That gives the Anderson group the chance to build brand recognition in Columbia instead of entering a market already filled with Marco’s locations.
For multi-unit franchise investors, that type of whitespace can be attractive because it may provide opportunities to establish several stores before the territory becomes more developed.
Building Instead of Simply Leasing
The group’s real estate strategy is another part of the expansion that separates it from a typical restaurant franchise investment.
The Anderson family expects to place a greater emphasis on owning or developing its sites rather than relying entirely on traditional leases.
That approach fits naturally with Russ Anderson’s homebuilding and construction background.
Restaurant operators commonly lease their locations, which can reduce the amount of capital required upfront but also creates long-term rent obligations and less control over the property.
Owning the underlying real estate can require significantly more investment, but it may also create an additional asset outside the restaurant business.
For the Anderson group, property ownership appears to be part of a broader long-term strategy rather than simply a way to open three pizza shops.
Marco’s Pushes for Larger Franchise Commitments
The deal also fits Marco’s broader effort to attract entrepreneurs capable of developing multiple restaurants.
The company offers a development incentive program for qualified franchisees committing to several units.
Eligible operators may receive an introductory period with no royalty payments followed by a reduced royalty rate during the early months of operation.
These types of incentives can help franchisees preserve cash while opening their first locations and investing in additional stores.
Marco’s has increasingly positioned itself as a multi-unit franchise opportunity rather than focusing only on single-store operators.
The company now operates more than 1,240 locations across the United States and international markets including Mexico, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
Its franchise disclosure information also reported approximately $1.28 million in average unit volume for the top 25% of qualifying franchised locations during 2025. That number should not be treated as an expectation for every restaurant, since individual results vary and the figure specifically represents higher-performing locations.
First Columbia Restaurant Arrives in October
The Anderson group’s first restaurant is planned for 911 Rain Forest Parkway in Columbia.
That opening will mark the beginning of the family’s three-store agreement and give the partners their first opportunity to put their combined strategy into practice.
Russ can bring his experience in construction, site development and entrepreneurship. Betzy brings years of knowledge from one of the largest pizza systems in the industry. Klayton brings the operating experience required to manage restaurants on the ground.
For Marco’s, adding a locally established ownership group could help the company build recognition in a Missouri market where the brand still has room to grow.
For the Anderson family, the investment represents something broader: an opportunity to combine real estate, entrepreneurship and restaurant operations within one multi-unit franchise business.
If the Columbia restaurants gain traction, the three-unit agreement could become the foundation for an even larger presence in mid-Missouri.
Discover more about Marco’s Pizza Franchise opportunities.
