--- title: "Smalls Sliders® Expands Throughout Missouri with Two New Locations" url: https://burnaze.com/article/be9fc58a-093c-4963-a552-cae82c2aeba0 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20250306_smalls_sliders_expands_throughout_missouri_with_two_new_locations.html category: "Burger" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Burger" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2025-03-06T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T18:00:14.059Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/brands/social/smalls_sliders.jpg --- # Smalls Sliders® Expands Throughout Missouri with Two New Locations **TL;DR:** Smalls Sliders has signed a development agreement with Vamsi Mandava and Tanya Vadlapatla to open two new locations in Missouri. The husband-and-wife duo will bring the brand to the vibrant communities of Columbia and Jefferson City. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-03-06. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20250306_smalls_sliders_expands_throughout_missouri_with_two_new_locations.html).* ## Story With over 20 years of corporate experience and a strong entrepreneurial background, Vamsi and Tanya are no strangers to building successful businesses. The pair currently owns two Scooters Coffee locations in Missouri and have previously developed a 6,500-square-foot retail space to introduce national brands to their community. Their latest venture into the food industry with Smalls Sliders is driven by their passion for serving high-quality products and creating spaces that bring people together. “The leadership and vision of Smalls Sliders immediately resonated with us,” said Tanya Vadlapatla. “Their commitment to quality, innovation, and community engagement aligns perfectly with our own values. We’re excited to introduce this unique brand to these thriving communities in Missouri and provide our communities with a memorable dining experience.” Targeting the vibrant communities of Columbia and Jefferson City, the husband-and-wife team is actively working toward opening their first two Smalls Sliders Cans within the next several months. They are currently exploring prime real estate options to ensure their locations are positioned for success, seeking high-visibility sites that offer convenience and accessibility to their growing customer base. With a hands-on approach to business, they will oversee operations together to ensure an exceptional guest experience at both locations. “Entrepreneurs like Vamsi and Tanya represent the heart of what makes Smalls Sliders so special,” said Don Crocker, Chief Development Officer of Smalls Sliders. “Their dedication to business excellence and community involvement makes them the perfect partners to further our brand growth throughout Missouri. We can’t wait to see Smalls Sliders thrive in Columbia and Jefferson City under their leadership.” Smalls Sliders opened its first signature ‘Smorange™’ colored Can in 2019. Since its inception, Smalls Sliders has disrupted the QSR industry with its stacked leadership team and robust development pipeline, furthering its rapid growth trajectory with more than 350 Cans open or under development. The brand continues to garner high-level industry recognition, with Nation’s Restaurant News featuring Smalls Sliders in its “Breakout Brands of 2023”, and QSR Magazineranking the brand in its annual QSR 50 Contenders list in 2023 and 2024. Other accolades include ranking on Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top New & Emerging Franchises” list in 2023 and 2024 and landing on Technomic’s 2024 Future 50 Growth Chains which highlights the fastest-growing restaurant chains. Smalls Sliders is one of the fastest-growing brands in the restaurant industry, specializing exclusively in fresh, cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders that are small in size but big in taste. Equipped with a streamlined drive-thru, walk-up window and unique modular buildout, the Atlanta-based brand is headed towards nationwide growth with locations opening across the Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and West Coast. These expansion plans are spearheaded by Smalls Sliders’ stacked leadership team, each bringing numerous decades of restaurant experience to the table. Smalls Sliders is the brainchild of restaurateur visionary Brandon Landry, led by industry veteran Maria Rivera, CEO, and is backed by 10 Point Capital and former NFL star Drew Brees, as investors. For more information on how Smalls Sliders is the biggest thing to happen to burgers since buns, visit www.smallssliders. As a fast-growing concept dedicated to serving fresh, cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders, the Smalls Sliders franchise opportunity brings real estate flexibility and rapid construction of new restaurants with its unique modular design. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - QSR (sector) - franchise growth (topic) - restaurant industry (topic) - multi-unit development (topic) - missouri (location) - Smalls Sliders (company) - Brandon Landry (person) - 10 Point Capital (investor) - Drew Brees (person) - Maria Rivera (person) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20250306_smalls_sliders_expands_throughout_missouri_with_two_new_locations.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/be9fc58a-093c-4963-a552-cae82c2aeba0).