William R. Larson
| William R. Larson | |
|---|---|
| File:William R. Larson Round Table Photo.jpgFile:William R. Larson Round Table Photo.jpg | |
| Born | January 30, 1933 San Jose, California |
| 💀Died | November 15, 2006 (aged 73) Palo Alto, CaliforniaNovember 15, 2006 (aged 73) |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | United States |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Founder of Round Table Pizza |
| 👶 Children | 9 |
William Ray Larson (January 30th, 1933 – November 15, 2006) was an American restaurant founder, known for starting the West Coast American pizza chain Round Table Pizza.[1]
Early life[edit]
Larson was born in San Jose, California on January 30, 1933 to Doris Loveall, an American cannery worker. He had one older brother, Robert Larson. They were later adopted early during their childhood by Swedish immigrant and machinist Henry Larson, Doris' new husband.[2] William was raised in Palo Alto, California,[1] where he attended the local schools in this District.[1]
William later enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Japan at the age of 17. After serving 4 years in the military, Larson worked several different jobs, gaining experience that ultimately led him to create his own restaurant.[1][3]
Career[edit]
In 1958, William was working for a pizza parlor in San Mateo, California. He enjoyed the work so much he began planning to construct a pizza restaurant of his own.[1]
A year later he quit his job, borrowed $1,800 from his parents, turned over his furniture to the bank as collateral for additional money,[4] and used these earnings to open his first pizza parlor in Menlo Park, California on December 21, 1959 located at 1235 El Camino Real. He called his new restaurant Round Table Pizza. This original restaurant location was moved to 1225 El Camino Real a few years later where it still stands today.[4] He named the restaurant Round Table Pizza after the round redwood tables he and his father constructed.[5]
According to PizzaMarketPlace.com, "William's developed recipe & crust soon brought Round Table Pizza a strong following from customers and entrepreneurs."[6] By 1978, under Larson's direction Round Table had amassed 225 stores.[7][non-primary source needed][8][not in citation given] Larson penned the slogan for the company "share a little pizza with someone you love." This was later changed to "The Last Honest Pizza."[1] The idea for the original logo came about in 1961, when a friend of Larson's drew some sketches of members of King Arthur's court eating pizza, and Larson then adopted the King Arthur theme for his restaurants. The three banners in the official logo were added in 1970, and are intended to symbolize the letters "F-U-N".[8][9] As of Sept 2020, Round Table Pizza has over 450 restaurants open[7][non-primary source needed]
Death[edit]
Larson died of cancer on November 15, 2006 in his hometown of Palo Alto at age 73.[10][6] He had nine children.[3] As of 2020 William's son, Bob Larson, still owns and operates the original Menlo Park California restaurant.[3][6]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "William R. Larson Sr". The Mercury News. 2006-11-28 – via PressReader.com. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Doris Larson". Legacy.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Bill Larson, 73; founder of Round Table chain of pizza parlors". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 2006.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Revisiting Round Table Pizza just shy of its 60th anniversary". In Menlo.
- ↑ Stolzoff, Simone (February 2, 2018). "These Two Silicon Valley Pizza Places Show The Challenges Posed By Automation And Inequality". Fast Company.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Bill Larson, founder of Round Table Pizza, dead at 73". Pizza Market Place.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Family Business". Round Table Pizza Franchise.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "50 Years of Fresh Pizza". InMenlo.com.
- ↑ "ROUND TABLE NOBLY ROLLS OUT A NEW BRAND VISION WORTHY OF ITS STANDING AS "PIZZA ROYALTY"". Round Table Pizza Brand Worthy.
- ↑ "William Larson, founder of Round Table Pizza, dies". Almanac News.
External links[edit]
- "Menlo Park Historical Association: Round Table". Google Archive.
- "Midtown History: Bob Larson of Round Table Pizza". MidTownResidents.com.
- "Round Table Pizza Celebrating 60 Years with Throwback Deal".
- "Menlo Park Notable People".
- "Did you know that Round Table Pizza started in Menlo?".
- Geraci, Victor W. (2017). Making Slow Fast food in California. California: Springer International Publishing. pp. 219–225. ISBN 978-3319528564. Search this book on
- "Round Table Franchise".
- Riggs, Thomas (January 20, 1999). Major Marketing Campaigns Annual, 1999 (Hardcover ed.). Gale Research: Gale Research. p. 537. Search this book on
- "RTP History: The Perception of an Ever-Changing Quality Pizza". Round Table Owners Association.
- "How Many Round Table Pizza Locations".
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