William R. “Bill” Larson , whose original Round Table pizza parlor in Menlo Park grew into the national chain of 500 restaurants, died Nov. 15 in his hometown of Palo Alto.
“I never dreamed it would get that big,” Mr. Larson in an interview with the Almanac years ago. “I just wanted to provide the best quality pizza in a family environment. It was fun building it.”
“Mr. Larson divested his ownership interest in Round Table Pizza 14 years ago, but he never lost his interest or enthusiasm for the business,” says Jim Fletcher, chairman and CEO of Round Table Pizza, Inc.
He sold a portion of Round Table stock to a group of investors in 1979. The investors formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 1985, and by 1992 Round Table was wholly owned by its employees, according to Mr. Fletcher.
Services for Mr. Larson, who died after a long battle with cancer at age 73, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.
William Larson was a 26-year-old cheese delivery man when he took his savings of $1,800 and bought the old water works building at 1235 El Camino Real in Menlo Park, according to an article in the Jan. 26, 2000, issue of The Almanac.
On Dec. 21, 1959, he opened the first Round Table Pizza Parlor and Pub. He named his restaurant Round Table after the round redwood tables he and his dad, the late Henry Larson, constructed. The most expensive item on the menu was a giant-sized Bill’s special combination pizza for $3.17.
The original shop relocated a few years later next door to 1225 El Camino Real in Menlo Park and other shops opened in Los Altos, and Palo Alto. Today, his son, Bob, still owns and operates the original Round Table Pizza in Menlo Park. “I’m very proud to be a part of the original pizza family,” he says.
Although Mr. Larson was no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, his nine children and 25 grandchildren have carried on the tradition. Most of them have helped sell pizzas in some way, and two of his children, Bob and Debbie, own and operate their own shops.
Mr. Larson is survived by his nine children; 25 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
