Round Table Pizza is a chain and

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

of pizza parlours in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

. The first Round Table Pizza restaurant was opened in 1959, and the company has over 400 restaurants. The company is headquartered in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Overview

The company currently operates two formats. Traditional Round Table Pizza restaurants serve primarily pizza, salads, and beverages. A new format, Round Table Pizza Clubhouse - Pizza Pub Play, features expanded entertainment with arcade games for children and big-screen TVs with sports programming, as well as an expanded menu and craft beer selection.

History

Round Table Pizza was founded by William R. Larson (January 30, 1933 – November 15, 2006). Larson was born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, on January 30, 1933, and was raised in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

. After serving 4 years in the U.S. Navy, Larson worked several different jobs, gaining experience that ultimately led him to create his own restaurant. He opened his first pizza parlor in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

on December 21, 1959 located at 1235 El Camino Real. He called his new restaurant Round Table Pizza. He named the restaurant Round Table Pizza after the round redwood tables he and his father constructed. This original location in Menlo Park would eventually be moved to 1225 El Camino Real a few years later, where it still stands today and is owned and operated by Bob Larson, William's son. As of 2020, Bob Larson still owns and operates the original Menlo Park Location. According to PizzaMarketPlace.com, "William's developed recipe & crust soon brought Round Table Pizza a strong following from customers and entrepreneurs." By 1978 under Larson's direction, Round Table had amassed over 225 stores. In 2011, the company filed for protection under

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

with the U.S. bankruptcy court and emerged from bankruptcy the same year. The Consensual Plan of Reorganization provides for 100% repayment of obligations to its secured and unsecured creditors and for its employee owners to retain 100% ownership of the company. Since then, the company met all obligations and its financial strength steadily improved with the retirement of debt and the increase in cash flow. In 2014, the company signed a 35-store development agreement to build restaurants in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. As of 2016, more than 450 franchised and company-owned locations were in

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and Washington. On September 15, 2017, Round Table Pizza announced that it was acquired by Global Franchise Group. In the same month, September 2017, Round Table Pizza closed all of the seven branches in Dubai. In 2019, Round Table Pizza rebranded on its 60th anniversary, including a new logo and a new motto: "Pizza Royalty". The chain also expanded to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for the first time in 2019, with new locations in Frisco and near the

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

campus in University Park. On June 28, 2021, Global Franchise Group announced that it would be acquired by

FAT Brands FAT Brands is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. History FAT Brands began as a holding company for Fatburger in 2017, gaining a chairman in Ed Rensi. On August 13, 2020, Johnny Rockets wa ...

, owners of

Fatburger Fatburger North America Inc. (doing business as Fatburger) is an American fast casual restaurant chain. Its tagline is ''The Last Great Hamburger Stand''. While it is a fast food restaurant, the food is cooked and made to order. Some Fatburge ...

and Johnny Rockets. The acquisition was completed on July 22.

Marketing

William Larson penned the slogan for Round Table "share a little pizza with someone you love." This was later changed to "The Last Honest Pizza." In 1961, a friend of Larson's drew some sketches of members of King Arthur's court eating pizza, and Mr. Larson then adopted the King Arthur theme for his restaurants.Company website
Retrieved January 12, 2007. The three banners in the official logo were added in 1970, and are intended to symbolize the letters "F-U-N". Round Table Pizza began to expand through franchising. Larson sold a portion of Round Table stock to a group of investors in 1979. The investors formed an

employee stock ownership plan Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...

in 1985, and by 1992, Round Table Pizza was wholly employee owned. Mr. Larson sold about 75% of the private franchise corporation to partners in 1978. ... In 1995 the controlling partners bought out Mr. Larson's remaining 25%. From around 2003 until 2005, Round Table Pizza's official mascots were two puppets, Matt and Marcus, that appeared in the company's television commercials. In 2007, Round Table Pizza's mascot became the Pizza Knight, "defender of family night." Since that time, other spokespersons have been featured, including actor

Billy Gardell William Gardell Jr. (born August 20, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on '' Mike & Molly.'' He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on '' Yes, Dear'' and appeared in a dozen ...

References

External links

Official website

Round Table Pizza at entrepreneur.com
{{Authority control Food and drink companies based in Atlanta Restaurants in California Economy of the Western United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Fast-food chains of the United States Pizza chains of the United States Pizza franchises Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011 Restaurants established in 1959 1959 establishments in California American companies established in 1959 2017 mergers and acquisitions

Overview

History

Marketing

See also

References

External links