This Medieval-Themed Pizza Chain Has Ruled The Same California Spot For Decades — And Isn't Going Anywhere

After returning home from serving in the Navy, Bill Larson borrowed $2,500, using his parents' furniture as collateral, and started his own pizzeria in 1959. While it's not as old as Boston's oldest pizzeria, Round Table remains one of America's longest-standing pizza chains. Bill first tasted pizza while deployed in Japan and it clearly made an impression. After working in other California pizza places for a year, he made the move to start his own. He called it Round Table Pizza. The original Round Table Pizza, opened in Menlo Park, California, is still in operation today and will remain so for at least 20 more years under an agreement with its current owner.

After Bill retired, his son Bob Larson took over. Bill passed away in 2006 and his son Bob recently retired. After 40 years of making pies, he developed tendonitis in his arms and was no longer able to keep up with the demands of a busy pizza place. Though he'd been offered as much as $20 million for the land in the past, he never sold out. He wanted to honor his father's legacy. So when it came time to retire himself, Bob didn't exactly sell the place. Instead, he offered the buyer a 20-year lease at what he called a "very agreeable below-market lease" with the agreement that the location would remain a Round Table Pizza. 

The name Round Table immediately brings to mind King Arthur and his knights. The chain leans into that with shield emblems, medieval flags, and Gothic script on its website and stores. These are accent touches evocative of the Arthurian theme. In actual medieval times, recipes were only for the wealthy, but Larson wanted his pizza to be for everyone. That original location in Menlo Park was famous for its big, round table. But it was not there because of Arthurian legend.

Bill Larson's father was given an acre of land in Palo Alto as payment for work, and eventually acquired 12 acres. The land was in redwood forests and Bill grew up watching his father make furniture. They made round redwood tables to reflect his vision, captured in their original slogan — "share a little pizza with someone you love." The round table encouraged sharing. 

In 1961,a friend sketched Arthurian characters eating pizza; Larson loved it and embraced the medieval theme. Three years after opening, the restaurant proved so popular that Larson decided to franchise. Bill wanted to make sure his restaurant sold a great-tasting pizza, and be a fun place to spend time with friends and family. The franchise was a success and grew nationwide.  Today, there are over 400 Round Table Pizza locations across America and that Menlo Park location remains a fixture. When we ranked some of the most popular pizza chains, Round Table fared pretty well.