Bob Larson, the owner of the original Round Table Pizza in Menlo Park, has made the difficult decision to sell the family business. After 38 years of running the restaurant that his father, Bill Larson, founded in 1959, Larson is stepping away from the business he grew up with.
“I’m turning 62 this year,” Larson told SFGATE. “I’ve realized that I don’t have the same drive I once did. In the restaurant business, you need that energy, and I just felt it was the right time.” Larson admitted the decision wasn’t easy, saying there had been “a lot of tears this week.”
The Menlo Park location has long been a landmark, and over the years, Larson was offered as much as $20 million for the land it sits on. Located near one of the most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S., the site is valuable. Despite these offers, Larson always declined, driven by loyalty to his father’s legacy, who passed away in 2006. However, as the restaurant industry has become more challenging, Larson admitted that he has started to feel like the business “has passed me by a little bit.”
When his father first opened the restaurant in 1959, he borrowed $2,500 from a bank, using furniture as collateral. Larson reflects on how much the business has changed since then.
Though Larson has decided to sell the business, he is not selling the land. He will remain the landlord, keeping ownership of the property. The restaurant will continue as a Round Table Pizza, with Larson ensuring that its legacy is preserved for another 20 years.
“I could have leased the property to a developer for more money, but I didn’t want to do that,” Larson said. “I wanted to gift Menlo Park a Round Table Pizza for another 20 years.”
The business has been sold to new franchise owner Karan Bal, who plans to remodel the restaurant. However, Larson confirmed that the vintage photos and newspaper clippings honoring his father would remain. Bal is set to take over in mid-December, although SFGATE was unable to reach him for comment.
“I’ll still be around, not behind the counter, but I’ll always have that connection,” Larson said. “I’m proud of the fact that I didn’t sell out. That’s not something many people would do today.”
Larson’s decision to sell the business comes after 38 years as the owner and 50 years in the pizza industry. He began working for his father at the age of 12 and always dreamed of owning a pizzeria.
“I always wanted to be a pizza man, and I made that happen,” Larson said. “In the end, I’ll retire as a pizza man, and I’m very proud of that. It’s been a great ride, full of memories. Ultimately, I’m selling it, but it doesn’t feel like I own the place anymore. The people who have been coming in for 60 years, they own it too.”
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