Editing Round Table Pizza (section)

==Marketing==
[[File:Round Table Pizza - October 2024 - Sarah Stierch 01.jpg|thumb|A personal sized pepperoni pizza from Round Table Pizza. ]]
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."<ref name="mercuryobit" /> In 1961, 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.<ref name="faq">[http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/hot_stuff/faq.asp Company website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016160635/http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/hot_stuff/faq.asp |date=2006-10-16 }}. Retrieved January 12, 2007.</ref> The three banners in the official logo were added in 1970, and are intended to symbolize the letters "F-U-N".<ref name="faq" /> Round Table Pizza began to expand through franchising.<ref>"Obituaries: Bill Larson, 73, founder of Round Table chain of pizza parlors," ''Los Angeles Times'', November 21, 2006, page B8</ref> 

Larson 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 Pizza was wholly employee owned.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/news/bill-larson-founder-of-round-table-pizza-dead-at-73/|title = Bill Larson, founder of Round Table Pizza, dead at 73|date = November 16, 2006|access-date = January 2, 2015|publisher = pizzamarketplace.com}}</ref> Larson sold about 75% of the private franchise corporation to partners in 1978. In 1995 the controlling partners bought out Larson's remaining 25%.<ref name="almanacnews" />

From around 2003 until 2005, Round Table Pizza's official mascots were two [[puppet]]s, Matt and Marcus, that appeared in the company's television commercials.<ref>[http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/Features/Video/commercials_smokehouse.asp Company website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223716/http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/Features/Video/commercials_smokehouse.asp |date=2007-09-27 }}. Retrieved January 12, 2007.</ref> In 2007, Round Table Pizza's mascot became the Pizza Knight, "defender of family night."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hungry-peasants-bow-down-pizza-knight-16891|title = Hungry peasants bow down to Pizza Knight|date = September 13, 2007|access-date = January 2, 2015|website = [[Adweek]]|last = Gianatasio|first = David}}</ref> Since that time, other spokespersons have been featured, including actor [[Billy Gardell]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Daly|first=Sean|date=2015-09-20|title=Comic Billy Gardell Opens Pizzeria In Orlando, May Turn Into Reality Show|url=http://thetvpage.com/2015/09/20/comic-billy-gardell-opens-pizzeria-in-orlando-may-turn-into-reality-show/|access-date=2020-09-23|website=TheTVPage.com|language=en-US}}</ref>