WACO, Texas — Poppa Rollo's Pizza in Waco has been many Central Texans' go-to place to grab a bite for years.
On Thursday, the pizza shop celebrated half a century of business.
Roland Duty is the owner. Asking him why he decided to go into the pizza business all those years ago may not get you a straight answer, but it will offer plenty of wisdom.
"If you don’t like being told what to do, then one must do what needs to be done before you're told to go do it," Roland said.
In 1969 Roland bought a K-Mart suit and drove to West to pitch an idea to Grady Lankford at West Bank and Trust.
He was approved for a loan that he used to buy Pepe's Pizza. In the early days of business, he worked as the cook, the waiter and the dishwasher.
Over the years, Roland and his wife Mary have had the chance to see generations' worth of family stories.
“When you've been in business for 50 years you see people come in get engaged, get married have kids and now the grandkids are coming," Mary said.
Mary has always been by her husband's side by keeping the books, waitressing and raising the kids.
The couple often donates to local organizations.
"Waco is like a big deal now, but we've always been a community and we need to keep on celebrating that community," Mary said.
The couple said starting your own business is risky, but it is always worth it.
"Life is chicken one day and feathers the next," Roland said. “You never can tell what’s going to happen. You just open the doors and people come in."
Poppa Rollo’s received a proclamation from the City of Waco and the McLennan County Commissioners Thursday.
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