This is a short Story of a Great Man, a Beautiful Idea, Very Hard Work and Success
Richard Harford better known as Slice , Founder, Owner and Managing Director of Mario’s Pizzeria is by nature a hard worker. He remains committed to any project that he undertakes; he is adamant about seeing it through to a successful end, no matter what the obstacles. His dream was to one day own his very own business, one that he had nurtured from the start.
On his return from working in Canada, he began to explore the possibilities within the local business circuit. Together with close friend Roger Gibbon he decided upon a restaurant. Around the time they had begun to search for a location, an ice cream shop at the Valpark Shopping Plaza was offered up for sale. The duo grabbed the opportunity and purchased the business as a joint venture.
Harford and Gibbon each invested $4,000, going into business as partners. The main items sold at the deli were sandwiches, roti and drinks. The popularity of the Plaza together with the friendly service and good food served at the deli, led to it being an instant success. Harford was on his way to realising his dream of being a successful entrepreneur.
Very soon after opening the deli, three former friends returning from University in Canada decided that a pizza parlour would be an ideal venture, as pizza was virtually a staple food of their diet while on campus and they had become quite proficient at preparing it. They went to Harford and Gibbon with their idea of the first pizza parlour in Trinidad and Tobago.
Harford and Gibbon agreed with their idea and soon Colin D’Arcy and Vernon Charles each invested $4,000 while Trevor Acanne invested $2,000, to form Mario’s Pizzeria Limited
Seeing that the other partners were already employed, it was decided that Harford would be paid a salary to manage the restaurant.
The first Mario’s Pizzeria opened its doors on June 2nd 1972 at the Valpark Shopping Plaza, to become the first ever Pizza Shop in Trinidad.
The restaurant was an instant success with folks from all areas of Trinidad flocking to sample its fare. Pizza was still new to Trinidadians but Mario’s earned a high approval rating instantly as Mario’s tailor their pizza to the Trini Taste Buds.
At 5:00am every morning Harford would go to the market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for his daily menu. Upon arrival at the restaurant he would supervise the preparations, making sure every quality control specification was met. Once the doors were opened he would oversee every aspect of the operation.
After closing the doors to the restaurant, Harford would balance the cash, do his daily stock evaluation and make the necessary preparations for the next morning. His work day did not end before 11:00pm and he never failed to get going bright and early each morning without complaint.
Eventually when business slowed down, Gibbon, D’Arcy, Acanne and Charles offered Harford and another mutual friend Victor Pereira the option of buying them out. They did and Harford was now owner of 50% of Mario’s Pizzeria Limited.
Not long after, when the economy of Trinidad started to swing south Victor Pereira sold out to Harford, who had the vision and the dedication to see it though the hard times.
Richard Harford’s passion for quality and high standards maintained the popularity and steady growth of Mario’s Pizzeria. From that first restaurant in Valpark, has emerged the largest Pizza restaurant chain in Trinidad and Tobago, with 16 restaurants across the twin island state.
Trinidad is Mario’s beloved place of birth, its home where it was nurtured, where it has developed that unique quality and taste, soon Mario’s will<