I remember them well! Lots of memories...
My favorite at the time and perhaps of all time. Until I saw the old ad, just now, I did not realize they offered a Sicilian crust. I would have still got their regular crust, which was thin, my preference. The toppings had a distinct flavor that separated it from other pizzas, just like it's easy to tell Papa John from Pizza Hut from Domino's.
In 8th grade (1969), I was on a junior bowling league at the Rose Bowl off Goldsmith Lane. (Sometimes I was late because Space Ghost was on TV during the 30 min. before bowling start time.) Somehow, I won a free large pizza from Mario's. My sister lived on Richland Ave. in Hikes Point, just two blocks from a Mario's. One Saturday morning, I rode my bicycle from Strathmoor Blvd to her house. We got a 16" with everything; she had two pieces and I had the rest. I was only 120 lb. but could put it away. This was my first Mario's pizza.
In high school (early 70s), I learned of a Mario's near the old Vogue theater in St. Mathews. A friend from grade school worked there, so I got special treatment.
Another friend & I had to go there at least once a week, or we would have died.
Sometime later, a Mario's opened more near my home, across from the Showcase Cinemas (now Costco). I believe the Mario's was at the corner of Meadow Dr., where a Taco Bell stood for many years. I think it's now Mi Sueno. Shortly after high school, an old friend & I reunited and began playing golf on Saturday with a cooler full of beer and not much to eat, all day. At the time, Mario's regularly put a 2:1 coupon in the newspaper. We would always go to this particular Mario's after golf, and generally finish two large deluxe pizzas! He could eat, too! Once, while seated at the table waiting for our pizzas, he started talking about his heart palpitations. He said, "Sometimes my heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest!" Well, since I was famished and perhaps even a little woozy, it got to me: I fainted and fell backward right out of the chair. I was ok, just embarrassed.
Around 1980, I met a former manager of the Mario's on Westport Rd. He told me that they got supplies from an outlet named Papa Gino's, which was located on Bardstown Rd. just south of the Douglas Loop. Since he still had his connections, he took me there and asked them to sell me some frozen pizza shells (made by Pepperidge Farm) and the Italian sausage that Mario's used. I recall getting 20 crusts and 5 lb. of sausage, which lasted quite a while. Mario's made its own sauce, for which my friend gave me the recipe. It was simple: tomato puree thinned with a little water, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and sweet basil and maybe some oregano.
I move from Louisville around the time Mario's closed the stores. I'm back now; I wish they were still around.