Chapter 1: Introduction
History
In 1954, Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson pooled his funds with those of college friend, Ed Plummer to open the first Shakey’s outlet. The building was a remodeled grocery store located at the "57th" and "J" Streets in Sacramento, California. The two owners with the help of their friends opened the parlor on April 30, a Friday evening. As the ovens, were not complete, only beer was sold the first weekend. Johnson entertained guests by playing the piano and plumber served the beer.
With the money from the beer sales, the partners bought pizza products and began selling pizzas on Monday. Ten days later, they had fourteen employees and a month later, Dixieland jazz entertainment was added.
The restaurant at "57th" and "J" Streets has grossed millions of dollars and is still a successful Shakey’s today.
With the success of the first Sacramento restaurant, Johnson and Plummer opened a second Shakey’s two years later in a remodeled mattress factory on Foster Road in Portland, Oregon. The Shakey’s name and concept were already familiar due to the nightly jazz radio program they sponsored. In 1957 Shakey’s service companies began franchising. Opening that year were franchised restaurants in Seattle, Washington, Albany, Oregon, Carmichael, Concord, and Marysville, California. The franchise units also introduced a standard Shakey’s building design. Prior to it, the restaurants have always been located in existing remodeled structures.
Shakey’s began to expand outside the United States with the opening of a restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on February 15, 1968. Expansion then went south with the opening of Mexico City restaurant on May 7, 1968. The first Japanese restaurant opened in Osaka, Japan on July 26, 1976.
Expansion continued with a restaurant in Makati, Philippines in 1975.
Today there are over 500 Shakey’s restaurants