Original Shakey’s Pizza Parlor Founded April 30, 1954 in Sacramento at 57th & J Streets
by Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson
ALHAMBRA, CA (April 27, 2006) – Shakey’s Pizza Parlor will celebrate its first annual Founders Day, April 30, 2007, honoring the franchise’s original founder Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson. On this day, Shakey’s corporate staff will trade places with the crew at the revitalized Shakey’s Pico Rivera location from 2 – 5 PM.
Shakey’s senior management team, including CEO, Tim Pulido; Executive Vice President, Joe Remsa, and Director of Marketing, Cindy Staats; will get busy in the kitchen and on the dining room floor serving up good food and family fun.
Winners of an internal contest among the California corporate Shakey’s Pizza Parlors, the Pico Rivera crew will get to kick back and relax while their bosses prep Shakey’s famous Mojo® potatoes and new gourmet pizzas, serve customers, and buss tables.
“We realize the front line is critical to the success of Shakey’s, especially as we work to revitalize this beloved brand. Getting the corporate team in the kitchen, and out serving our guests is a fun way to let our restaurant teams know that we appreciate their hard work, as well as getting a real hands on, working knowledge of our business,” said Shakey’s CEO, Tim Pulido.
When Sherwood first founded Shakey’s, in Sacramento, back in 1954, the pizza parlor wasn’t a pizza parlor at all, but a beer hall with a Dixieland jazz band. The establishment sold only beer the first weekend it opened, turning profits into real dough — pizza dough — the following Monday. Shakey’s soon became widely known outside Sacramento, not for its pizza, but for the jazz program it sponsored on a regional radio network. Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson is an honored musician in the Banjo Hall of Fame in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Today Shakey’s is still known for family entertainment that includes big screen TVs, a kids’ arcade and popular music. As part of Tim Pulido’s five-year plan to revitalize the nostalgic heritage of the brand, Shakey’s restaurants across Southern California are updating their entertainment to go along with the refreshed atmosphere and new, healthier menu.
Shakey’s Pizza Parlor’s refreshed, contemporary atmosphere lets guests savor new gourmet pizzas, hearty salads and Firestone Micro-brew beers, or they can recapture the memories of their youth with Shakey’s classic pizza, fried chicken and Mojo potatoes – now with zero trans fat!
Shakey’s is demonstrating its health-conscious leadership in the fast casual category by being among the first to adopt legislature that bans cooking with trans fat oils in Los Angeles area kitchens.
ABOUT SHAKEY’S® USA
For more than 50 years, Shakey’s has been the place for family and friends to enjoy good food and good times. Shakey’s first opened its doors in April 1954 in Sacramento. Still today, Shakey’s serves its original thin crust pizza, crispy fried chicken and famous Mojo® Potatoes —sprinkled with secret seasoned breading and deep-fried. Shakey’s USA, Inc is headquartered in Alhambra, Calif.
