Shakey's Pizza Parlor - Life in America

[Music] in april 1954 sherwood shakey johnson and his partner ed plummer opened a new pizza restaurant in sacramento california and named it shaky's pizza parlor and yi public house the restaurant was named after johnson himself his shaky nickname came from nerve damage following about with malaria [Music] johnson was a huge jazz enthusiast and he filled his pizza parlor with music live banjo and piano music played as diners enjoyed their pizza [Music] the original location was so popular that a second location was opened in portland oregon in 1956 the chain continued to grow and by the end of the 1960s there were nearly 300 locations [Music] shakies became well known for its original thin crust pizza but it also served crispy fried chicken mojo potatoes and popular beers from the tab shaky johnson is actually honored at the american banjo museum in oklahoma city for his longtime support and use of banjo music at his pizza parlors there is a replica of the interior of the original shakies there [Music] the interior of the restaurants with picnic tables end on end were perfect spots for sports teams to gather after games the kids could eat pizza and play games while the parents drank beer and [Music] socialized [Music] in 1967 shaky johnson sold his half of the company to the colorado milling and elevator company his partner ed plummer also sold out to them the following year [Music] the chain was bought and sold numerous times during the late 70s and 80s as this went on the number of locations dwindled in 1989 the company landed with inno pacific holdings and the stores continued their drop off through the 1990s [Music] in 2004 the pizza parlor was sold to jack mark companies which owned 19 franchises in california today there are less than 50 locations left and most are in california except for the two locations in washington state [Music] the new shakies pays tribute to the past with nostalgic graphics and wall art while offering state-of-the-art digital menus game rooms and flat screen tvs you

Channel: Recollection Road

Views: 394,927

Keywords: recollection road, memories, photos, decades, vintage, remember, american life, life in america, shakey's, pizza, ye public house, pizza parlor, shakey's pizza, shakeys, food, restaurant

Id: 4qW8TpPe67Y

Length: 8min 2sec (482 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 11 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/FabHckyBbe]

My family went to Shakey’s regularly when I was a little kid, I always got the “chicky” instead pizza because the pepperonis were too spicy for me at 2-4 years old. It was always dim inside because there was a constant stream of old black and white movies (Abbot and Costello, Our Gang, etc) projected on the back wall. Also, they had motorized “horsey rides” inside that you could start using a washer instead of a quarter. You just had to go to the counter and request a washer from the cashier. That was a regular Friday night date night when my parents had two young kids and not a lot of money for sitters. Good times.

[u/holygraiI]

I went to a Shakey’s Pizza as part of a birthday party after seeing the Empire Strikes Back. That was a pretty good day for a kid.

[u/Sure_Marcia]

It was at Shakeys where I saw my first arcade video game - I distinctly remember Space Invaders and thinking that was ahhmazing... then later Tempest showed up and I was like “really? this? No Mom, won’t be begging for quarters today.” Not long after PacMan was there to save us all.

[u/[deleted]]

We only went out to eat once a month when I was little. It was usually pizza, and most of the time Shakey's, depending on where we lived. They had the old movies playing, and there was a player piano that you could load the scrolls on to that would play music. My favorite thing was standing at the window watching the guys make the pizzas. It was the best time, and I can remember everything about those nights.

[u/[deleted]]

Sacramento native here. God I miss Shakey's so much. It was the best.

[u/[deleted]]

I vaguely remember Shakeys in Cheyenne WY but was really young, like 4. Does anyone know why they all closed down?

[u/grrgrrtigergrr]

Shakey’s in The Region was in the top 4 birthday party options along with Celebration Station, Aladdin’s Castle and Pizza Hut. But it was number 1 for post little league parties.

[u/AlpineVW]

My love of buffets and Hawaiian pizza was born at a Shakey’s when I was 8 years old.

[u/apoptyGin69]

Shakey’s for sure but also Straw Hat!