History of Shakey's
Sherwood Johnson was an American G.I. when he caught malaria in the Pacific during World War II. The illness caused him to have the "shakes" and earned him the now famous nickname "shakey".
When the war was over, Shakey came home to California, and together with a group of friends, discovered their common love of dixieland jazz. Gathering regularly to play this lively music, the group also discovered Shakey Johnson's home cooking, especially his pizza. Needless to say, the group got larger and met regularly at Shakey's home--and nowhere else.
The fame of his fine cooking sparked an idea. Shakey and a college friend, Ed Plummer, pooled their savings together and bought an old grocery store at the corner of 57th and J street in Sacramento. On April 30, 1954, with a mere $1.85 in the till, the remodeled grocery store became the first Shakey's Pizza Parlor. Actually, no pizza was served because the oven weren't ready yet that Friday evening. Nevertheless, Shakey played the piano and Ed served the beer for their customers. With the money from the weekend, Shakey and Ed fired up their ovens on Monday and served the very first Shakey's Pizza. By 10 o'clock that evening, they were out of food, but people were still lining up to get in!
From this modest beginning, Shakey and Ed's business grew, and they started to open more stores in the U.S. Word get around about Shakey's thin, crisp crust with delicious toppings. Soon, people were calling it the "World's Greatest Pizza".
In 1975, the first Shakey's Pizza Parlor opened in the Philippines, with a promise to serve "fun...also pizza". That opening day, the restaurant sold nearly eight times as much pizza as expected, amidst balloons, charlie Chaplin movies, banjo and piano music.
Since then, Shakey's has opened over 100 outlets nationwide. Today, you don't even have to leave your home to enjoy "perfect pizzas and a whole lot more". Shakey's can deliver your pizza through one of the widest delivery networks in the country.
It's been a long time since April 30, 1954. But the great pizzas and the fun that Shakey and Ed served then are still around to help make Shakey's the No.1 pizza restaurant chain in the Philippines.
Source: Asiatravel