In today’s Staff Report, at http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpizza.html, Dex says:
I’d heard the story that pizza really took off in the United States when the Shakey Brothers opened their chain of Pizza Parlors. Any truth to this, or is this just Shakey’s Pizza marketing hype?
Is the hype online?
This site http://asiatravel.com/shakey/v1.html says that there wasn’t even any “Shakey brothers,” and the first store opened in April of 1954. That was long after pizza was popular in the USA.
Wouldn’tcha know it? First the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Sunnyvale gets turned into a goll-danged sushi restaurant, and now I discover that there never were any “Shakey brothers”. Go on, twist the knife, why don’tcha.
Check out this website for the history of Shakey’s (or of Sherwood ‘Shakey’ Johnson).
http://asiatravel.com/shakey/v1.html
I went to a picnic at Shakey’s home some years ago. He lived outside of a small town northeast of Marysville, CA. Had a beautiful property - the garage looked like a California mission, complete with bells and bell tower. He hosted a picnic each summer, one of which celebrated Millard Fillmore’s birthday.
His home overlooked a lake and he provided boats to an island situated midway. The island had picnic tables, barbecues (including underground pits for roasting pigs), areas where musicians could set up and play. At sunset he had a Scottish bagpipe group play standards.
A truly gracious man and one that it would be hard to forget. Very attractive (in his 60s at that time), a pure white full head of hair, mustache, not full of himself.
Last I heard he was misdiagnosed with cancer - went through the entire chemotherapy/radiation bit and then was told that he never had cancer after all. I don’t know what happened to him (this was about 4-5 years ago) but after this thread, I’m going to find out.
Thanks for reminding me!
Shakey’s/Phillipines has a web site; why doesn’t the US Shakey’s seem to have one? Aren’t there any left in this country?
(The one nearest me closed ten years ago; a Thai restaurant is there now.)
The Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Sunnyvale turned into a sushi joint about 2-3 years ago.
Sunnyvale? Site of the Hell Mouth that Buffy and crew keep at bay? … why do I think I wouldn’t want to try their sushi?