Shakey’s Pizza Parlor – Life in America

A look back at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor and Ye Public House.

In April 1954, Sherwood “Shakey” Johnson and his partner Ed Plummer opened a new pizza restaurant in Sacramento, California and named it Shakey’s Pizza Parlor & Ye Public House. The restaurant was named after Johnson himself, his “Shakey” nickname, came from nerve damage following a bout with malaria.

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.

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.

Shakey’s became well-known for its original thin crust pizza, but it also served crispy fried chicken, Mojo Potatoes and popular beers from the tap.

Shakey 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 Shakey’s there.

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 socialized.

In 1967, Shakey 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.

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.

In 2004, the pizza parlor was sold to Jacmar Companies, which owned 19 franchises in California. Today, there are less than 50 locations left and most are in California, except for the 2 locations in Washington state.

The new Shakey’s pays tribute to the past with nostalgic graphics and wall art, while offering state of the art digital menus, gamerooms, and flat screen TVs. Shakey’s has always been about the experience—a place where people could gather to share good times together around a good pizza.