Beer and Pizza in Restaurants: Don’t Overthink It

You’ve heard the phrase “don’t overthink it.” It’s great advice.

A few days ago, I came across an old commercial for Shakey’s Pizza. As a kid, I remember the place because in my home town, pizza parlors (funny term) were not as prevalent as they are today. We had two hometown joints – which are still open – and Shakey’s. The two local establishments were cocktail bars with pizza added, a formula which has since changed: they’re both now restaurants with very prominent bar areas, but the pizza is the main attraction. In 1970, all you needed was the winning formula of beer and pizza, with several TV’s mounted over the bar for watching “the game” and jukeboxes for the tunes.

In 1970, however, this simple formula was not enough for Shakey’s. No, in pursuit of everyone (except anyone who enjoyed rock or r&b appaently) they had to add some of the most cornball music ever, costumed waiters (and cooks!) with fake moustaches, and “diner participation.”

Oh yeah, that’s WKRP in Cincinnati star Gordon Jump as the man at the center of the excitement. Seriously, the youth culture was exploding with Jimi Hendrix and he’s touting a place featuring music from before the turn of the century. I don’t see Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap hanging out here. Les Nessman, oh sure! And kids:

McDonald's would take that concept and run with it

In my youth, my parents took me to Shakey’s twice, maybe three times. I got the feeling they found it too loud. My mom in particular has stayed away from places she calls noisy. Player pianos and “singing songs” (??) fall under that banner. By the time I was ten, the local Shakey’s was stepping away from “razzamatazz” (???) focusing on sports, beer and pizza, what Buffalo Wild Wings now calls “the essentials.”

Now that’s more like it! Beer and pizza: don't overthink it.

Frankly, by 1977, they had to adjust, facing upstarts like Pizza Hut (whose “atmosphere is like a big, cozy den” where someone like Doc would hang as opposed to a place with banjos)…

and Godfather’s (whose titular spokesman you’ll notice openly disdained ol’ timey singin’ in this ad)…

At the same time, the national ad geniuses, facing off against stiff competition, came upon their secret weapon: a cardboard box. I kid you not:

Because everyone knows cardboard repels the onslaught of room temperature. And yes, that’s Dobie Gillis regular Steve Franken starring in this one.

The increasing size and ferocity of the competition did get to Shakey’s and in the 1980s, they began fighting the marketplace with quantity emphasized over quality…

Ah, the buffet. A sure sign of decline. With Ronnie Schell from Gomer Pyle, no less.

Shakey’s still exists – nowhere near where they were in the 1970s, with 500 nationwide locations - and this buffet approach is still in place. Sadly, it obscures the fact that the original pizza, in 21 different flavors, was damn good.

Apparently, many people also liked the barbershop quartet vibe, and those people lived in New Hampshire:

But many more liked higher quality pizza delivered to their door where they could drink their own beer with their own entertainment. Probably without player pianos or banjos. Enter Domino’s, Papa John’s and the like.

Don’t overthink it. Now gimme some pizza, mustachioed man.