Shakey's Pizza Continues To Shatter Glass Ceiling, Promoting Industry Veteran Rebecca Black To Vice President Of Operations And Franchise Support.

(Tuesday, May 05, 2009) - While the restaurant industry might be male-dominated, Shakey's(r) USA, the iconic 55-year old pizza chain, is bucking that trend boasting an executive team made up of nearly 50% women. Joining this league of top female executives is industry veteran Rebecca Black. Shakey's(r) USA has promoted Black from Senior Director of Operations and Franchise Support to Vice President of Operations and Franchise Support after five years in the Shakey's family and 30 years in the pizza industry.

"Rebecca has an outstanding track record and her understanding of the brand heritage and vision is profound and impeccable," says Shakey's CEO Joe Remsa "I am honored to be working beside her as we lead Shakey's into a new era of expansion, success and brand revitalization," Remsa adds.

With dedicated leaders like Black on Remsa's team, Shakey's(r) USA is on its way to becoming a leader in the fast casual category with new units popping up in multiple markets. In her new role as vice president, Black is making it her mission to not only increase franchise sales, but to also make the chain's operations more efficient and consumer-friendly - two standards for which Shakey's is already recognized.

"This is a very exciting time for us and I am very proud to be part of the team responsible for bringing Shakey's back," comments Black. "We will double in size over the next few years, with an ultimate goal of 1000 units in 10 years." Black adds, "Shakey's is a brand that is near and dear to people's hearts. With 98% brand awareness and a compelling value proposition, we're able to prosper in tough times. We ended last year with eight percent same store sales growth, something to which very few companies can lay claim. While others are talking about burning the furniture, we're asking 'Where's our next location going to be?'"

Another more personal goal for Black in her new role is to empower other women in the restaurant industry. "I belong to the Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF) and one of our main goals is to achieve 30% female senior teams by 2010. We are very fortunate at Shakey's to have already exceeded this goal," Black notes. "My plan is to provide support and coaching to others in the competencies needed to elevate themselves within the industry. The restaurant industry is getting more diverse, but by and large, it is still male-dominated. While I have seen more cracks in the glass ceiling, the imbalance still exists. Shakey's is definitely an anomaly in that regard," adds Black.

ABOUT SHAKEY'S USA

Sherwood "Shakey" Johnson opened the first Shakey's Pizza Parlor(r) in a remodeled grocery store on 57th and J Street in Sacramento, California in 1954. Originally established as "ye public house" for pizza & beer, Johnson indulged his passion for Dixieland jazz and added live ragtime music to mix, featuring banjos and player pianos throughout his rapidly expanding franchise. As the concept caught on, the Shakey's name became synonymous with The World's Greatest Pizza(r) along with light-hearted slogans such as "You'll have fun at Shakey's, also pizza," and "You can feed your face at any old place, but you can warm your heart at Shakey's." Since that time, Shakey's has been a pop-culture staple referenced in countless television shows, films and even by Bob Hope during an Academy Awards broadcast. And its most famous employee, actor Billy Bob Thornton, continues to share his Shakey's memories in every interview he gives. Shakey's USA, Inc is headquartered in Alhambra, CA. For more information and locations, visit http://www.shakeys.com

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