A Southern California executive of the Shakey's Pizza Parlors chain has moved here to open a franchised Shakey's outlet on Spokane's North Side, and says he plans to open two more restaurants here in the next five years.

The franchisee, Steven Hersey, plans to open the Shakey's outlet in the latter part of July at 9602 N. Division, in the former location of a Brooklyn's Woodfire Grill & Sports Bar. Hersey says the restaurant initially will employ 48 people, and will be managed by his son, Nick Hersey.

The restaurant will lease the 5,900-square-foot space on Division from Vandervert Developments Inc., of Spokane. Vandervert Construction Inc. is remodeling the space, Hersey says.

Hersey says he moved here from Los Angeles recently to start the restaurant, and says he had been looking to get out of Southern California. He's now living in Deer Park. He says he's worked for Shakey's Pizza Parlors outlets and eventually became an executive at the chain, Alhambra, Calif.-based Shakey's USA Inc., putting in 35 years altogether.

The new Shakey's outlet will be the first in Spokane since the early 1980s, he says. The chain operates 15 stores itself in Southern California and has 39 franchised stores in California, Arizona, Washington, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Georgia.

Brooklyn's Woodfire Grill, a steak and seafood restaurant, operated at 9602 N. Division from January 2007 until February of this year, closing after a difficult winter of slow sales, one of the former owners said. The restaurant had 50 employees when it opened, but closed Feb. 26 with 21 employees. Earlier, a Boston Pizza outlet operated in that space.