Global Timeline
The Original. The Creators. The Inventors. The Best.
(even though we say it ourselves)
Conceived in
1993... Born in 1999...
MilkShakes. Re-Invented.
27th July 1993
Rob & Peter (who? Click here for more info) create and open Legend Café Bar (all on that one day).
Amongst other things, they make an astonishing seven MilkShake
flavours.
18th
August
1993
Peter brings to the café a packet of Rolos, and suggests trying to make a MilkShake with them. "Don't be so stupid", says Rob, "that's a silly idea", thinking it was a total brainwave and wishing he'd thought of it first. Rob makes voodoo doll of Peter to deal with envy.
19th
August
1993
Rob & Peter in hospital from trying too many MilkShake flavours too quickly.
20th
August
1993
Rob & Peter continue to run Legend Café and dream of blending everything that doesn't move, or which can be killed first.
4th
May
1996
Begin planning the first world's first MilkShake Shop. Took idea to
several Banks for borrowing set-up money. Laughed at all the way from the Bank
as the Clever Managers said it was a stupid idea.
4th
September
1998
Rob & Peter go away for a month to meditate. Wake up in Californian bar, the voices having told them to sell Legend Café Bar and dedicate their lives to keeping cows in employment.
9th
October
1998
Premises found in Post Office Road, Bournemouth. Lick of paint required.
11th
March
1999
ShakeAway the First opens! First-ever Customer wears white blouse and buys packet of Polos. Looks pleased with purchase. Joyous plans to celebrate with Champagne that
evening but Peter falls down stairs, cuts ear in two and spends night in Bournemouth Hospital having it glued back together.
12th
March
1999
ShakeAway serves One Millionth MilkShake. Cows complain they are getting sore.
30th
April
1999
Prune MilkShake removed from the list of flavours. It's Customers just weren't regular enough.
2nd
June
1999
Stopped selling Sushi. Sales slowed down and the smell of rotting fish was starting to become offensive.
27th
September
1999
Scandal caused at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth as the range of ShakeAway Labour MilkShakes are released, including the "Tony Jammie Dodger Blair", the "Robin Ginger Nuts Cook" and the "Frank Banana Viagra Dobson". National Radio & Newspapers clamour to ShakeAway.
6th
October
1999
Bournemouth University Freshers arrive in town. ShakeAway's there to inform them that by Christmas they'll be much fatter but their calcium levels will be soaring.
Peter wore smart shirt borrowed from a friend.
18th
November
1999
Tragedy strikes and Rob & Peter go into mourning. Eccles Cake MilkShake is one of our all-time favourites, but you don't want it. That's very clear. Fed up with chucking them out, we eat 207 between us and take the flavour off the board. You silly, silly people. Now you will never know it's beauty and you'll NEVER be complete.
30th
November
1999
Fitness First at Bournemouth's Queen's Park Gym ask ShakeAway to do the blendy stuff for their first-ever "Gym Entertainment Night". Lots of sweaty, panting people enjoy the rewards of their efforts in the shape of ShakeAway.
1st December 1999
ShakeAway's First Christmas and Mince Pie, Christmas Pudding, Chocolate
Log, Rum Truffles & more become MilkShakes for the first time in history
(since ShakeAway Bethlehem closed down in AD18).
1st
January
2000
The new MOOllennium begins. Decide we really hate obvious cow puns.
21st
February
2000
Teresa Inglis wins the FM107.6 the NRG competition. She suggests Butterscotch, Banana and Crumbled Flake as a MilkShake idea, and tasting is done live on the radio. "Teresa" becomes our first "Named Flavour" on the ShakeAway Menu and the tastiest Teresa ever.
11th
March
2000
ShakeAway's first birthday! Thank you to EVERYONE who has been a part of the first year...especially the
COWS who are now red raw.
13th
May
2000
First meeting to negotiate and plan for the second ShakeAway shop begin. You'll just have to join the free ShakeAway Fan Club to be the first to hear what, where and when things may be happening in a town near you...
15th
August
2000
The second ShakeAway opens! A whole new look and image. The first MilkShake sold (Jelly Tots, actually, for you trivia fans) brings a smile to the lips of Southampton. ShakeAway has arrived. Let us embrace you. Group hug, everyone, group hug.
16th
March
2001
"Pants To Poverty" Comic Relief this year includes Fastest MilkShake Drinker Competition in Southampton. Thousands raised in BarGate Centre and many people leave with tummy aches and MilkShake-stained anoraks.
5th
May
2001
Eccles Cake MilkShake returns to the flavours board because Rob & Peter like it so much and they are in charge. More flavours continue to be added after long stomach-churning tasting session which included a
very messy experiment with Marmite.
7th
July
2001
The first-ever public appearance of ShakeAway's very own super-hero...CupMan! Bournemouth jaws drop as our MilkShake hunk strutted through the Square. Women agree that compared to CupMan, Brad Pitt looks plain.
3rd
July
2002
ShakeAway III opened in Brighton! Great welcome in this fab city and within 8
seconds of opening the first ShakeAway Cup is carried down the road. We are proud and have a big lump in our throats (hmm, must blend those MilkShakes a bit more...)
25th
December
2002
ShakeAway's Matriarch Old Cow, Madam Iris, broadcasts her first-ever Christmas Speech at 3pm via e-mail.
11th
January
2003
The First ShakeAway Fashion Show and Cup Supermodels reveal the Designer Cups for this Spring's Collection (check them out here).
24th
April
2003
Bath time for ShakeAway as ShakeAway the Fourth opens! The people of Bath are welcomed into the loving arms of the ShakeAway Shakettes.
5th
October
2003
Eccles Cake MilkShake removed again from The ShakeAway Menu. Honestly, you silly people, don't you know what's good for you? Peter and Rob in rehab.
22nd
December
2003
Launch of ShakeAway's first Computer Game. Aim is to collect ShakeAway Cups on a Space Hopper. Anyone who is old enough to remember Space Hoppers from the first time around will probably not be quick enough to complete the game.
5th
July
2004
Following the "B" tradition (B-Bournemouth, B-BarGate, B-Brighton, B-Bath), ShakeAway Number Five opens in
B-Berkshire. Union Street, Reading greets ShakeAway the 5th has its first day in Reading with much frenzy and excitement! Exhausted, Shakettes go to pub to celebrate. Mobile rings - Solicitor is discussing the next shop. Owners Rob and Peter faint.
13th
August
2004
Moving up the alphabet from "B" to a "C"... announced that ShakeAway The Sixth will open in Croydon in September! Interviews for Cows begin (no, we don't mean the staff).
The Athens Olympics start today and the Olympic Committee adopt the ShakeAway Cup as their official symbol (example photo on the Fashion Page)
31st
August
2004
Organic Soya MilkShakes introduced. Found a special herd of Soya Cows practicing yoga in a remote field near the M3. They agree to donate their Soya "Milk" and refer us to a breed of Eskimo Cows who provide Soya Ice "Cream". So Dairy-Free MilkShakes become available (until you choose to blend a Mars Bar into it, but then that would sort of defeat the object).
19th
September
2004
"Now We Are Six". "The Sixth Sense". "Let's Talk About Six". ShakeAway Six opens in Croydon! First floor of the WhitGift Centre creaks as crowds with London accents lose their ShakeAway Virginity.
24th
October
2004
With the paint still drying in Croydon, ShakeAway 7th is announced to the Exclusive ShakeAway Fan Club. Kingston-Upon-Thames will open in November. Town chosen after much research and demographic studies but mainly because it sounds posh.
27th
November
2004
Kingston (-Upon-Thames, not Jamaica) opens with a Big Bang. Town chosen after much research and demographic studies but mainly because it sounds posh. ShakeAway the
Lucky 7th. Click for pics. 2004 was certainly a busy year with Reading, Croydon and Kingston opening over five months, so we could do with a bit of a lie
down (note: this is nothing compared with 2008.... evil laugh....)
24th July
2005
Excitement as UK Big Brother housemates Kemal, Saskia and Vanessa discuss ShakeAway live on Channel Four ("please do not swear"), deciding Oreo is best. Then they get evicted.
© Endemol / Channel Four
10th
January
2006
ShakeAway Reading and the Reading Fez Nightclub start a limited run of "ShakeAway Bar" Tuesday Nights. After several pints, a Mint Humbug and Vodka MilkShake at 1am is just what the doctor ordered. Just hope it wasn't YOUR doctor.
1st
July
2006
World Press release that ShakeAway opened in Bristol. Some people scream with delight. Some people cry because it's not in their town. Housing market boosted as people move to
Brizzzle. Changing name of 8th shop to Sh8Away considered silly. But clever.
30th August 2006 - The University of MilkShakes opens in Oxford. Ancient stables with beams and wooden columns converted to ShakeAway Nine. Despite three hundred years passing, smell of wet straw and damp horses lingers. Good squirt of Oust solves problem.
21st
January
2007
The saddest of all days. Ben, you will be missed and loved forever. You were more popular and wonderful than you knew. Dime Bar MilkShakes will always be yours. We Love you. x x
28th
April
2007
ShakeAway Southampton broke a World Record.
They made 1,016 MilkShakes in one day. That's one MilkShake every 32 seconds, with the 1,000th going to Tony. Not sure if the queue was
1,016 people long or if Tony arrived late in the day.
7th
October
2007
ShakeAway Number Ten: The first ever Franchised Shop opens in Winchester with record-breaking crowds. Franchisee Laura panics and momentarily wishes she had taken a carpet-cleaning franchise instead.
Click here for Franchise Info if you're clever and have got some dosh.
18th October 2007
World Premiere of ShakeAway The Movie (Part One) generates red carpet treatment for Film Maker and Friend of ShakeAway.... Allan (woo hoo!). Click to view!
22nd May 2008
ShakeAway opens Down Under! The first international expansion of
ShakeAway happens in Melbourne
with Franchisee Rob.
Elastic bands wrapped around ShakeAway Cups in case being
upside down makes the lids drop off.
27th May 2008
No time to even rinse through knickers as Bosses rush back
from Melbourne to Lakeside in Essex to
open UK's 11th Shop. The 12th WorldWide. And they said it
wouldn't last.
15th June 2008
Another new shop! ShakeAway Boss
Rob nagged about opening in his birth-town of Plymouth
for such a long time, Franchisee Carl said "Oh, go on then" and opened
to a Janner Frenzy.....
3rd July 2008
With Shakettes working faster than Santa's Elves in
November, yet another shop opens in Basingstoke
- Franchisee Laura's second. She is getting quite greedy.
26th
July 2008
Watford (or, to be polite, "Pardonford")
opens and gives Watford What For. ShakeAway WorldWide = 16
Shops and never been kissed.
4th August 2008
Days later, another shop in Poole.
Army called in to assist inflating balloons.
8th August 2008
The 2008 Beijing Olympics start today but larger
crowds attend new shop Eastleigh as they make their Chinese
Olympics Special MilkShake.
11th March 2009
And they said it wouldn't last - bah! The World celebrates ShakeAway's
10th Birthday. The Queen breaks wind in public with all the
excitement. Thanks to you for your support over the years
and growing with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you x
x x
17th
May 2009
And the world was thinking we'd gone quiet on the
shop-opening front. Today began a frenzy of excitable new
Shakettes, Customers and new shops.... and the first in 2009
was the glamorous Swindon.
Anyone carrying a pink bag on opening day won a fortnight in
the Maldives.
5th
June 2009
Romford opens to
quieten the nagging of Romfordians. Petition demanding
ShakeAway in Romford reached over seven billion.
6th June 2009
Yes, the day after Romford opened, a ShakeAway First
took place. Milton
Keynes and Portsmouth
opened on the same day. At the same time. And both played
"MilkShake" by Kelis as their first song. Walt
Disney would have been proud.
7th June 2009
And then the NEXT day ANOTHER new shop opened. Due to
requests from Princes William & Harry, ShakeAway
curtseyed in Windsor.
Another step towards ShakeAway Inventors Rob & Peter
getting a knighthood.
22nd June 2009
By 'eck as like, we're right oop north now in Meadowhall
outside Sheffield. Thy'll love it and it's right by t'statue
in't middle o't shops.
24th June 2009
Shopping Centre Magazine nominated ShakeAway as
Retailer Of The Year at the Sceptre Awards. ShakeAway Boy
Bosses hired suits & Girl Bosses bought dresses (and got
refunds week later). Up against Thornton's, Puma,
Build-A-Bear, Giraffe & more, we wet our pants a bit
when we WON!
4th
July 2009
USA cancels their 4th July Independence Day to allow
ShakeAway to open in Nottingham.
The Yanks decided they could not compete.
11th
July 2009
Mwa, mwa, Sweetie, we finally arrive in town.....
Londoners rejoice and rings church bells throughout the
capital as ShakeAway opens in Islington.
Public money erects angel wings above shop to celebrate.
18th
July 2009
Fareham joins
the ShakeAway Family although each shop feeling like having
a baby is starting to cause bad stretch marks.
25th
July 2009
Much to the joy of Telford's
Beacon Radio thinking ShakeAway is the best thing to happen
to the town, ShakeAway coyly opens to screams and chants.
5th
August 2009
As it's quite near Telford, we save money by walking
to Stafford carrying
everything we need to open the shop. Lots of fun with
balloons but sadly one burst and could not be saved.
8th
August 2009
Because ShakeAway is already in Oxford, we open in Cambridge
so we can cheer for both rowing teams in The Boat Race and
know one will win. Man in white shirt freezes with shock
when he sees new shop.
22nd
August 2009
Super Hero CupMan appears on Trafalgar Square's 4th
Plinth for the One
& Other Project. Flash Mob brings fans Gary, Alice,
Paul, Joan, Frances, Sarah, Wil, Ezra, Ally, Rob, Richard,
Gabriella and loads more to worship.
4th
September 2009
ShakeAway is all Greek. George, George & Andreas
open their first ShakeAway Franchise in Limassol, Cyprus.
19th
September 2009
Two shops open today. Canterbury (left) at noon, then
Maidstone (right) at 1pm. The time gap was due to the hour
difference crossing the Essex border.
26th
September 2009
Why should an town only have one ShakeAway Shop? Due
to a petition signed by 17,423,973 residents of Southampton,
ShakeAway opens a second shop in the city in The Mall
(formerly Marlands).
17th
October 2009
Boss Peter thinks anyone can live happily on Chips
and Maltesers. Loving the town name "Chippenham"
because of the syllable "Chip" is as good a
reason as any. And also because the residents of Chippenham are known to
be the best looking in Britain.
24th
October 2009
Scarborough
becomes the UK's ShakeAway Shop number 34, and
coincidentally 34 is the Mayor of Scarborough's lucky
number. That, however, is a national secret of the utmost
importance. DO NOT REPEAT THAT INFORMATION.
29th
October 2009
Due to having nothing to do between 24th and 31st
October, we found an empty shop unit in Crawley
yesterday and open it today. In the first hour the shop sold
an opening record of 2,432 MilkShakes (that's almost 41 per
minute).
31st
October 2009
The Mayor of Harrow
is so excited and asks to open the shop. He brings his own
ribbon, too. However with ribbon-cutting at so many local
places, the venues he opens are having to get narrower and
narrower as he's running out of ribbon.
7th
November 2009
Trowbridge
was voted Most Beautiful Place In Europe by its twin town
(Paris, France) so we simply had to be there to join the joy
of beauty. Opening day attracts loads of excited locals
(known as Trowbs).
14th
November 2009
Being National Day in Exeter,
today is the perfect time to open in the Guildhall Centre.
The weekend-long celebrations are lead by the England
Football Squad and Anne Widdicombe (as stand-in for Geri
Halliwell who is on annual leave).
21st
November 2009
The shop which inspired the Pink Panther films opens.
Durham,
Durham, Durham-Durham-Durham.....
11th
December 2009
Carlisle,
the town founded by famous ancient Viking hero Karl Aile
becomes home to the (so far) Most Northerly ShakeAway Shop
In The World and makes the Guinness Book Of Records
(Carlisle edition).
18th
December 2009
Known locally as Centre de la Porte Français, the Doncaster's
shopping centre is translated as "The Frenchgate
Centre" for non-Doncaster residents who are all
English/French bilinguals. ShakeAway est ouvert ici
maintenant.
19th
December 2009
24 hours after Doncaster, the final new shop of 2009
opens. The years began with 15 ShakeAway shops and Guildford
becomes number 42 today. It's been a quiet year for
ShakeAway.
14th
January 2010
Our first ShakeAway iPhone App is launched and more
than 25 million downloads happen in the first week. We officially
love Ben and Darren (the App Kings) at Gourmet
Pixel.
20th
February 2010
Ipswich opens and is the first new shop of 2010. With
only 307 shopping days left until Christmas, we almost
decide to open with a Christmas Tree up - but we can't find
a fresh one.
13th
March 2010
Being officially the luckiest day of the year
(according to people from Greenland, many of whom live in
Bury St Edmunds), we moved heaven and earth to open this
shop on this date.
27th
March 2010
Opening day for the first of our trio in flower-named
Shopping Centres - this is in the White Rose Centre, near
Leeds. The building of the Purple Pansy Centre and the
Golden Dandelion Mall is underway.
17th
April 2010
ShakeAway's Pop Group - The Shakettes - final
auditions. Natalie, Billy & Christy start a journey of
multi-galactical stardom.
22nd
April 2010
Straight into the recording studio for The Shakettes
as they record vocals for "Shake It". VoiceOver
Man Peter Dickson records his from private limousine.
24th
April 2010
Doctor Foster went to Gloucester on ShakeAway's
opening day. He was refused service because an Apple
MilkShake a Day keeps Doctor Foster away.
1st
May 2010
Seven days later ShakeAway Northampton opens. Doctor
Foster comes disguised as a blonde girl in a blue top but is
caught and evicted.
8th
May 2010
Seven days later ShakeAway Preston opens. Every
Customer is frisked to ensure they are not Doctor Foster.
Customers seem to enjoy it and several return to the end of
the queue for another go.
15th
May 2010
Seven days later ShakeAway Bedford opens. Scuffle
occurs as the famous Bedford Balloon Thief strikes and
upsets a young child.
15th
May 2010
"Shake It" dance choreographed by Garfield
is released to the YouTube World. Video filming planned for
tomorrow. Garfield's video gets over 20 million hits and
crashes YouTube.
16th
May 2010
X-Factor's VoiceOver Man Peter Dickson, The Shakettes
and "Garfield off of YouTube" are joined by a
crowd equalling the population of France for official video
filming in Southampton.
12th
June 2010
Inspired by Susan Boyle's nickname "SuBo",
ShakeAway Sutton
Coldfield opens and is instantly re-named "SuCo".
Susan Boyle launches court action.
But
today.....
You look at this page... you're part of the ShakeAway history, and we LOVE YOU!
x x
