Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty & Amy Keegan.
Hi Patty & Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our parents started the business in 1975. Around 2000, my sister and I bought the business and the building. We did a major remodel of the space, built a nice commercial kitchen, expanded the dining room, implemented a POS system, and got a strong beer and wine license. We grew the business and worked on expanding our catering. Post COVID and the murder of George Floyd, two blocks from us, we again, needed to figure out how to stay around. We expanded into the whole building, built a bar, got a full liquor license, added charitable gambling, and added evening entertainment like Bingo, Trivia and Karaoke.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been smooth but we don’t know any business that can say that. The world has changed and we are all just trying to figure out how and if our businesses fit into it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Jakeeno’s Pizza & Pasta. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We do a great thin crust pizza with lots of toppings. In addition, our traditional red sauce baked pastas like Lasagna, and Rigatoni are delicious. We will be celebrating our 50th year in business in December and we are so proud of that! We continue to find ways to innovate. About a year ago we started a wholesale division. We are selling our pasta and pizza sauces in jars along with 12 varieties of our frozen pub pizzas including 2 cauliflower crust options. We are selling them in local grocery stores, Co-ops, convenience stores and bars. We are so proud to be a part of this South Minneapolis Community. The community has been through so much over the last 3 years. There are so many great people and businesses around us and we so appreciate their support!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We need people to come into the restaurant to enjoy a drink and a meal with us! We need them to spread the word about supporting local businesses. We need people to look to us to catering their events. We can’t survive on people that only come to us a few times a year, we need those regulars as they are the life blood for us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jakeenos.com
- Instagram: @jakeenosmpls
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakeenosmpls
