Jakeeno's Pizza & Pasta is using its 50th birthday as a reason to lean even harder into South Minneapolis, both at the corner and in the freezer aisle. The family-run restaurant is expanding its line of frozen pub pizzas and jarred sauces into more grocery stores while rolling out an updated bar and gathering space at its Chicago Avenue home base.
Owners Amy and Patty Keegan, who bought the business from their parents in 2001, are steering Jakeeno's toward a bigger grocery-store wholesale presence to get their products in front of more shoppers while keeping the kitchen's recipes intact, as reported by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. That push includes packaging frozen pub pizzas and offering case sales of sauces to local retailers.
Jakeeno's dates back to 1975 and has long been a neighborhood mainstay for thin-crust pizza and hearty red sauce, according to Eater Twin Cities. Its familiar recipes and late-night bar hours have helped keep it on the regular rotation for South Minneapolis diners.
Liquor License Cleared, Bar Headed For Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis City Council records show the council approved an application for an on‑sale liquor license for Jakeeno's at 3555 Chicago Ave, a key regulatory step toward running a full bar inside the restaurant, according to the Minneapolis City Council proceedings. Jakeeno's own website has been teasing a "New South Minneapolis Bar" and notes extended hours and a full Italian menu as part of the refresh.
Funding And The Business Case
State PROMISE Act records show Jakeeno's received a $36,200 grant that can go toward working capital, equipment, and other expansion-related costs, according to the PROMISE Act grant report. The Keegans told the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal that building up the wholesale side lets them reach new customers and stabilize revenue without letting go of the recipes that helped turn the restaurant into a neighborhood staple.
What Locals Can Expect
Shoppers can expect to see Jakeeno's frozen pub pizzas and jars of sauce showing up in more area grocery freezers and shelves, while the Chicago Avenue dining room increasingly doubles as a neighborhood bar for weeknight meetups and weekend gatherings. Jakeeno's lists its retail and stand locations on Jakeeno's website and continues to offer full dine‑in, takeout, and late‑night service at its South Minneapolis spot.
