Patty and Amy Keegan were small children when their parents, Jack and Carol, opened up Jakeeno’s Pizza & Pasta in Minneapolis in 1975. Jack had been working so hard for a local independent pizzeria, he figured “he might as well do it on his own,” Amy recalls. “He found an existing pizza place with the basic structure he needed to get started, in South Minneapolis, then worked on his recipes for a basic red sauce, thin-crust pizzas and pastas.”
Though the couple’s daughters initially pursued different careers, they returned to the pizzeria and officially purchased the business in 2000. Jack (who passed away in October 2025 at age 89, just before the business celebrated 50 years in December) still showed up well into his 80s. But his daughters catapulted the family business into the new millennium: Over the years, they added a POS system, catering and a full bar; freshened the pizzeria’s interior; and purchased the building and expanded its footprint.
Their biggest expansion took the brand outside its four walls, as Jakeeno’s jarred sauces and frozen pizzas hit local bars and grocery store shelves around the Twin Cities and as far as Wisconsin. “The wholesale division spinoff was in response to our wanting to double down in South Minneapolis,” Amy says. “Post-COVID and being two blocks from George Floyd Square, we needed to be more than a one-trick pony.”
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Through these changes, Patty and Amy maintained their dad’s focus on old-fashioned customer service. “He remembered everybody—what you ordered, where you worked,” Patty recalls. “People want to go somewhere that feels like home, somewhere they’re appreciated. You take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.”
However, the sisters have changed their view on marketing. “Now, we do a lot,” Amy says. “We didn’t for a long time, but we found that was a mistake. What works today may not work tomorrow.” Patty adds, “And it’s constant. It’s just as important as turning on the ovens every day. Our parents dedicated their lives to this business, and we do, too.”
Amid so much growth, the pair has learned to share the workload. “You can’t do it all by yourself,” Amy says. “There can be a lot of ego in an independent (in a good way—people are passionate), but you start to think you’re the only one who can do it. Don’t overlook bringing people onboard who are better than you. Be open to hearing others’ advice and allowing them to help.”
