Keep Jakeeno’s Alive

50 Years of Pizza, Family & the Heart of Powderhorn Park

An interim $50,000 goal to keep Patty, Amy, and the Jakeeno’s team paid while insurance is evaluated

For 50 years, Jakeeno’s Pizza & Pasta has been more than a restaurant on the corner of Chicago Avenue and 36th Street — it has been a gathering place, a first job, an after-school treat, and a second home for generations of south Minneapolis. On Saturday, July 11th, a fire tore through the roof of our beloved corner. Now we’re asking the community that Jakeeno’s has fed and welcomed for half a century to help us through this moment and keep the Jakeeno’s name — and everything it stands for — alive.

What Happened-

In the early morning hours of Saturday, July 11th, firefighters responded to smoke pouring from the roof of Jakeeno’s. Crews found an active fire burning beneath the roof membrane and had to open multiple sections of the roof to put it out. Thankfully, no one was hurt — the restaurant was closed and empty at the time. But while the flames were stopped within an hour, smoke poured through the dining room, kitchen, and bar, and Jakeeno’s is now closed until further notice. Overnight, Patty, Amy, and the entire staff lost the income they depend on — and what comes next for the restaurant is genuinely uncertain.

A 50-Year Family Legacy

Jakeeno’s was founded in 1975 by Jack and Carol Keegan, who created the name by “shaking the Irish out” of Jack’s own. From day one, Jack built the restaurant on a simple, stubborn promise: high-quality food at a fair price, generous portions, and no cutting corners — no coupons, no compromises. That promise made Jakeeno’s a south Minneapolis institution.

Today, Jack and Carol’s daughters, Patty and Amy Keegan, carry that legacy forward. They bought the business in 2001 and have now run it nearly as long as their parents did — pouring everything they have into honoring their father’s vision. Under their care, Jakeeno’s has not only endured but grown: a full bar and community events like trivia, karaoke, and drag brunch; and Jakeeno’s Italian Wholesale, bringing their signature frozen pizzas and sauces to local co-ops and grocery stores like Kowalski’s, the Wedge, and Mississippi Market.

“It was never really an option to just be done,” Patty has said. “It just didn’t come to mind.”

A Restaurant That Never Gave Up on Its Neighborhood

Few small businesses have been tested the way Jakeeno’s has — and few have answered the way the Keegan sisters did. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered dining rooms across the country, Jakeeno’s kept its ovens lit, pivoting to takeout and doing whatever it took to keep feeding its neighbors and keep its people employed through the most uncertain months many of us have ever known.

Then, just as the neighborhood was finding its footing, tragedy struck close to home. George Floyd was killed at 38th and Chicago — barely two blocks from Jakeeno’s front door. As that intersection became George Floyd Square, a place of grief, memorial, and gathering for the whole world, Jakeeno’s stood in the middle of a neighborhood in pain. The financial pressure to close was enormous. But Patty and Amy refused. They saw Jakeeno’s as a safe, welcoming, steady presence their community needed more than ever.

“It was important for us to try everything that we could to stick around because of what was going on in the neighborhood,” Patty said. “We didn’t want to abandon them.” And through the pandemic, through the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, and through every hard stretch since, Powderhorn Park showed up for Jakeeno’s in return — neighbors walking in just to ask, “How are you doing? Do you need anything?” Now, Jakeeno’s needs that same community more than ever.

Our Interim Ask: Keep the Team Paid

While the insurance company continues its evaluation of the damage, one thing simply can’t wait: the people. Overnight, Patty, Amy, and the entire Jakeeno’s staff lost the paychecks and tips they count on to support their families.

This is an interim ask, focused squarely on that human need. Insurance may eventually address the building and repairs, but it won’t put food on the table for the team in the meantime. Every dollar raised here goes directly to wages and tips for Patty, Amy, and the Jakeeno’s staff — the people who are Jakeeno’s — keeping them supported through the closure:

• Wages for Patty and Amy Keegan, who have poured their lives into this place

• Wages for the cooks, servers, bartenders, and staff who make Jakeeno’s what it is

• Tips that our team relies on as a core part of their income

Our $50,000 goal is a bridge — interim support to keep the team whole while the insurance process plays out and the family charts the path forward. Anything raised beyond it stays with the staff and the business through this closure.

Jakeeno’s Isn’t Going Anywhere

Jakeeno’s has always been more than a building. It’s 50 years of recipes, a name this neighborhood trusts, and a family determined to carry it forward. Whatever the future holds for the space at 36th & Chicago, the Jakeeno’s name — and the flavors behind it — will live on. Right now, Patty and Amy are focused on protecting their father’s legacy and taking care of the people who make Jakeeno’s what it is.

And the flavors you grew up on are still here. Jakeeno’s signature pizzas and sauces are already on shelves at local co-ops and grocers through Jakeeno’s Italian Wholesale — and that side of the family business will keep growing, bringing a taste of Jakeeno’s to even more tables across the Twin Cities. Your support helps protect the brand, the recipes, and the family behind them through this moment.

If Jakeeno’s has ever been part of your story — a slice after the game, a first date, a family Friday night — please give what you can and share this page with everyone who loves this place. Thank you for standing with the Keegan family in keeping Jakeeno’s alive.

Organized by Bob Tinsley (Break Bread Hospitality) on behalf of Patty and Amy Keegan. All proceeds go directly to the Keegan family and Jakeeno’s.