Family-Owned Pizza Restaurant in Mankato, MN Since 1972

It all started in 1964, when Rose & Ernie Jacobson opened the first Jake's Pizza in Albert Lea, crafting the recipes that fans still crave today. Eight years later, in April 1972, Vern "Sarge" Carstensen, brother to Rose and Ernie, brought that same homemade tradition to Mankato, Minnesota, opening Jake's Stadium Pizza.

In 1997, Sarge's daughter Brenda Boyer and son-in-law Wally Boyer took the reins — and never looked back. Carrying the legacy forward with the same time-tested techniques, original recipes, and fresh ingredients that made Jake's a household name.

Today, a third generation is proudly at the helm. Andrew Boyer-Kern, son of Brenda and Wally, manages Jake's Stadium Pizza in Mankato.

Six decades. Three generations. One family's love for great pizza and it shows in every pizza.

An elderly man in a striped shirt and suspenders baking in a vintage kitchen, holding a pot lid in front of a metal counter with a rolling pin hanging on the wall and shelves with kitchen utensils and containers.

Monet Goode

Vern Sarge Cartenson, founder of Jake's Stadium Pizza, Mankato MN pizza tradition since 1972

Founder

A man in a striped shirt smiling and reaching for pizza on a table.

Emmett Marsh

Wally Boyer making thin crust pizza at Jake's Stadium Pizza, family-owned restaurant in Mankato MN

Sales Manager

A group of fifteen people, including children, gathered in a restaurant decorated with sports jerseys and memorabilia, smiling for the photo.

Marketing Director

Eleanor Parks

The Boyer family at Jake’s Stadium Pizza.

A blackboard menu with food and beverage options in a restaurant, with two employees behind the counter. One woman is smiling, and a man is looking down, appearing to work.

Customer Service Manager

Karl Holland

Brenda with Sarge at the original location. Jake’s has been family run pizzeria since 1972 and still is today!