Jimmy's Pizza in Albertville now Aims for April Reboot
After closing nearly one month ago, Jimmy's is aiming to re-open its Albertville location in about two weeks.
An update has developed in the strange saga of Jimmy's Pizza.
The store closed Monday, March 5 with very little warning.
A call placed to the franchise and to the Albertville location states the shop will open in mid-April, and thanks customers "for their patience."
Other stores within the franchise that have closed opened as a take-and-bake style, a la Papa Murphy's franchises.
Lights are on outside the building at night, and the counter lights inside the store remain on. Cheese and pepper shakers are still on tables.
The business opened in late summer 2011 after former general manager Andy Thompson decided to venture out on his own with Andy's Hometowne Pizza, which is in Jimmy's former location.
Jimmy's found a spot in the former Carbone's Pizza, which had been for sale for about a year.
The two former allies turned rivals, with Jimmy's and Andy's Pizza going head-to-head in Albertville over the last several months. Both seemed to be surviving, until Jimmy's made the move to close for two weeks after the first weekend in March.
Corporate contacts could not be reached, and Jimmy's has removed all information from its website.
St. Michael-Albertville grad Andy Thompson and his wife, Christy, shed the franchise label, and are now running their own, hometown shop with Andy's. They said they left the Jimmy's franchise behind to have their own control in an interview with Patch last July.
"It gives us the freedom to build the relationships with our customers that we'd like to build, and that we have built over the last four years," Andy said.
In This article
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Carbone's Pizzeria
5986 Main Ave NE, Albertville, MN -
Papa Murphy's
5600 la Centre Ave, Albertville, MN -
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Andy's Hometowne Pizza
6597 Laketowne Pl, Albertville, MN
Bex
7:43 am on Monday, April 2, 2012
Jimmy's can stay closed. GO ANDY's!!!!!! Our #1 choice for pizza :)
Linda
10:31 am on Monday, April 2, 2012
Bex-there you are again being harsh to a business in our community. I really liked Jimmy's Pizza and found the staff to be very friendly compared to the folks at Andy's.
We enjoyed the pizza at Jimmy's very much and hope for their return. Are you related to the people at Andy's?
Bex
1:37 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012
No relation and no personal interest. Harsh? Hardly. Btw...the recipes are the same so it's not like Jimmy's pizza is better pizza.
Andy Thompson
11:17 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Thanks Mike, yes we have our own recipes, and many more options. We are local owners who like to be involved in the community. My customers have been very great and supportive. Jimmys is/was owned by corporate and not local. His intentions were to close a local business. His advertising fell under deceptive business practices. Claiming Jimmys moved and is under new management. Untrue. We devoloped our own sauces and recipes and buy our products locally. Jimmy copied many of my options including my menu design. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. We earned five readers choice awards this year alone, garnering more votes than any business by far. Our gluten free option is the best around, I let my gluten free customers choose which one I would carry. Once again, I thank my customers for their continued support and dedication to the true locally owned and operated business.
Andy Thompson, owner Andy's hometowne Pizza
Mike Schoemer
11:22 am on Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Thanks for chiming in Andy.
Melissa
4:10 pm on Thursday, April 5, 2012
Thanks for the gluten free option! Our daughter is a celiac and she loves the gluten free pizza.
Bill
10:16 am on Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sorry Andy, All of Jimmy's pizza are not owned and run by corporate. Like any other franchise there are things you are suppose to follow when you buy into it. Did you do that or is that why you went on your own? I am not sure where "His advertising fell under deceptive business practices. Claiming Jimmys moved and is under new management. Untrue." comes from. Deceptive? Always 2 sides to the story....See you April 15th Albertville for our opening.
J-A
12:32 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012
This is ridiculous I thought business owners were professional not arguing with each other on patch...I think I will not go to either place..I will go to little Ceasars where I can get 3 pizzas for the price of one of your guy's pizza
Bex
9:43 am on Saturday, April 7, 2012
Nice one JM. You make a comment which calls some things into question and then get mad because they respond...