Pub owner closes 2 establishments after souring on Minneapolis
Keegan's Irish Pub closes for good after a nearly two-decade run.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The owners of Keegan’s Irish Pub on University Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis made the rounds Tuesday to reflect on a near two-decade run.
Choked up, Marty Neumann said he spent the previous night crying as he prepares to close the pub and its neighboring Red’s Savoy Pizza storefront he owns. He says his business is down about 50 percent in 2020.
Neumann blames the COVID-19 pandemic, the restrictions imposed by the Walz Administration on bars and restaurants, as well as the public safety fallout from the death of George Floyd for keeping customers away.
“I have a lot of friends who hadn’t been to Minneapolis since March,” said Neumann. “They’re all families. They’re asking me why I would come to Minneapolis. And that’s very sad being here for as long as I have.”
Casey Kuderer, a former Keegan’s server, made the road trip to last call Tuesday despite living in Mankato.
“It’s so nostalgic,” Kuderer said.
“It’s just sad that it’s closing,” she added. “I had hoped my kids would come to college here and work. It’s the best place to work. Great neighborhood. The people, the locals. Just amazing.”
As for Neumann, he insists he is done with Minneapolis, the politics, the police and business regulations. He wonders if a longtime Irish pub and pizza joint can’t survive in a neighborhood where condos and apartments are going up, then who can?
“You hope the politics can be put aside,” said Neumann. “They need to work together. I’ve seen a lot with the city council and the past three mayors, and they need to do what’s right for the people, take their differences and push them to the side and actually fix some things.”