WCCO:
Jim Gordon greets customers about six times a year while standing behind the counter of a Willmar pizza joint, the relentless aroma of tomato sauce and spices surrounding him.
The owner of Jimmy’s Pizza Inc. based in Willmar, Gordon has plenty of office work to keep him busy with Jimmy’s Pizza franchises popping up all around the Midwest, but he still likes getting back into the kitchen.
And why not? After 23 years in the pizza business, side by side with members of his family, Gordon is just starting to reap the fruits, and perhaps vegetables and meat toppings, of his labor.
“There’s been a lot of times when it’s been tough, just like any business it’s hard work,” Gordon said. “But overall I think it’s been an exciting, fast-paced business. Making a pizza is fun, it always has been.”
In 1986, Gordon opened the first Jimmy’s Pizza in Pine City after buying the store space from his father, Frank Gordon. His father had operated a full-menu restaurant there before the sale. More.