Slim's Bar & Grill was opened by Larry and Connie Jacobson in the fall of 1989. One could say that Slim's Bar & Grill was the culmination of Larry's lifelong experiences in the food industries. Larry and his father started Jake's Pizza (pizza was a new thing in Minnesota) in Albert Lea in 1965 and it grew to 18 locations in Minnesota and northern Iowa. In Bemidji, after competing with Dave's Pizza and Keith's Pizza, Larry decided to go a different direction. After opening L.T. Jacobs and Hard Times Saloon, he developed Slim's Bar & Grill, which had the right mix. It was efficient, inviting, friendly and profitable. Several have tried to copy Slim's format but only one is a true associate: Gene's Bar & Grill was built in Roseau with friend and business partner, Gene Fichter. In 2005 Larry and Connie sold the business to their son Karl and his wife Erin. Among the faces you see now at Slim's, is long·time treasured employee Lisa Beer Freise, who has worked with the Jacobsons since 1980. Many valuable employees, including Larry and Connie's daughter Erika, worked by their side to make Slim's what it is today. Lisa and her husband John bought Slim's in 2014. Slim's prides itself in using local businesses for their suppliers, including fresh Raphael's Bakery buns, freshly ground beef from Stittsworth's Meats and Beer's BBQ Sauce.