What Death & Co. does

Death & Co. is a New York-based cocktail hospitality company founded in 2006 that operates four flagship cocktail bars in New York (East Village), Los Angeles (Arts District), Denver (RiNo, inside The Ramble Hotel), and Washington D.C. (Blagden Alley), collectively serving 7,500+ weekly visitors. The company, organized under the Gin & Luck umbrella alongside co-founder and CEO David Kaplan and COO Alex Day, generates revenue through multiple streams: on-premise food and beverage (cocktails priced $18–$26, entrees $34–$49), private events and cocktail classes, the Death & Co Market direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for bar tools and merchandise, ready-to-drink canned cocktails, brand licensing (e.g., Close Company at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Australia Venue Company partnership for Melbourne and Brisbane), and the Midnight Auteur Hotels joint venture that opened its first property — Municipal Grand Savannah, a 44-room boutique hotel — in July 2025. A subscription cocktail education platform called Fashioned is launching in late July 2025.

The business model is built on capital-light, asset-light expansion: developer partners and landlords subsidize 80–100% of new bar opening costs (e.g., $1.85M Seattle project budget, $400/sq ft Atlanta tenant improvement allowance), while licensing and management agreements generate investment-free royalty streams from the Death & Co and Close Company IP. Pricing is hybrid — per-transaction on-premise (cocktails, food, private event buyouts), e-commerce one-time purchases, subscription (Fashioned), and licensed recurring revenue. Customer segments span affluent cocktail enthusiasts and tourists at flagship locations, hotels and real estate developers integrating the brand for F&B differentiation (Hotel Jerome/Auberge, The Venetian, The Ramble Hotel), home bar enthusiasts purchasing retail goods, and accredited investors participating in a Regulation Crowdfunding SAFE round at $2.13/share with a $25,000 minimum.

The company's technology footprint is minimal and intentionally non-proprietary: it uses SevenRooms for reservations and BentoBox for website infrastructure, with no disclosed AI/ML systems, data platform, or proprietary software. Competitive advantage derives instead from 19 years of brand equity — the largest Instagram following of any bar globally, multiple World's 50 Best Bars placements, and three best-selling cocktail books including Cocktail Codex, the first drinks book to win a James Beard Award for Book of the Year — and from a founder-led creative team (Kaplan and Day) that has trained hundreds of bartenders and designed dozens of bars. The company reported $14M in 2024 revenue and projects ~$20M in 2025 and $40M by 2026, implying 50%+ annual compounding nearly twice the industry average.

Name

Death & Co.

Legal name

Death & Co

Website

https://deathandcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Death & Co. is a New York-founded cocktail hospitality company (founded 2006) operating four flagship bars across NYC, Denver, LA, and D.C., with capital-light expansion into hotels, licensing, retail, and a subscription education platform under the Gin & Luck umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cocktail Bar Hospitality

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Food Services and Drinking Places (722), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cocktail Lounges & Speakeasies (MPAGAIAD), Hotel Bars & Rooftop Bars (CRANACAL), Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF), Cocktail Experiences (Mixology Classes, Cocktail Tours) (THAJAGAG)

Keywords

• Craft cocktail bars
• Cocktail hospitality
• Boutique hotel F&B
• Premium spirits retail
• Cocktail education

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brick-and-mortar cocktail bar operations: Four flagship cocktail bar locations (New York, Denver, Los Angeles, Washington D.C.) generate food and beverage revenue. Each bar serves cocktails ($18-$26 per drink), food, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Bars welcome 7,500+ weekly visitors and are all profitable. $14M annual revenue in 2024, projected $20M in 2025, and $40M by 2026.
2. Hotel concept development and management: Midnight Auteur Hotels is a joint venture developing boutique hotels with F&B outlets. Municipal Grand Savannah (44-room boutique hotel with three F&B outlets and a rooftop) opened July 2025. Deal structures range from management agreements to ownership, with strong developer partnerships covering opening costs.
3. IP ownership and licensing: The company owns the Death & Co brand and other IP (Cocktail Codex, award-winning cocktail books, brand assets). Licensing agreements create investment-free revenue streams. International Death & Co locations (Brisbane, Melbourne) operated through Australia Venue Company partnership; Close Company Las Vegas is a US licensing deal at The Venetian Resort.
4. Death & Co Market e-commerce: Direct-to-consumer marketplace selling bar tools, glassware, apparel, and branded merchandise. One of the largest retail marketplaces in the cocktail hospitality industry.
5. Events business: Robust private events business across all four bar locations, offering full buyouts and partial space rentals. Private cocktail classes for up to 12 guests. Corporate events, celebrations, and private gatherings hosted at all Death & Co properties.
6. Education platform (Fashioned): Paywalled cocktail education platform and community hub named Fashioned, launching late July 2025. Provides cocktail education content accessible via subscription.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Death & Co operates four flagship award-winning craft cocktail bars in New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington D.C., serving craft cocktails, food, and private events to 7,500+ weekly visitors. Under the Gin & Luck umbrella, the company runs a multi-revenue hospitality platform that includes the Death & Co Market e-commerce store, the Close Company sister-bar brand, Midnight Auteur Hotels (boutique hotel development with Municipal Grand Savannah), ready-to-drink canned cocktails, published cocktail books, IP licensing, and the forthcoming Fashioned cocktail education subscription platform.

Product overview

Death & Co is a cocktail hospitality company operating four flagship Death & Co cocktail bar locations across New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington D.C., with sister brand Close Company expanding to additional markets. The company generates revenue through multiple streams including bar operations, the Death & Co Market online retail marketplace, ready-to-drink canned cocktails, the Fashioned paywalled education platform, Midnight Auteur Hotels joint venture for boutique hotel development, and published cocktail books including the James Beard Award-winning Cocktail Codex. The company welcomes 7,500+ weekly visitors across its four bars and is expanding internationally to Australia with Death & Co Brisbane and Death & Co Melbourne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Death & Co Market: Online retail marketplace selling bar tools, glassware, apparel, and merchandise.
• Close Company
• Midnight Auteur Hotels
• Municipal Grand
• DC/AM

Products and services

• Death & Co Cocktail Bars Award-winning craft cocktail bar concept with four flagship locations offering craft cocktails priced $18-$26, food menus ($10-$49), and private event spaces, serving 7,500+ weekly visitors.
• Death & Co Market Direct-to-consumer e-commerce marketplace selling bar tools, glassware, apparel, and branded merchandise; described as one of the largest retail marketplaces in the cocktail hospitality industry.
• Close Company

Quantifiable outcome

• 50%+ annual revenue compounding, projected to reach $40M by 2026 from $14M in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Australia Venue CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership bringing Death & Co Brisbane and Death & Co Melbourne to life. Australia Venue Company is the operator for Death & Co's first two international properties. This partnership represents the international expansion of the Death & Co brand into the Australian market.
• Developer Partners (unspecified)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong developer partnerships cover the majority of new cocktail bar opening costs via external funding, enabling capital-efficient expansion. Landlords are willing to subsidize 80-100% of total opening costs, demonstrating strong market confidence in the Death & Co brand.
• The Venetian Resort (Las Vegas)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerClose Company Las Vegas, a licensed Death & Co sister brand, is located inside The Venetian Resort casino. This is the first US-based licensing deal for the Close Company brand. The Venetian provides the real estate and operating environment; Gin & Luck provides the brand, concept, and operational expertise.
• Midnight Auteur Hotels (joint venture)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidnight Auteur is a boutique hotel ownership and management company jointly developed by Gin & Luck. First property is Municipal Grand Savannah, a 44-room boutique hotel with three F&B outlets and a rooftop, opened July 2025. Deal structures range from management agreements to ownership opportunities.
• Rafanelli EventsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partner for Hotel Jerome's sixth annual Epicurean Passport Weekend (June 18-21, Aspen, Colorado). Death & Co is featured as a luxury brand partner at the event alongside Petrossian, Laurent-Perrier, Casa Dragones, and Waterford. Rafanelli Events serves as creative partner leading design and guest experience transformation for the event.
• Hotel Jerome, Auberge CollectionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeath & Co is featured as a luxury brand partner at Hotel Jerome's sixth annual Epicurean Passport Weekend (June 18-21, Aspen, Colorado), a four-day culinary event parallel to Aspen Food & Wine featuring masterclasses, tastings, and residencies from luxury brands including Petrossian, Laurent-Perrier, Casa Dragones, and Waterford.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Employees Only: Employees Only is a pioneering craft cocktail bar in New York's West Village, founded in 2004. It is one of Death & Co's closest direct competitors in the upscale NYC cocktail category, with similar award pedigree (multiple World's 50 Best Bars placements) and a comparable focus on hospitality-driven, premium cocktail service.
• The Dead Rabbit: The Dead Rabbit is a Financial District cocktail bar that topped the World's 50 Best Bars ranking and is known for its historically-themed cocktail program and Irish pub aesthetic. It directly competes with Death & Co for the same craft-cocktail enthusiast customer base in NYC.
• PDT (Please Don't Tell): PDT is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar accessed through a hot dog shop in NYC's East Village, founded by influential bartender Jim Meehan. It competes with Death & Co for craft cocktail drinkers and shares the intimate, reservation-driven format.
• The Aviary: The Aviary is a Chicago-based avant-garde cocktail bar by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, known for highly innovative, presentation-focused cocktails. It is a direct peer in the premium experimental cocktail space with similar award recognition and price point.
• Maison Premiere: Maison Premiere is a Williamsburg cocktail bar and oyster house known for its craft cocktail program and absinthe focus. It competes in the same premium cocktail category as Death & Co, with a similar aesthetic and dedication to historically-grounded, high-quality cocktails.
• Pouring Ribbons: Pouring Ribbons is a NYC cocktail bar founded by alumni of Death & Co and PDT, with a rotating seasonal cocktail menu. It directly competes for the same craft cocktail customer and shares lineage with Death & Co's training culture.

Broad incumbents

• Union Square Hospitality Group: Union Square Hospitality Group is Danny Meyer's multi-concept restaurant and hospitality company (Eleven Madison Park, Union Square Cafe, etc.). It is a broader incumbent in upscale hospitality with greater scale, a wider F&B portfolio, and a more mature events/catering business, providing a comparable blueprint for multi-unit brand expansion.
• Soho House & Co. Soho House is a global membership-based hospitality company operating private clubs, hotels, and restaurants with a strong food and beverage program. It is comparable to Death & Co/Gin & Luck as a broader hospitality brand extending into hotels, food, retail, and community, but at much larger scale and with a membership monetization layer.
• Momofuku (David Chang): Momofuku is a multi-vertical restaurant group led by David Chang, with restaurants, packaged goods, a content/media business, and hospitality IP. It is a comparable model for scaling an iconic hospitality brand into retail, media, and consumer products, though in the food category rather than cocktails.

Emerging players

• Tattersall Distilling: Tattersall Distilling is a Minneapolis-based craft distillery that also operates cocktail rooms and retail, blending production with on-premise consumption. It represents an emerging model that overlaps with Death & Co's potential RTD and spirits-adjacent verticals, though at smaller scale and with a different brand positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/deathandcompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/deathandcompany
• Xx.com/dncdoor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Death & Co.