Upward Projects
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPhoenix, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Upward Projects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upward Projects
- Legal name
- Upward Projects Holdings LLC
- Website
- https://upwardprojects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upward Projects industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurant Services
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)
Keywords
Where Upward Projects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Phoenix
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Upward Projects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue from selling food and beverages at restaurant locations across multiple concepts including Postino WineCafe, Windsor, Federal Pizza, Joyride Taco House, and Churn Ice Cream.
- Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold through the company website, redeemable at any Upward Projects location.
- Postino Bottle Club Membership: Monthly wine club membership offering flexible monthly plans with exclusive wines and perks.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Upward Projects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upward Projects is a multi-concept restaurant group that owns and operates distinct neighborhood restaurant brands, including Postino WineCafe (34+ locations across 7 states), Windsor, Churn, Federal Pizza, and Joyride Taco House. In addition to dine-in food and beverage service, the company sells gift cards (digital and physical) and runs the Postino Bottle Club wine subscription. A new concept, Lado A Lado, is scheduled to open in Fall 2026.
Product overview
Upward Projects is a restaurant group operating a portfolio of five distinct restaurant concepts: Postino WineCafe (an industrial winecafe with wines and local food), Windsor (prohibition cocktails and upscale bar food), Churn (ice cream, cookies, and nostalgic candy shop), Federal Pizza (midcentury-modern wood fired pizza restaurant), and Joyride Taco House (vibrant taco and margarita restaurant). The company also offers the Postino Bottle Club as a subscription add-on and has an upcoming concept called Lado A Lado launching in Fall 2026. The company operates more than 34 locations across seven states with a mission to create inspiring restaurant experiences connected to the communities they serve.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Postino WineCafe: An industrial winecafé offering unique and approachable wines, simply scrumptious food prepared with local ingredients, and a warm, edgy culture. Operates more than 34 locations across seven states.
- Windsor
- Churn
- Federal Pizza
- Joyride Taco House
- Lado A Lado
Products and services
- Postino WineCafe
Companies that use Upward Projects
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Upward Projects technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Upward Projects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Chiwas Hospitality GroupcoreLado A Lado is a collaboration between Upward Projects and Chiwas Hospitality Group. The partnership is rooted in a shared love for hospitality, neighborhood, and connection through food. The concept pairs live-fire Northern Mexican dining with a coastal raw bar. Located in Uptown Phoenix, opening Fall 2026.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Upward Projects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fox Restaurant Concepts: Phoenix-based multi-concept restaurant group founded by Sam Fox, operating brands like Culinary Dropout, Arrogant Butcher, and Doughbird. Highly comparable on multi-brand strategy, regional Southwest footprint, and full-service casual-upscale positioning.
- Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants: Winery-restaurant chain combining dining with a wine club membership, similar to Postino WineCafe and Postino Bottle Club. Comparable on wine-led dining concept and subscription-based beverage revenue model.
- Hillstone Restaurant Group: Multi-concept upscale casual restaurant group operating Houston's, R+D Kitchen, and other brands. Comparable on multi-brand casual-upscale strategy and emphasis on distinctive concept positioning.
- True Food Kitchen: Upscale casual dining chain founded by Dr. Andrew Weil with locations across multiple states. Comparable on full-service casual-upscale positioning and multi-state expansion strategy.
- First Watch Restaurant Group: Daytime-focused casual dining chain operating more than 500 locations. Comparable on daytime dining emphasis, multi-state footprint, and full-service casual segment positioning similar to Postino's lunch-friendly winecafé model.
Broad incumbents
- Cheesecake Factory: Large publicly traded full-service casual dining chain. Comparable on full-service casual-upscale positioning, though operates as a single-brand chain rather than a multi-concept portfolio like Upward Projects.
- Darden Restaurants: Multi-brand full-service restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille). Comparable on multi-brand full-service strategy at much larger scale.
- Bloomin' Brands: Multi-brand casual dining operator (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's). Comparable on multi-brand full-service portfolio strategy.
- Brinker International: Multi-brand casual dining operator (Chili's, Maggiano's). Comparable on multi-brand full-service strategy, though operates single dominant brands rather than distinct lifestyle concepts.
- P.F. Chang's: Phoenix-headquartered casual dining chain specializing in Asian cuisine. Comparable on Phoenix headquarters and casual-upscale full-service positioning, though single-brand rather than multi-concept.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upward Projects social profiles
Digital presenceUpward Projects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upward Projects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Upward Projects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upward Projects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upward Projects
What does Upward Projects do?
Upward Projects is a multi-concept restaurant group that owns and operates distinct neighborhood restaurant brands, including Postino WineCafe (34+ locations across 7 states), Windsor, Churn, Federal Pizza, and Joyride Taco House. In addition to dine-in food and beverage service, the company sells gift cards (digital and physical) and runs the Postino Bottle Club wine subscription. A new concept, Lado A Lado, is scheduled to open in Fall 2026.
Is Upward Projects a public or private company?
Upward Projects is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Upward Projects founded?
Upward Projects was founded in 2001. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Upward Projects based?
Upward Projects is headquartered in Phoenix, United States, in the North America region.
How does Upward Projects make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Card Sales and postino Bottle Club Membership.
Who are Upward Projects's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fox Restaurant Concepts, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Hillstone Restaurant Group, True Food Kitchen and First Watch Restaurant Group. Broad incumbents are Cheesecake Factory, Darden Restaurants, Bloomin' Brands, Brinker International and P.F. Chang's.
Does Upward Projects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upward Projects.
What industry is Upward Projects in?
Upward Projects's product category is Casual Dining Restaurant Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAG, Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.