Timothy O'Toole's Pub

What Timothy O'Toole's Pub does

Timothy O'Toole's Pub is a family-owned Irish pub chain operating four full-service restaurant and bar locations across the Chicagoland area: the original downtown Chicago flagship (622 N. Fairbanks Ct., opened 1992), Gurnee, Libertyville, and Lake Villa. The company was founded by Humberto Martinez Jr. and Sara McKinnon-Martinez and has remained privately held under their ownership for over 30 years. Each location offers a scratch kitchen with pub favorites and award-winning wings, an extensive craft beer and specialty cocktail program, multiple TVs for sports viewing, dedicated private event spaces, and regular entertainment programming including weekly trivia and the Comedians You Should Know comedy showcase at the Chicago location.

The business operates a horizontally diversified revenue model: core food and beverage sales through dine-in, pickup, and delivery (via Toast Tab online ordering); private events and catering managed through Tripleseat software; branded merchandise and gift cards sold via a BentoBox-powered e-commerce storefront; and ticketed experiences such as the $45-per-person Cocktails 101 mixology classes. The technology stack is built on commodity restaurant SaaS — Toast Tab for ordering, OpenTable for reservations, Tripleseat for event management, Eventbrite for ticketing, and BentoBox for the website — with no disclosed proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or integrations beyond these vendor relationships. Distribution is entirely regional and physical-first: four storefronts in Illinois, supported by event-based marketing and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), with no evidence of geographic expansion plans, franchising, or external capital raise.

The customer base spans general diners, sports fans, families (via kids' meal promotions), private event hosts (weddings, corporate gatherings, birthdays), and entertainment seekers (trivia, comedy, cocktail classes). The company does not disclose revenue; given four units at full-service casual dining scale with 51-100 total employees, revenue is estimated in the $10M-$25M band with low confidence. No parent company, subsidiaries, or external investors are disclosed.

Name

Timothy O'Toole's Pub

Legal name

O'Toole's Pub Group

Website

https://timothyotooles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Timothy O'Toole's Pub is a family-owned Irish pub chain operating four full-service restaurant and bar locations across the Chicagoland area, serving casual diners, sports fans, families, private event hosts, and entertainment seekers with scratch-kitchen food, craft beverages, and regular entertainment programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pub and Restaurant Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA), Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF)

Keywords

• Irish pub restaurant
• Private event catering
• Craft beer cocktails
• Sports bar entertainment
• Branded merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Core revenue stream from restaurant operations including scratch kitchen fare, craft cocktails, local beers, and full bar service across all four locations.
2. Private Events and Catering: Revenue from hosting private events including birthdays, weddings, corporate gatherings with dedicated event spaces and off-site catering services.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including T-shirts, caps, and souvenirs through the company's e-commerce store.
4. Ticketed Events: Revenue from ticketed experiences such as Cocktails 101 classes led by Master Mixologist Scott Armstrong, priced at $45 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Timothy O'Toole's Pub is a family-owned Irish pub chain operating four Illinois locations (Chicago, Gurnee, Libertyville, Lake Villa) serving scratch-kitchen pub food, craft cocktails, and local craft beers. Beyond dine-in service, the company offers private event spaces and catering, ticketed cocktail-making classes (Cocktails 101) led by Master Mixologist Scott Armstrong, branded merchandise (t-shirts and caps), gift cards, and online ordering for pickup and delivery.

Product overview

Timothy O'Toole's Pub is a family-owned Irish pub chain (established 1992) operating four Illinois locations in Chicago, Gurnee, Libertyville, and Lake Villa. The core offering is a full-service restaurant and bar featuring a scratch kitchen with award-winning wings, hearty pub favorites, craft cocktails, and local craft beer selection. The company extends its business through private event spaces and catering services, ticketed cocktail education classes (Cocktails 101), branded merchandise (t-shirts, caps), gift cards, and online ordering. Regular programming includes trivia nights, comedy shows, and promotional events like Cubs ticket giveaways and kids' meal specials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Timothy O'Toole's Pub (Dining & Bar Service) Family-owned Irish pub chain offering dine-in food, craft cocktails, local craft beers, and sports viewing across four Illinois locations (Chicago, Gurnee, Libertyville, Lake Villa). Features a scratch kitchen with award-winning wings, hearty pub favorites, and multiple TVs for sports fans.
• Private Events & Catering Private event spaces and catering services for birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and celebrations offered at each location. Spaces include dedicated event areas with full liquor bars, stages with A/V capabilities, and outdoor patios; off-site catering also available.
• Cocktails 101 Ticketed cocktail-making class led by Master Mixologist Scott Armstrong, offered monthly with themed sessions such as Irish Whiskey, Margaritas, Harvest Cocktails, and Holiday Cocktails. Priced at $45 per person and includes a small bite.
• O'Toole's Logo T-Shirt (Black) Black Tultex soft cotton t-shirt featuring the white O'Toole's logo; available in sizes XS through 2XL (with a +$3.00 surcharge for 2XL), priced at $17.00.
• O'Toole's 30th Anniversary T-Shirt (Black) Commemorative black Tultex soft cotton t-shirt celebrating 30 years of operation, featuring white logo; available in sizes XS through 2XL (with a +$3.00 surcharge for 2XL), priced at $17.00.
• Timothy O'Toole's Vented Baseball Cap Branded vented baseball cap sold as part of the souvenirs and merchandise line, priced at $22.00.
• Gift Cards Gift card program offered for purchase and redeemable across all Timothy O'Toole's Pub locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Diner's Choice recognition on OpenTable
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Comedians You Should Know (CYSK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYSK is a stand-up comedy showcase that moved to Timothy O'Toole's Chicago location in 2010. The partnership has produced 20 comedy albums, many reaching the iTunes comedy chart top. The show has expanded to Los Angeles and New York City, making it the only comedian-produced stand-up showcase featured in all three major cities. The company hosts weekly Wednesday comedy shows.
• Brain Sportz TriviaminorOthersBrain Sportz Trivia provides team trivia entertainment at Timothy O'Toole's Chicago location every Tuesday at 7pm, with doors opening at 6pm. The event features Q&A on TVs via PowerPoint, picture clues for questions, and free participation with prizes and giveaways.
• Finer Points TriviaminorOthersFiner Points provides team trivia entertainment at Timothy O'Toole's Gurnee location every Tuesday night, offering free interactive trivia with prizes.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToast Tab provides online ordering platform integration for Timothy O'Toole's, enabling customers to place pickup and delivery orders online for Chicago, Gurnee, and Libertyville locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports bar chain competing for sports-viewing, wings, and casual dining occasions in the same Chicagoland trade areas. Comparable in scale and occasion but with a national supply chain and marketing budget.
• Bar Louie: National gastropub chain offering elevated bar food, craft cocktails, and a sports/casual social atmosphere. Same Chicago-area competitive set and Director of Operations Bob McDermott previously worked at Bar Louie — directly relevant comparable.

Direct peers

• Murphy's Bleachers: Iconic Wrigleyville sports bar in Chicago (founding peer in the same neighborhood). Comparable Irish/sports pub format with food, drinks, and high sports traffic in Chicago — directly overlapping customer base and operating model.
• The Kerryman: Chicago Irish pub serving traditional pub fare, beer, and cocktails with a neighborhood gathering atmosphere. Directly comparable Irish pub concept serving the same Chicago dining and social occasion use cases as Timothy O'Toole's.
• Emmit's Irish Pub: Chicago Irish pub serving traditional fare, drinks, and private events in a comparable neighborhood gathering format. Directly comparable pub concept with overlapping use cases (casual dining, celebrations, sports).
• Hog Head McDunna's: Chicago-area Irish pub with scratch kitchen, full bar, and traditional pub fare. Directly comparable pub concept serving the same customer occasions in the same metropolitan market.
• Quinn's Irish Pub: Chicago Irish pub chain operating multiple suburban Chicagoland locations with food, full bar, and private events. Closest format match given the multi-unit Irish pub model in identical geography.

Regional players

• McGee's Irish Pub: Midwest-based Irish pub operator serving a similar format (Irish pub fare, full bar, events) but outside of Chicagoland. Comparable concept and customer occasion, with different geographic overlap.
• The Beer Bistro: Beer-focused bar and restaurant owned previously by O'Toole's Director of Operations Bob McDermott. Demonstrates a directly comparable craft beer/bistro operating model in the same Chicago-adjacent market.

Others

• Goose Island Beer Company: Chicago craft brewery and taproom operator; Director of Operations Bob McDermott has prior experience with Goose Island. Adjacent ecosystem player that supplies and competes for craft beer occasions in the same Chicago market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TimothyOToolesPub
• Instagraminstagram.com/otooleslville/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@timothyotooles
• Xx.com/timmyotooles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Timothy O'Toole's Pub