The Pelican Club

What The Pelican Club does

The Pelican Club is a privately-held, single-location fine dining restaurant and bar founded in July 1990 by chef-owner Richard Hughes and his wife Jeanne Stinnett Hughes, operating from a renovated 19th-century Creole townhouse at 312 Exchange Place in the New Orleans French Quarter. The venue comprises a bar plus three named dining rooms — the Club Room, Main Dining Room, and Bienville Room — plus outdoor space, and serves a contemporary Creole menu rooted in South Louisiana tradition with French, Italian, and Asian influences. Service runs Wednesday through Sunday evenings only (closed Monday and Tuesday), with a 186-wine program (29 by the glass) drawing from California, France, and Italy.

The restaurant generates revenue through three streams: dine-in food and beverage service across the three rooms and bar seating, bar service with walk-in available tables, and private event buyouts and partial buyouts for groups of 20-200 guests (corporate events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, and social celebrations), coordinated by a dedicated Group Events Coordinator. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for the dinner menu; private event pricing is quote-based, with parking validation at the Hotel Monteleone garage available at $5.00 for 2.5 hours.

Distribution is exclusively direct and physical: OpenTable powers online reservations, phone reservations are handled in-house (504-523-1504), and walk-ins are welcomed based on availability. Marketing relies on a mix of organic social presence (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor), an email newsletter, and the residual reputation value of third-party recognition (America's Top Tables, America's Top 250 Restaurants, Award of Excellence for over 20 years). The business is closely held by the Hughes family with no outside capital, no franchises, no delivery or e-commerce, and no AI or proprietary technology stack disclosed.

Name

The Pelican Club

Legal name

The Pelican Club

Website

https://pelicanclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pelican Club is a privately-held French Quarter fine dining restaurant in New Orleans, founded in 1990 by chef Richard Hughes, serving contemporary Creole cuisine to locals and tourists, with private event hosting for 20-200 guests and a 186-wine program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Service: Revenue from food and beverage sales through table service in three dining rooms and bar seating. The restaurant offers a diverse menu based in South Louisiana tradition with French, Italian, and Asian influences.
2. Private Events: Revenue from hosting private group events including corporate events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, and other celebrations. The venue accommodates 20-200 guests with restaurant buyout options available.
3. Bar Service: Revenue from bar sales including cocktails, wine (186 wines available, 29 by the glass), and other beverages. Bar tables are typically not reserved and available for walk-ins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Pelican Club is a contemporary New Orleans fine dining restaurant serving dinner Wednesday through Sunday in three dining rooms and a bar housed in a renovated 19th century Creole townhouse on Exchange Place in the French Quarter. The kitchen, led by chef-owner Richard Hughes, turns out a Creole-focused menu drawing on South Louisiana tradition with French, Italian, and Asian influences, paired with a 186-selection wine program. The restaurant also hosts private group events and parties for 20 to 200 guests, including corporate events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, and social celebrations.

Product overview

The Pelican Club is a contemporary New Orleans restaurant operating as a single fine dining establishment located in a renovated 19th century French Quarter townhouse. The restaurant offers a unified dining experience centered on its contemporary Creole cuisine dinner menu, complemented by a drink menu and curated wine list. Additional offerings include group events and private party services for groups of 20-200 guests, and seasonal promotions such as Restaurant Week menus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary Creole Fine Dining Service Table-service fine dining Wednesday through Sunday in three dining rooms of a renovated 19th century Creole townhouse, offering a contemporary Creole menu rooted in South Louisiana tradition with French, Italian, and Asian influences for individual diners, couples, and small groups in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
• Wine and Bar Program Cocktail, wine, and other beverage service featuring a 186-selection wine list with 29 wines by the glass, served at the bar overlooking Exchange Place and at non-reserved bar tables open to walk-in guests.
• Group Events & Private Parties Private event hosting service for corporate events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, cocktail receptions, and other celebrations for 20 to 220 guests, with multiple indoor dining rooms and outdoor space on Exchange Place; pricing is quote-based via the Group Events Coordinator.
• Restaurant Week Menu Seasonal prix-fixe promotional menu offered during the annual New Orleans Restaurant Week promotion, available to guests who reserve through OpenTable or by phone for dine-in service.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hotel MonteleoneminorOthersThe Pelican Club has an arrangement with Hotel Monteleone for parking validation. Guests inform the parking attendant they are going to the Pelican Club and vehicles are valet parked at the hotel garage with partial validation available.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emeril's New Orleans: Celebrity-chef flagship contemporary Creole restaurant with private event spaces. Comparable on chef-driven contemporary Creole cuisine, fine dining positioning, and event-hosting capabilities, though operated as part of a broader restaurant group.
• Commander's Palace: Historic New Orleans fine dining landmark known for Creole cuisine, award-winning wine list, and private dining. Direct peer on cuisine category, award pedigree, wine program depth, and group event hosting in the New Orleans market.
• Restaurant R'evolution: Upscale Creole-Cajun restaurant in the French Quarter with extensive wine program and private dining. Direct competitor for upscale Creole diners, group events, and wine-led beverage spend.
• Doris Metropolitan New Orleans: Upscale steakhouse in New Orleans offering premium cuts, extensive wine list, and private dining in the French Quarter. Comparable as a high-end, full-service, single-location restaurant targeting special-occasion and corporate-event guests.
• Galatoire's: Iconic French Quarter fine dining institution serving classic Creole cuisine in a comparable upscale setting. Directly comparable as a long-established, single-location, full-service Creole restaurant competing for the same French Quarter tourist and corporate-event demand.
• Bourbon House: Contemporary Creole/Seafood restaurant on Bourbon Street with private event spaces. Comparable as a French Quarter full-service restaurant competing for tourist, celebratory, and group-event traffic.
• Antoine's Restaurant: Long-standing French Quarter family-owned fine dining restaurant serving classic Creole cuisine. Comparable as a multi-generational, single-location, full-service New Orleans fine dining institution with private dining.
• Brennan's New Orleans: Historic French Quarter restaurant offering upscale Creole cuisine, breakfast through dinner service, and a strong wine/cocktail program. Comparable on cuisine, French Quarter location, private events, and award-winning heritage.
• August (Restaurant): Contemporary Creole fine dining restaurant in New Orleans with a chef-driven seasonal menu and curated wine list. Comparable on contemporary Creole positioning, single-location fine dining model, and culinary recognition.

Broad incumbents

• Restaurant August (Peche / Levert / Le Bernardin broader set): Le Bernardin is a benchmark fine dining seafood restaurant that informs the genre standards Pelican Club operates against on tasting menus, wine service, and event hosting. Included as a broader incumbent reference for upscale seafood/Creole-adjacent fine dining expectations.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chefrichardhugh
• Facebookfacebook.com/pelicanclubnola
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/locations/5152390/the-pelican-club-restaurant-and-bar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pelican-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 The Pelican Club