Tin Roof Bars

What Tin Roof Bars does

Tin Roof Bars (doing business as "Tin Roof: A Live Music Joint") is a private U.S. chain of casual live-music bar and restaurant venues, founded in 2002 in Nashville near Music Row by Tim Gibbons. The original location was purpose-built to give local and traveling musicians a stage and a place to socialize off-stage, and the chain has since grown to more than 20 physical venues spanning Nashville (2), Birmingham (corporate HQ at 2709 7th Avenue S.), Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbia, Delray Beach, Detroit, Fayetteville, Ft. Lauderdale, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lexington, Louisville, Memphis, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Raleigh, and St. Louis, with a Charlotte marketing list indicating continued market buildout.

The core offering combines a full food and beverage program with nightly live music programming — stages have hosted both famous and rising artists and the brand promotes an inclusive "Where Everybody is Somebody" community culture anchored by a "Regulars" following. Each location also operates a private-group and event booking service, and the company runs a direct-to-consumer e-commerce merchandise line on Shopify (tinroofbars.myshopify.com). Marketing is executed through organic social, location-segmented email newsletters, and the corporate website. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, app, AI capability, patents, or third-party integrations.

The business model is straightforward multi-unit hospitality: revenue is generated primarily through in-venue food and beverage sales supplemented by ticket- and event-driven entertainment traffic, with secondary streams from private event bookings and direct-to-consumer merchandise. A single disclosed growth-capital event — a $13,000,000 investment from Main Street Capital in November 2013 — funds continued unit rollout and refresh. The corporate headcount of 11–50 is consistent with a lean franchisor/operator HQ overseeing both corporate and licensed venues rather than a single-unit owner.

Name

Tin Roof Bars

Website

https://tinroofbars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tin Roof Bars is a private U.S. chain of 20+ casual live-music bar and restaurant venues founded in 2002 near Nashville's Music Row, serving general consumers and group event bookers with food, beverage, nightly live music, private events, and branded merchandise across multiple U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Bar and Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Live music bars
• Casual dining chain
• Live entertainment venues
• Nightlife establishments
• Restaurant bar venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue generated from food and beverage sales at each physical bar location. The company emphasizes both tasty food and drinks as part of the customer experience.
2. Live Entertainment: Live music performances featuring local and traveling musicians drive customer attendance and venue revenue.
3. Group Events and Private Parties: Each location offers group party and event booking services for private gatherings and corporate events.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling branded Tin Roof apparel and goods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tin Roof Bars is a chain of live music bar and restaurant venues offering food, drinks, and live musical performances across 20+ U.S. locations. The company specializes in recruiting and promoting live music acts, pairing nightly entertainment with a casual food and beverage experience. Founded in 2002 near Nashville's Music Row, the chain has expanded into multiple U.S. cities as corporate-owned or franchise/licensed venues.

Product overview

Tin Roof Bars operates as a chain of live music bar and restaurant venues offering food, drinks, and live musical performances across multiple U.S. locations. The core offering consists of the bar/restaurant experience at 18+ locations nationwide. Additional offerings include Group Parties & Events services for private bookings at each location, and a Shopify-powered Merch Store for branded merchandise. The company was founded in 2002 near Nashville's Music Row and has expanded across the southeastern and midwestern United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tin Roof Bars (Live Music Bar & Restaurant Venues) Chain of 20+ live music bar and restaurant venues across the United States offering casual food, drinks, and nightly live music entertainment to local consumers and tourists.
• Group Parties & Events Private event booking and group party services available at each Tin Roof location, catering to celebrations, corporate outings, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and other group gatherings.
• Tin Roof Merch Store Online merchandise store powered by Shopify selling branded Tin Roof Bars apparel and goods to consumers nationwide.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hard Rock Cafe: Globally recognized rock-themed restaurant, bar, and live entertainment brand owned by the Seminole Tribe. Comparable as a music-themed bar/restaurant concept with merchandise and global tourist appeal.
• House of Blues: Iconic live music venue and restaurant chain operated under Live Nation — directly comparable live music + F&B concept, but with larger scale, owned by a major entertainment conglomerate.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Largest U.S. sports bar chain, owned by Inspire Brands. Comparable as a multi-unit bar + casual food concept with national footprint, though positioned around sports rather than live music.
• Ryman Hospitality Properties: Owner of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, and Ole Red bars — operates branded live-music bar/restaurant concepts in Nashville and beyond, and would be a natural strategic acquirer of Tin Roof.
• Dave & Buster's: National chain combining full-service dining, bar service, and live entertainment/arcade gaming. Comparable as a multi-unit U.S. operator monetizing food + beverage + experiences, though entertainment is games rather than live music.

Emerging players

• Brooklyn Bowl: Music venue, bowling alley, and restaurant concept operating multiple locations — overlapping live music + food + beverage model with Tin Roof, but smaller chain and more entertainment-skewed.

Direct peers

• Rock & Brews: Multi-unit rock-themed restaurant and live music bar chain founded by KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Closest comparable as a branded live-music bar concept scaled across multiple U.S. markets.
• Punch Bowl Social: Multi-unit eatertainment bar concept combining food, drinks, bowling, karaoke, and live entertainment across U.S. cities — direct peer as a scalable experiential bar chain.

Regional players

• Whiskey Bent Saloon: Nashville honky-tonk with live music on Broadway directly next to Tin Roof's lower Broadway location — directly comparable live music dive bar competing for the same tourist foot traffic.
• Tootsie's Orchid Lounge: Iconic Nashville honky-tonk on Lower Broadway — the conceptual cousin of Tin Roof's Nashville Broadway location; comparable as a Music Row-rooted live music dive bar, but single-market and family-owned.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/123
• Facebookfacebook.com/444

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Tin Roof Bars