Yard Bar
Yard Bar was a single-location, membership-based dog park and 21+ bar in Austin, Texas, offering supervised off-leash play with monthly memberships and beverage sales before closing permanently in May 2026 after 11 years of operation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Yard Bar does
Yard Bar was a single-location, membership-based dog park and 21+ bar operating in Austin, Texas from 2015 until its permanent closure on May 30, 2026. Founded by Kristen Heaney Clark, the business occupied 20,000 sq ft at 6700 Burnet Rd. and combined a dedicated outdoor off-leash dog park with a full-service bar serving beer, cider, and other beverages to adults. The venue was differentiated from standard dog parks through active staff supervision branded as 'Bark Rangers,' policies restricting entry to neutered or spayed dogs, and amenities including a pool, water dishes, balls, and a small-dog area.
The product surface was the physical venue itself — there was no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or digital distribution layer. The company relied on standard third-party SaaS tools for marketing (Flodesk email) and merchandise (Fourthwall e-commerce), and operated without a mobile application or API. Core offerings comprised the supervised dog park, the bar, a $25/month unlimited membership tier, and a branded merchandise shop.
Yard Bar was bootstrapped, with no venture capital, private equity, or parent company involvement disclosed in the source material. Revenue derived from two streams: transaction-based bar sales and recurring monthly membership subscriptions. The customer base consisted of adult dog owners in Austin acquired through community-led marketing, local earned media coverage, and word-of-mouth, supported by a strategic partnership with Austin Humane Society for adoption events. The business operated for 11 years as an independently owned local concept before announcing and executing permanent closure, with all recurring memberships prorated and cancelled on May 31, 2026.
Yard Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yard Bar
- Legal name
- Yard Bar
- Website
- https://yardbar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Yard Bar was a single-location, membership-based dog park and 21+ bar in Austin, Texas, offering supervised off-leash play with monthly memberships and beverage sales before closing permanently in May 2026 after 11 years of operation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yard Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pet Hospitality Services
- NAICS
- Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cage-Free / Open-Play Dog Daycare (HSANAFAC)
Keywords
Where Yard Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yard Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Bar Sales: Full-service bar providing alcoholic beverages and drinks to customers aged 21+. Revenue from drink sales during park visits.
- Membership Subscriptions: Monthly unlimited pass memberships providing recurring revenue. Customers pay a monthly fee for unlimited park access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Unlimited Pass - $25/month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Yard Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yard Bar operated a 20,000 sq ft outdoor dog park paired with a 21+ full-service bar at 6700 Burnet Rd. in Austin, Texas. "Bark Rangers" staff actively supervised dogs in the park, which included amenities such as a pool, water dishes, balls, and a small-dog area. A $25/month unlimited membership provided recurring access, while beverages were sold à la carte at the bar.
Product overview
Yard Bar is a single-location dog park and bar offering that combines a 20,000 sq ft outdoor dog park with a full-service bar for adults 21+. The core experience centers on the Dog Park (with Bark Rangers for safety supervision) paired with the Bar for adult refreshments. Optional membership passes provide unlimited access at $25/month, while an email mailing list and merchandise shop extend engagement beyond the physical location. The business operated from 2015 until May 30, 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dog Park A 20,000 sq ft outdoor off-leash dog park supervised by on-site "Bark Rangers" staff. Includes amenities such as a pool, water dishes, balls, and a small-dog area, with safety policies requiring spayed/neutered dogs.
- Full-service Bar 21+ full-service bar serving alcoholic beverages (including cider and beer) and other drinks to dog owners while their pets play in the adjacent park.
- Monthly Unlimited Membership $25/month subscription granting members unlimited access to the dog park and bar venue, billed monthly with prorated cancellation.
- Yard Bar Online Shop E-commerce storefront selling Yard Bar branded merchandise and apparel, operated through the Fourthwall platform.
Companies that use Yard Bar
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Yard Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Yard Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Austin Humane SocietycoreYard Bar partners with Austin Humane Society for pet adoption events, supporting local animal welfare initiatives. This partnership aligns with the company's mission of supporting furry friends and the local pet community.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Yard Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Petco: Petco is a national pet retailer that has expanded into pet services including grooming, training, and veterinary care. Comparable to Yard Bar on the pet care services ecosystem, but operates at a vastly larger, multi-category scale.
- PetSmart: PetSmart is the largest North American specialty pet retailer with in-store dog training, grooming, and PetsHotel boarding at many locations. It is comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same pet-owning consumer base, though it does not operate a dog-park-plus-bar hybrid venue.
- Best Friends Pet Hotel: Best Friends Pet Hotel is a multi-location pet care provider offering daycare, boarding, grooming, and training. It is comparable to Yard Bar on the supervised dog play and recurring-visit customer base, but operates at a larger multi-service scale without the bar component.
Direct peers
- Bar K: Bar K operates large-scale dog parks combined with full-service bars and restaurants in Kansas City and St. Louis. It is the closest direct analog to Yard Bar's dog-park-plus-bar hybrid concept and shares the same target customer of adult dog owners seeking a social venue.
- Camp Bow Wow: Camp Bow Wow is a national dog daycare and boarding franchise with supervised play yards. It overlaps with Yard Bar on cage-free supervised dog care and the recurring-visit customer model.
- Dogtopia: Dogtopia is a national franchise operating open-play dog daycare centers with supervised off-leash play. It shares Yard Bar's core supervised, cage-free dog play offering and target market of urban dog owners, though without the bar component.
- The Dog Bar: The Dog Bar operates dog park and bar venues in multiple U.S. cities. It mirrors Yard Bar's exact dog-park-plus-bar hybrid model and adult-only membership-style access.
- The Watering Bowl: The Watering Bowl operates an off-leash dog park with an attached beer garden in Seattle. It is comparable to Yard Bar in combining an open-play dog park with adult beverage service for owners on-site.
Others
- Rover: Rover operates an online marketplace for pet sitting, dog walking, and boarding. It is an adjacent, enabling service for the same dog-owning consumer base Yard Bar served, but its marketplace model differs structurally from Yard Bar's physical venue.
- Wag!: Wag! is an on-demand dog walking and pet care app. It serves overlapping urban dog-owner customers but delivers at-home services rather than a physical dog park venue, making it an ecosystem-adjacent comparable.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Yard Bar social profiles
Digital presenceYard Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yard Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Yard Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yard Bar 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 Yard Bar
What does Yard Bar do?
Yard Bar operated a 20,000 sq ft outdoor dog park paired with a 21+ full-service bar at 6700 Burnet Rd. in Austin, Texas. "Bark Rangers" staff actively supervised dogs in the park, which included amenities such as a pool, water dishes, balls, and a small-dog area. A $25/month unlimited membership provided recurring access, while beverages were sold à la carte at the bar.
Is Yard Bar a public or private company?
Yard Bar is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Yard Bar founded?
Yard Bar was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yard Bar based?
Yard Bar is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yard Bar make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Bar Sales are the primary driver. The others are membership Subscriptions.
Who are Yard Bar's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Petco, PetSmart and Best Friends Pet Hotel. Direct peers are Bar K, Camp Bow Wow, Dogtopia, The Dog Bar and The Watering Bowl. Others are Rover and Wag!.
Does Yard Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yard Bar.
What industry is Yard Bar in?
Yard Bar's product category is Pet Hospitality Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSANAFAC, Cage-Free / Open-Play Dog Daycare. Its NAICS code is 81291 and its SIC code is 7900.