Rules Restaurant
Rules Restaurant is London's oldest continuously operating restaurant (founded 1798), serving traditional British cuisine across a 90-cover main dining room, walk-in cocktail bar, two private dining rooms, and a global e-commerce merchandise and gift-voucher shop from its Covent Garden location.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1798
- HeadquartersCovent Garden, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Rules Restaurant does
Rules Restaurant is London's oldest continuously operating restaurant, founded in 1798 by Thomas Rule as an oyster business on Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, and still operating from its original address at 35 Maiden Lane. The establishment serves traditional British cuisine—specializing in game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings—across three on-premise experiences: the main restaurant dining room accommodating approximately 90 guests, The Cocktail Bar and adjoining Winter Garden (walk-in only), and two private dining rooms (the Graham Greene Room seating up to 18 for dinner or 25 for receptions, and the John Betjeman Room seating up to 8). The business is privately held by Ricky McMenemy, a 35-year veteran, and has been owned by just four families across its 225+ year history with no institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries disclosed.
Revenue is generated through four streams: à la carte restaurant dining (starters £5.75-£23.25, mains £26.25-£55.00 per person for sharing dishes), cocktail and beverage sales (cocktails £16.95-£24.50, champagnes up to £325 per bottle), private event packages (£80-£110 per person for lunch/dinner menus, plus a £90 per-person daily meeting delegate rate with a 6-person minimum), and a WooCommerce-powered e-commerce shop selling branded merchandise (£9.95-£24.95) and 12-month gift vouchers distributed globally. Reservations are managed through the SevenRooms platform, which is integrated into the company website for 24/7 booking, and a 12.5% discretionary service charge is added to dining bills and distributed in full to staff. The technology stack is otherwise light: standard e-commerce and analytics tooling, with no disclosed proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or partnerships.
Rules Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rules Restaurant
- Legal name
- Rules Restaurant Ltd
- Website
- https://rules.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1798
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rules Restaurant is London's oldest continuously operating restaurant (founded 1798), serving traditional British cuisine across a 90-cover main dining room, walk-in cocktail bar, two private dining rooms, and a global e-commerce merchandise and gift-voucher shop from its Covent Garden location.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rules Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fine Dining Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Special Food Services (7223)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC), Exclusive Dining Access & Chef’s Table Reservations (HSACAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Rules Restaurant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Covent Garden
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rules Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant Dining: Traditional British cuisine including game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings. Food menu with starters from £5.75 to £23.25, main courses from £26.25 to £55.00 per person for sharing dishes.
- Cocktail Bar: Full cocktail bar serving classic cocktails, house cocktails, and mocktails. Cocktail prices range from £16.95 to £24.50. No reservations taken for cocktail bar.
- Private Events: Two private dining rooms (Graham Greene Room and John Betjeman Room) available for events. Sample lunch menus from £80 to £110 per person, dinner menus from £80 to £110 per person. Meeting delegate rate at £90 per person.
- Online Shop: Merchandise including aprons, baseball caps, mugs, tea towels, tote bags, and gift vouchers. Prices range from £9.95 to £24.95 for merchandise. Gift vouchers valid for 12 months.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Food menu pricing - Starters and Main Courses |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cocktail and drink pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Private dining event packages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Rules Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rules Restaurant operates a traditional British fine-dining establishment in Covent Garden, London, serving classic game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings. It also runs an upstairs cocktail bar (including the Winter Garden), two named private dining rooms (Graham Greene Room and John Betjeman Room) for events and meetings, and an online merchandise shop selling branded apparel, gifts, and restaurant gift vouchers.
Product overview
Rules Restaurant is London's oldest restaurant, established in 1798, offering traditional British cuisine with a focus on classic game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings. The establishment comprises multiple interconnected offerings: the main restaurant dining room serving full menus of British classics; The Cocktail Bar featuring classic and house cocktails; The Winter Garden cocktail space; and two private dining rooms (The Graham Greene Room and The John Betjeman Room) for events. Additionally, the restaurant operates an online shop selling branded merchandise (aprons, caps, mugs, tea-towels, tote bags) and gift vouchers. Reservations are managed through the SevenRooms online booking platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Main Restaurant Dining The primary dining experience at Rules Restaurant, offering traditional British cuisine including classic game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings in a historic setting established in 1798. Serves general diners, tourists, and locals seeking an iconic London dining experience.
- The Cocktail Bar
Companies that use Rules Restaurant
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rules Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Rules Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Rules Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Scott's Restaurant: Mayfair institution famous for seafood, caviar, and classic British fine dining. Comparable heritage brand, premium pricing, cocktail bar, private dining rooms, and similar celebrity/influencer clientele to Rules.
- Le Caprice: Long-established Arlington Street restaurant famous for its modern European menu and celebrity clientele. Comparable as a heritage London fine-dining institution with cocktail bar and central location near Rules's catchment.
- Brasserie Zédel: Grand Parisian-style brasserie in Soho with classic French menu, cocktail bar (American Bar), and comparable price-value positioning. Competes with Rules for traditional fine-dining occasions in the West End.
- J Sheekey: Long-established Covent Garden/St Martin's Lane seafood and British fine-dining institution with similar theatrical clientele, premium pricing, and West End tourist footprint. Operates adjacent to Rules and competes for the same evening and pre-theatre customer.
- The Ivy: Famous West End restaurant on Covent Garden's doorstep offering all-day dining, classic British/European menu, and celebrity clientele. Comparable heritage brand, tourist-heavy traffic, and theatrical district positioning.
- Harry's Bar: Long-standing Mayfair members' club and restaurant serving classic British and Italian fare. Comparable heritage positioning, central London prestige location, private membership clientele, and traditional fine-dining experience.
- Wiltons: Established 1742, Wiltons is a heritage London restaurant in St James's specializing in classic British fare including oysters, game, and meat dishes. Closely comparable to Rules in menu focus, target market, and historic fine-dining positioning.
- Simpsons-in-the-Strand: Historic London institution (opened 1828) serving classic British cuisine near the Savoy. Direct peer given comparable heritage, traditional British menu, central London location, and similar target clientele seeking iconic fine-dining experiences.
- Quaglino's: Iconic St James's grand brasserie with show-stopping staircase dining room, classic European menu, cocktail bar, and live entertainment. Comparable as a London institution targeting celebratory fine-dining and pre-theatre occasions.
- The Wolseley: Grand European café-restaurant on Piccadilly operating in a heritage banking hall. Directly comparable as a London institution with similar all-day dining, classic European/British menu, cocktail bar, and private dining operations targeting a comparable clientele.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rules Restaurant social profiles
Digital presenceRules Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rules Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Rules Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rules Restaurant 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 Rules Restaurant
What does Rules Restaurant do?
Rules Restaurant operates a traditional British fine-dining establishment in Covent Garden, London, serving classic game cookery, oysters, pies, and puddings. It also runs an upstairs cocktail bar (including the Winter Garden), two named private dining rooms (Graham Greene Room and John Betjeman Room) for events and meetings, and an online merchandise shop selling branded apparel, gifts, and restaurant gift vouchers.
Is Rules Restaurant a public or private company?
Rules Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rules Restaurant founded?
Rules Restaurant was founded in 1798. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rules Restaurant based?
Rules Restaurant is headquartered in Covent Garden, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Rules Restaurant make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Dining is the primary driver. The others are cocktail Bar, private Events and online Shop.
Who are Rules Restaurant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Scott's Restaurant, Le Caprice, Brasserie Zédel, J Sheekey, The Ivy, Harry's Bar, Wiltons, Simpsons-in-the-Strand, Quaglino's and The Wolseley.
Does Rules Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rules Restaurant.
What industry is Rules Restaurant in?
Rules Restaurant's product category is Fine Dining Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAA, Fine Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFAIAC, Venue & Banquet Hall Catering. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.