Howl at the Moon
Howl at the Moon is a privately held live entertainment bar chain operating eight dueling piano venues across the US, serving nightlife seekers, private party groups, and corporate event clients with live music, food, and beverage offerings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Howl at the Moon does
Howl at the Moon is a privately held live entertainment bar chain that operates eight dueling piano venues across the United States — in Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and San Antonio — under the legal entity Howl USA, LLC headquartered in Chicago. The company's core product is a high-energy live dueling piano show in which musicians rotate through instruments and vocals, performing crowd-requested top hits, party classics, and themed sets (Legends of Rock n Roll, Decades Night, Emo Night, 2000s Party). The format is interactive and audience-driven, differentiating the brand from passive live music venues and conventional bars.
Revenue is generated primarily through on-premise bar and beverage sales (signature cocktails, party buckets in 32oz and 86oz formats, mocktails, beer, and wine), private event hosting for occasions ranging from corporate parties and fundraisers to bachelor/bachelorette and birthday celebrations, table reservations, and gift cards. The brand extends beyond owned venues through two sub-brands: Howl2GO, a mobile dueling piano service that brings the show to external venues and events (including performances at Dave & Buster's locations), and Howl at Sea, a cruise entertainment partnership with Norwegian Cruise Lines. Customer segments span individual nightlife seekers, social-occasion groups (birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, divorces), and corporate event buyers, with marketing executed primarily through organic social channels, a blog, email newsletters, and recurring themed event nights. Pricing is set at each location and is quote-based for private events, with no public enterprise pricing disclosed.
Howl at the Moon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Howl at the Moon
- Legal name
- Howl USA, LLC
- Website
- https://howlatthemoon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Howl at the Moon is a privately held live entertainment bar chain operating eight dueling piano venues across the US, serving nightlife seekers, private party groups, and corporate event clients with live music, food, and beverage offerings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Howl at the Moon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nightlife Entertainment / Live Music Bar
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH), Party DJ, Music & Audio Services (HSACACAI)
Keywords
Where Howl at the Moon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
Howl at the Moon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Bar and Beverage Sales: Revenue from alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sales including cocktails, shots, beer, wine, and signature party buckets served at the bar.
- Private Event Hosting: Revenue from hosting private events including corporate parties, birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, holiday events, and other celebrations. Event packages include food and drink options.
- Table Reservations: Revenue from reserved table bookings for groups wanting guaranteed seating during shows.
- Howl2GO Mobile Entertainment: Mobile dueling piano entertainment service that brings the show to external venues and events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Private Event Packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Howl at the Moon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Howl at the Moon operates a chain of eight live dueling piano bars across the U.S. where rotating musicians perform high-energy sets of crowd-requested hits, party classics, and themed nights alongside a full bar menu of cocktails, signature party buckets, and food. Its portfolio is anchored by the live show, extended through the Howl2GO mobile entertainment service, the Howl at Sea cruise partnership, private/corporate event hosting, table reservations, and gift cards.
Product overview
Howl at the Moon is a live music bar chain operating eight nationwide venues, built around its core product: a high-energy dueling piano live show featuring musicians rotating through multiple instruments and vocals. The portfolio consists of the core live entertainment show (offering themed nights such as Legends of Rock n Roll, Decades Night, Emo Night, and 2000's Party), supplemented by a mobile offering (Howl2GO) that brings the dueling piano experience to external venues, and a cruise ship partnership (Howl at Sea) aboard Norwegian Cruise Line. On the food and beverage side, the company offers signature cocktails including Party Buckets in 32oz and 86oz sizes, craft cocktails and shots, non-alcoholic mocktails, and a selection of beer and wine. Services include private event and party booking for occasions ranging from corporate events to bachelor/bachelorette parties, table reservations, and gift cards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Howl2GO: Mobile entertainment service offering
- Howl at Sea
Products and services
- Dueling Pianos Live Show High-energy dueling piano entertainment where musicians rotate instruments and vocals across a single show, performing crowd-requested top hits, party classics, and themed sets including Legends of Rock n Roll, Decades Night, Emo Night, and 2000's Party at Howl at the Moon's U.S. bar venues.
- Private Events & Party Booking Event booking service that hosts private parties at Howl at the Moon venues for corporate events, cocktail receptions, team building, fundraisers, birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and divorce parties, with customizable food packages (dinner stations, light or heavy hors d'oeuvres) and drink packages (open bar, hosted bar tab, drink tickets, cash bar).
- Howl2GO Mobile Entertainment Mobile dueling piano show that travels to external venues and customer-specified locations, bringing the Howl at the Moon live music experience to private events outside the company's bar locations.
- Howl at Sea Cruise Entertainment Dueling piano entertainment experience offered to passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line vessels under the Howl at Sea sub-brand, extending the Howl at the Moon format to cruise audiences.
- Gift Cards Branded gift cards sold for redemption at any Howl at the Moon bar location, usable toward food, beverage, and event purchases.
Companies that use Howl at the Moon
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Howl at the Moon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Howl at the Moon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Norwegian Cruise LinescoreHowl at Sea partnership provides dueling piano entertainment aboard Norwegian Cruise Line vessels, extending the Howl at the Moon brand experience to cruise ship passengers. This partnership expands the brand's geographic reach and provides entertainment for cruise vacationers.
- Dave & Buster'sminorHowl2GO has performed shows at Dave & Buster's locations, such as Tampa, bringing mobile dueling piano entertainment to the arcade and entertainment venue chain.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Howl at the Moon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tin Roof: Tin Roof operates a multi-city US chain of live music bars covering rock, country, and pop — the closest direct peer in the live-music-with-full-bar-and-food category, sharing Howl's multi-city venue strategy and live entertainment core.
- The Big Bang Dueling Pianos: Dueling piano entertainment concept with multi-location presence that directly mirrors Howl at the Moon's signature format, serving private events and venue shows with rotating piano entertainers.
- Rockhouse Saloon: Located on Beale Street in Memphis, a long-running live music bar delivering high-energy cover performances and party entertainment — direct peer in concept as a live music cover-show bar with a similar party-focused audience.
Broad incumbents
- House of Blues: Live Nation-owned chain of music-forward entertainment venues offering ticketed live concerts plus bar/dining — operates across more cities and at larger scale than Howl, overlapping on live music entertainment and F&B.
- Hard Rock Cafe: Globally branded entertainment-restaurant chain combining themed F&B with live music events. A broader incumbent with stronger global reach and IP/branding than Howl's regional presence.
- Dave & Buster's: Large-format entertainment-venue chain offering food, drink, and interactive entertainment at scale — comparable multi-city entertainment venue operator and also an existing Howl2GO performance partner.
- Lucky Strike Entertainment: Specialty entertainment venue chain (bowling and experiential dining) at multiple US locations — shares the multi-city experiential entertainment + F&B venue model, though specializing in bowling over live music.
- Topgolf: Large-scale experiential entertainment venues combining sport-tech gameplay with food and beverage service — analogous as a multi-city entertainment-with-F&B chain, though at materially larger venue sizes.
- Bar Louie: Multi-city US bar and restaurant chain with live entertainment programming and a focus on evening/weekend group occasions — comparable as a scaled bar chain emphasizing nightlife and group gatherings, though broader food focus.
Others
- Punch Line Comedy Club: Multi-city live entertainment venue chain programming stand-up comedy shows with food and drinks — comparable as a live-performance venue chain monetizing ticketed nights plus F&B, though focused on comedy rather than live music.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Howl at the Moon social profiles
Digital presenceHowl at the Moon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Howl at the Moon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Howl at the Moon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Howl at the Moon 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 Howl at the Moon
What does Howl at the Moon do?
Howl at the Moon operates a chain of eight live dueling piano bars across the U.S. where rotating musicians perform high-energy sets of crowd-requested hits, party classics, and themed nights alongside a full bar menu of cocktails, signature party buckets, and food. Its portfolio is anchored by the live show, extended through the Howl2GO mobile entertainment service, the Howl at Sea cruise partnership, private/corporate event hosting, table reservations, and gift cards.
Is Howl at the Moon a public or private company?
Howl at the Moon is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Howl at the Moon founded?
Howl at the Moon was founded in 1990. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Howl at the Moon based?
Howl at the Moon is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Howl at the Moon make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Bar and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Event Hosting, table Reservations and howl2GO Mobile Entertainment.
Who are Howl at the Moon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tin Roof, The Big Bang Dueling Pianos and Rockhouse Saloon. Broad incumbents are House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, Dave & Buster's, Lucky Strike Entertainment, Topgolf and Bar Louie. Punch Line Comedy Club is listed as an others.
Does Howl at the Moon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Howl at the Moon.
What industry is Howl at the Moon in?
Howl at the Moon's product category is Nightlife Entertainment / Live Music Bar. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars, with a secondary code of CRANACAH, Live Music Bars & Venues. Its NAICS code is 71113 and its SIC code is 7900.