The Brigantine

What The Brigantine does

The Brigantine, Inc. is a family-owned San Diego-based hospitality group founded in 1969 by the Morton family, currently led by CEO Mike Morton, Jr. The company operates 23 restaurants across 14 locations in San Diego County under 9 distinct brand concepts, anchored by the flagship Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar concept (8 locations: Point Loma, Coronado, Del Mar, Escondido, La Mesa, Poway, Imperial Beach, and Portside Pier). Sister concepts include Miguel's Cocina (5 locations, Baja-inspired Mexican cuisine), Ketch Grill & Taps, in-house craft brewery Ketch Brewing, Portside Coffee & Gelato, Topsail rooftop, Dockside counter-service, The Fish Market, and Top of the Market. The portfolio spans price points and day-parts from casual counter-service seafood to elevated coastal dining, unified by a focus on fresh, locally sourced seafood and waterfront real estate.

The company makes money almost entirely through direct-to-consumer restaurant sales (dine-in, takeout, and delivery), supplemented by private event bookings (capacity 1-200+ guests via TripleSeat), digital and physical gift card sales through a dedicated e-commerce storefront, and a customer loyalty/rewards program. Technology is conventional hospitality infrastructure: ChowNow for online ordering, TripleSeat for event booking, Paylocity for HR/recruiting, and Google Analytics for web measurement, with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary platform, or technology moat. The largest capital asset is the $25 million, 42,000-square-foot Portside Pier waterfront venue opened in July 2020 on San Diego's North Embarcadero, secured via a 2015 Port of San Diego award and home to four distinct restaurant concepts plus a coffee/gelato outlet. The company is private, family-controlled, and has no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

The Brigantine

Legal name

The Brigantine, Inc.

Website

https://brigantine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Brigantine, Inc. is a family-owned San Diego hospitality group founded in 1969, operating 23 restaurants across 14 locations under 9 brand concepts anchored by 8 Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar locations, serving local residents and tourists with fresh seafood, steaks, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-service seafood restaurants

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Seafood restaurant
• Oyster bar dining
• Casual full-service
• Private event catering
• Craft brewery pub

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from food and beverage sales at 8 Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar locations. Full-service dining with lunch, dinner, brunch, happy hour, and oyster bar offerings. Additional revenue from private event bookings and catering services.
2. Online Ordering and Takeout: Direct online ordering through ChowNow platform for takeout orders across all locations.
3. Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift card sales through the Brigantine store website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Brigantine, Inc. operates a family of 23 restaurants across 14 San Diego County locations, anchored by 8 Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar establishments founded in 1969. The portfolio includes nine distinct dining concepts spanning full-service seafood, Mexican cuisine, casual grill, in-house craft brewing, coffee and gelato, rooftop bar, and counter-service seafood. Revenue is generated primarily through dine-in food and beverage sales, supplemented by private events, catering, online takeout ordering, and gift card sales.

Product overview

The Brigantine is a family of restaurants operated by The Brigantine, Inc., a San Diego-based hospitality group founded in 1969 by the Morton family. The company operates 23 restaurants across 14 locations, offering a portfolio of distinct restaurant brands including full-service seafood dining, Mexican cuisine, casual grill and taps, craft brewery, coffee and gelato counter-service, waterfront rooftop bar, and dock-and-dine seafood concepts. The portfolio spans multiple price points and dining occasions from upscale seafood to casual counter-service, unified by the company's focus on fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and community-oriented hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar Flagship upscale seafood and oyster bar concept established in 1969, serving fresh seafood, surf and turf, and award-winning fish tacos across 8 locations in San Diego County.
• Miguel's Cocina Mexican restaurant concept inspired by Baja flavors, featuring hand-pressed tortillas, signature creamy jalapeño white sauce, and authentic cuisine with a California twist; operates 5 locations.
• Ketch Grill & Taps Laid-back dining concept in Point Loma serving beer-battered fish and chips, stacked burgers, and seasonal specials, paired with house-brewed Ketch beer.
• Ketch Brewing In-house craft brewery led by award-winning head brewer Dr. Sam Billheimer, producing award-winning lagers focused on style, balance, and drinkability, with beer served at Ketch Grill & Taps and other Brigantine family locations.
• Portside Coffee & Gelato Counter-service coffee shop and gelateria serving freshly roasted coffee from Cafe Moto, gelato, and desserts, located at Portside Pier waterfront and other locations within the Brigantine family.
• Topsail Rooftop terrace bar and restaurant perched above Portside Pier with panoramic waterfront views, fire pits, and a curated menu of seafood-forward small plates and elevated cocktails.
• Dockside Fast, casual counter-service seafood concept at Portside Pier, offering locally-sourced fresh seafood for dine-in or takeout.
• The Fish Market Seafood restaurant focused on fresh, responsibly sourced seafood simply prepared, honoring the catch and coastal community.
• Top of the Market Elevated coastal dining experience located above The Fish Market, pairing premium seafood with sweeping views of San Diego Bay for special occasions.
• Private Event Hosting Private dining options and customized menus for events including weddings, corporate meetings, birthdays, anniversaries, and retirements, with guest capacity varying by location from 12-100 guests.
• Brigantine Gift Cards Digital eGift certificates delivered by email and physical gift cards mailed within 3-5 business days, available for purchase through the Brigantine store e-commerce website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple locations consistently ranked among best seafood restaurants in San Diego
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ketch BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-house craft brewery led by award-winning head brewer Dr. Sam Billheimer. Produces house-brewed beers including award-winning lagers. Beer is brewed in-house at Ketch Brewing facility and served at Ketch Grill & Taps and other Brigantine family locations.
• Portside Coffee & GelatocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrafted coffee and gelato shop serving early risers and post-dinner visitors. Uses locally roasted beans from Cafe Moto. Located at Portside Pier and other locations within the Brigantine family.
• Port of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2015, the Port of San Diego selected The Brigantine's proposal to replace Anthony's Fish Grotto as part of the San Diego Wonderfront redevelopment. This led to the $25 million Portside Pier development on the North Embarcadero waterfront.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eddie V's Prime Seafood: Darden-operated upscale seafood and steakhouse chain focused on a polished dining experience, lounge programming, and private events. Comparable to Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar on menu mix (prime seafood and steaks), price point, and focus on special-occasion guests.
• Tom Ham's Lighthouse: Iconic San Diego waterfront seafood and steak restaurant on Shelter Island, operating since 1976. Direct local competitor for waterfront dining, special occasions, and tourist traffic in the same San Diego Bay market as Brigantine's Point Loma and Portside Pier locations.
• Anthony's Fish Grotto: Historic San Diego-based seafood restaurant chain that previously occupied the North Embarcadero site Brigantine redeveloped as Portside Pier. Highly relevant peer given shared San Diego seafood heritage, family-owned operating style, and waterfront dining heritage.
• McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks: Landry's-owned national chain of upscale seafood and steak restaurants historically concentrated in coastal downtown markets. Closely comparable in menu positioning (fresh seafood, steaks, oyster bar, private events) and target occasion (business dining, celebrations).
• Bonefish Grill: Outback Steakhouse parent Bloomin' Brands operates this national polished-casual seafood chain. Directly comparable in seafood-forward full-service positioning and occasional steak offerings, though distributed nationally while Brigantine is regionally concentrated.
• King's Seafood Group: Southern California-based multi-concept seafood restaurant operator running multiple brands including 555 East, Lou & Mickey's, and King's Fish House. Directly comparable to Brigantine as a multi-brand seafood hospitality group anchored in waterfront dining and family-style operating philosophy.
• Chart House: Darden-owned upscale waterfront seafood restaurant brand operating at scenic locations including San Diego. Comparable to Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar as a historic, upscale surf-and-turf concept that competes for the same waterfront, special-occasion dining customer in San Diego.
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Landry's-themed casual seafood dining chain set in tourist destinations including waterfront locations. Comparable to Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar on seafood-anchored menu, tourist and family clientele, and waterfront or destination dining formats.
• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: Omaha Steaks-owned upscale steakhouse chain with strong wine program and private dining, also serving seafood. Comparable to Brigantine on the steak-and-seafood menu mix, premium price point, and reliance on private event revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Landry's Inc. Houston-based hospitality conglomerate owning multiple seafood and steak concepts including Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., McCormick & Schmick's, Mitchell's Fish Market, and Saltgrass Steak House. Comparable to Brigantine as a multi-concept seafood/steak portfolio operator, but at substantially larger national scale with gaming and entertainment verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrigantineSD
• Instagraminstagram.com/brigantineseafood
• Xx.com/BrigantineSD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-brigantine-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 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 Brigantine