Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill

What Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill does

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill is a privately held, family-owned single-location casual American restaurant and bar operating at 115 W. Dearborn Street in Olde Englewood Village, Englewood, Florida. The business is 100% owned and operated by the Wentzel family (with Dale (D2) leading kitchen operations and Dale (D3) managing front-of-house duties), supported by Executive Chef Michael Ciccarone and Head Server Rick Krizen. Originally founded as Zeke's Bayside Bar and Grill at Royal Palm Marina, the concept relocated to its current Dearborn Street address and was rebranded as Zeke's Uptown; firmographic data lists the founding year as 2010.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week from 7:00 AM, with a menu centered on Gulf Coast seafood (grouper, red snapper, mahi-mahi, Gulf shrimp), rotating weekly dinner specials, and signature items such as Ruby's Maine Lobster Cake. The bar program includes 15 craft beers on tap, a full liquor selection, artisan liquors, weekday happy hours (12-6pm), Sunday $8 domestic pitchers, and premium holiday event menus (Valentine's Day $38-39, New Year's Eve $50-75 per person). Pricing spans from $2.99 breakfast items to multi-course $50+ holiday dinners. Technology is minimal: a WordPress-based website (zekesuptown.com), Facebook organic social, an SMS-based VIP/loyalty club, and a PayPal integration for online gift certificate sales ($25/$50).

The business generates revenue through dine-in food and beverage sales, takeout and delivery, catering/private events (customizable seafood platters), gift certificate sales via the website, and participation in the Englewood Chamber of Commerce's annual "Let's Eat Englewood" Restaurant Week promotion. Customer segments are local Englewood residents and seasonal tourists, with no enterprise accounts or B2B anchor customers. Marketing is locally focused on community events (Englewood Beach Waterfest, Racefest), Facebook, SMS club, and earned media from regional reader's choice awards and TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence (2017-2018). The restaurant has no subsidiaries, no institutional investors, no parent company, and no technology-driven differentiation beyond standard small-business tools.

Name

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill

Legal name

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill

Website

https://zekesuptown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill is a family-owned single-location casual American restaurant and bar in Englewood, Florida, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Gulf Coast seafood, craft beer, and a full liquor bar to local residents and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurant
• Seafood grill
• Breakfast lunch dinner
• Bar and grill
• Gift certificates

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in food and beverage sales: Revenue from serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to walk-in customers. Includes full liquor bar, craft beers, and wine sales alongside food purchases.
2. Gift certificate sales: Sale of gift certificates in $25 and $50 denominations. Valid year-round except Easter Sunday, 4th of July, and Labor Day.
3. Catering and private events: Catering services available for gatherings with customizable seafood platters sourced in advance. Private event hosting for special occasions.
4. Takeout and delivery: Takeout and delivery menus replicating most restaurant offerings with careful packaging to preserve texture.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill is a single-location, family-owned neighborhood bar and grill serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week starting at 7:00 AM, featuring modern American cuisine with a focus on Gulf Coast seafood (grouper, red snapper, Gulf shrimp, mahi-mahi, scallops), daily rotating dinner specials, a full liquor bar with 15 craft beers on tap, and artisan liquors. Supplemental offerings include takeout and delivery with careful packaging, customizable catering platters and private event hosting, and gift certificates available in $25 and $50 denominations sold online via PayPal.

Product overview

Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill is a single-location, family-owned-and-operated neighborhood bar and grill offering casual modern American cuisine. The core offering is all-day dining services (breakfast, lunch, dinner) featuring Gulf Coast seafood specialties, craft beers, and full liquor bar. Supporting products include gift certificates sold via PayPal, catering services, and seasonal holiday special events. The restaurant participates in the annual 'Let's Eat Englewood' restaurant week promotion. The establishment emphasizes fresh, local ingredients with natural meats and Florida produce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dining Services (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Full-service restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week starting at 7:00 AM. Menu features modern American cuisine with seafood specialties, including freshly prepared eggs Benedict variations, sandwiches, salads, and a full liquor bar with 15 craft beers on tap. Sunday 7am–8pm, Monday–Thursday 7am–9pm, Friday–Saturday 7am–9pm; Happy Hour weekdays 12–6pm.
• Gift Certificates Gift certificates available in $25 and $50 denominations with no expiration date, valid year-round except Easter Sunday, 4th of July, and Labor Day. Purchased securely online through PayPal and shipped via USPS with delivery confirmation (average 4–9 day delivery window).
• Gulf Coast Seafood Specialties
• Catering and Private Event Services Customizable seafood platters for gatherings and private events, with menu items sourced in advance to ensure quality. Full takeout and delivery capability with careful packaging to preserve texture; private event hosting for special occasions is also available.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2017 and 2018
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Knot Krazy Offshore Racing TeamminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2015Local racing team based out of North Port, FL. Zeke's hosted a pre-race party and provided prize giveaways worth over $1500. Team displayed boat at Zeke's for photos and autographs. Throttle Rick Krizen is also Head Server at Zeke's.
• Vino LocominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Vino Loco to serve food at the Waterfest VIP Tent during the Englewood Beach Waterfest event.
• Englewood Beach WaterfestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZeke's served as Commodore Sponsor for Waterfest-Racefest 2015. Provided food at VIP Tent, hosted pre-race party, and offered 10% discount to race participants and passport holders.
• Englewood Florida Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipating restaurant in annual 'Let's Eat Englewood' Restaurant Week promotion organized by the Chamber. Offers special fixed-price menus during the event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Others

• Waffle House:

Broad incumbents

• First Watch: Large daytime cafe chain with breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, rotating seasonal specials, and Florida origins. Comparable in daypart mix and casual breakfast/brunch focus but operates at much broader scale than Zeke's single location.
• IHOP: National breakfast-and-beyond casual dining chain with broad American menu and family-friendly positioning. Comparable in breakfast-led demand capture and casual neighborhood diner format, but at substantially larger national scale.
• Denny's: Iconic 24/7 American diner chain offering breakfast, lunch and dinner at value price points. Overlaps with Zeke's all-day breakfast through dinner service and accessible price positioning, though broader in footprint and menu.
• Bonefish Grill: National casual-dining seafood chain with full bar and emphasis on fresh fish preparation. Comparable to Zeke's seafood-led dinner menu and full-bar casual American experience, but operating at significantly broader scale and price point.

Direct peers

• Another Broken Egg Cafe: U.S. breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise emphasizing chef-driven menus with daily specials, full bar service, and a neighborhood-cafe atmosphere. Closely matches Zeke's breakfast/lunch dominance, daily-special model, and casual full-service dining experience.
• Skillet's: Florida-based neighborhood breakfast/lunch concept offering hand-crafted American fare in a casual, full-service setting. Highly comparable to Zeke's in daypart coverage (breakfast through dinner), neighborhood bar-and-grill atmosphere, and small-footprint single-market footprint.
• Ford's Garage: Florida-based casual American bar and grill known for craft beer, burgers, and full liquor bar service in a neighborhood setting. Directly comparable to Zeke's casual American fare, craft beer program (15+ taps), and full-service neighborhood bar-and-grill positioning.
• The Original Pancake House: Long-established breakfast-focused chain with broad American breakfast menus, daily specials, and casual dine-in service. Comparable to Zeke's breakfast-led traffic base, all-day opening, and community-anchored casual dining format.

Emerging players

• Toasted Yolk Cafe: Growing breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise with full bar and creative American comfort food menus. Comparable to Zeke's in breakfast/brunch emphasis and neighborhood full-service format, while still building out regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zekesuptown
• Xx.com/zekesuptown

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Zeke's Uptown Bar & Grill