Sophie's Cuban

What Sophie's Cuban does

Sophie's Cuban is a privately held, family-owned Cuban cuisine restaurant chain headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in June 1997 by Manuela Matos, the company operates 10 physical restaurant locations across New York City — 9 in Manhattan covering Bryant Park, Flatiron, Financial District, Hell's Kitchen, Lenox Hill, Tribeca, Union Square, Midtown East, and Midtown West, plus one Brooklyn Heights location at 27 Smith Street. The chain serves traditional Cuban sandwiches, entrees, and empanadas, anchored by a proprietary seven-ingredient Green Sauce that has become a brand signature and is now packaged for retail sale in 12 oz reusable squeeze bottles. The business is currently operated by the founder's three daughters — Sofia Luna (Co-Founder & President), Patricia Luna (Co-Founder & Partner), and Mila Luna (Vice President) — alongside Chef Eduardo Morgado, who has been with the company since its opening and serves as Director of Back of House Operations.

The company generates revenue through three channels: (1) dine-in and takeout sales at its 10 restaurant locations, (2) digital orders placed through the proprietary online ordering platform (order.sophiescuban.com) and the Sophie's Rewards loyalty mobile application available on iOS and Android, and (3) corporate and event catering — including buffet packages, sandwich boxes, and freshly fried empanadas — booked through a dedicated catering site (catering.sophiescuban.com) with in-house delivery and setup. In April 2023, the company opened a commissary kitchen at 630 Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which serves as both its operational headquarters and a centralized food preparation facility that supplies all 10 retail locations, enabling consistent execution and supporting future multi-unit expansion.

Sophie's Cuban is structured as Sophie's Cuban Cuisine SCCF, LLC, a New York limited liability company, and is entirely family-owned with no disclosed external institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. The company employs a hybrid GTM motion: direct-to-consumer through physical storefronts and a mobile loyalty program targeting NYC metro consumers, and direct B2B sales through its catering arm serving corporate clients, meetings, and large-scale functions. No revenue, ARR, GMV, or funding figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Sophie's Cuban

Legal name

Sophie's Cuban Cuisine SCCF, LLC

Website

https://sophiescuban.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sophie's Cuban is a family-owned Cuban restaurant chain operating 10 locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, NYC. Founded in 1997, the company serves Cuban sandwiches, entrees, and empanadas through dine-in, online ordering, a mobile loyalty app, and corporate catering, supported by a centralized Williamsburg commissary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cuban Restaurant Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Cuban restaurant chain
• Event catering services
• Online food ordering
• Loyalty mobile app
• Corporate meal programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 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. Restaurant Dining Sales: Revenue from food and beverage sales at 10 physical restaurant locations across NYC, including dine-in and takeout orders
2. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering including buffet packages, sandwich boxes, and empanadas for functions
3. Online and App Ordering: Digital ordering through website and mobile applications for takeout and delivery

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sophie's Cuban operates a multi-location Cuban restaurant chain serving authentic Cuban sandwiches, entrees, empanadas, and its proprietary seven-ingredient Green Sauce across 10 locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The company supplements dine-in and takeout with a digital ordering platform (website and mobile apps), a loyalty program (Sophie's Rewards), and a catering service offering buffet packages, sandwich boxes, and empanadas for corporate and private events.

Product overview

Sophie's Cuban Cuisine operates as a multi-location restaurant chain offering Cuban cuisine with 10 locations (9 in Manhattan, 1 in Brooklyn). The company operates a unified offering consisting of in-restaurant dining, an online ordering platform (order.sophiescuban.com), and catering services (catering.sophiescuban.com). The product portfolio includes signature food items such as the famous Green Sauce (7-ingredient sauce in reusable squeeze bottles), freshly fried empanadas, buffet style catering packages, and sandwich box catering options. A mobile loyalty application (Sophie's Rewards) is available on iOS and Android. The company was founded in 1997 and is currently led by the Luna family (Sofia, Patricia, and Mila Luna).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sophie's Cuban Restaurant Dining In-restaurant dining and takeout service at 10 physical locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn offering authentic Cuban sandwiches, entrees, and empanadas. Open to walk-in customers during posted hours for dine-in and takeout.
• Online Ordering Platform Web-based platform enabling customers to place food orders for pickup and delivery from any of Sophie's Cuban locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn.
• Catering Services Corporate and event catering offering buffet style packages, sandwich boxes, and freshly fried empanadas for small and large scale functions, with delivery and setup by Sophie's team members.
• Sophie's Rewards Mobile App Loyalty program mobile application available on iOS and Android that enables customers to earn rewards and engage with the Sophie's Cuban brand.
• Green Sauce (12oz Squeeze Bottle) Signature proprietary green sauce made with seven ingredients, available in 12 oz reusable squeeze bottles for catering events and retail purchase.
• Buffet Style Catering Packages Catering packages featuring choice of protein plus four sides or salads, with delivery and setup by Sophie's team members, suited for large groups and corporate functions.
• Sandwich Box Catering Individually packaged catering boxes featuring a premium sandwich, drink, and chips, designed for corporate meal programs, board meetings, and staff outings.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Havana Central: NYC-based Cuban restaurant and bar chain operating multiple Manhattan locations. Directly comparable as a Cuban cuisine casual-dining competitor targeting the same midtown lunch and dinner occasion as Sophie's.
• Guantanamera: Traditional Cuban restaurant in Midtown Manhattan serving sandwiches, entrees, and rum-based cocktails. Closely comparable cuisine category and Manhattan customer base, though sit-down rather than quick-service format.
• Dig Inn: NYC-based fast-casual chain focused on seasonal bowls and proteins with strong catering arm. Closely comparable as a Manhattan-anchored lunch-focused chain with parallel catering business and digital ordering emphasis.
• Café Habana: NYC Cuban/Mexican corner restaurant famous for grilled corn and Cuban sandwiches. Directly comparable as a NYC Cuban cuisine operator with cult following and a single-flagship format emphasizing authentic recipes.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Large fast-casual chain serving Latin-inspired build-your-own bowls and burritos. Comparable as a fast-casual quick-service restaurant operator in NYC, though at vastly greater scale and with broader cuisine positioning.
• Shake Shack: NYC-born fast-casual chain with multiple Manhattan and Brooklyn locations. Comparable as a multi-unit New York quick-service brand with strong local identity, loyalty/online ordering infrastructure, and expansion ambitions.
• Sweetgreen: Tech-forward fast-casual salad chain with significant NYC presence, mobile app loyalty program, and catering operations. Comparable business model overlap (digital ordering, loyalty app, corporate catering) despite different cuisine category.
• CAVA: Fast-casual Mediterranean chain with growing NYC footprint and digital/catering infrastructure. Comparable as a multi-unit fast-casual operator leveraging mobile ordering, loyalty, and catering for repeat engagement.
• Potbelly Sandwich Shop: National sandwich-focused fast-casual chain with catering business. Comparable as a sandwich-centric chain with parallel catering and loyalty programs, though operating at national scale versus Sophie's regional footprint.

Emerging players

• Chopt Creative Salad Co. NYC-originated fast-casual chain with build-your-own menu model, mobile ordering, and catering services. Comparable multi-unit NYC quick-service positioning and parallel digital + catering channel strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sophiescuban
• Facebookfacebook.com/SophiesCuban

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Sophie's Cuban