BB King's Blues Club

What BB King's Blues Club does

BB King's Blues Club is a privately held restaurant and live-entertainment venue operator founded in 1991, headquartered at 143 Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. The company operates two physical locations — the flagship on historic Beale Street and a second site in Montgomery, Alabama — under licensing of the B.B. King's brand, which is associated with one of the most iconic blues musicians in history. A third venue referenced on the company website ("At the Seas") suggests ongoing geographic expansion beyond the core two-location footprint. The business is owned and operated within the Beale Street Blues Company parent structure.

The company's core offering integrates four revenue streams at each location: full-service food and beverage, nightly live blues performances (featuring local and touring musicians), venue rental for private and corporate events, and branded merchandise sold through an on-site shop and an online storefront. The Memphis flagship runs daily from 10 AM to 12 AM, with reservations processed through a partnership with OpenTable. Distribution is omnichannel, combining walk-in foot traffic on Beale Street, third-party reservation platforms, an Instagram presence, and an email newsletter for direct consumer engagement. Pricing is determined at the venue level and is not publicly disclosed.

The company is organized as a small chain under the Beale Street Blues Company umbrella, with a reported headcount of 251–500 employees. Its customers split between general consumer diners and live-music patrons visiting Beale Street, plus a secondary segment of corporate and private event bookers. No external funding, M&A, leadership change, or technology-platform signals are documented in the available data; the company's strategic footprint is concentrated in the U.S. Southeast, with no disclosed international operations.

Name

BB King's Blues Club

Website

https://bbkingclubs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

BB King's Blues Club operates two Memphis- and Montgomery-based restaurant and live blues entertainment venues under the B.B. King's brand, serving general diners, tourists, and private event bookers through on-site F&B, nightly music, and branded merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue and Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)

Keywords

• Live blues music
• Restaurant dining
• Private event venue
• Nightlife entertainment
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

BB King's Blues Club operates restaurant and live blues music entertainment venues in Memphis, Tennessee and Montgomery, Alabama. Core offerings include full-service food and beverage dining, nightly live blues music performances, private event hosting, and branded merchandise sales. The flagship Memphis venue is located on historic Beale Street and operates daily from 10 AM to 12 AM.

Product overview

BB King's Blues Club is a live entertainment venue and restaurant chain with two locations in Memphis, Tennessee and Montgomery, Alabama. The club offers a unified experience combining dining services with nightly live blues music performances. Core services include food and beverage operations, live music entertainment, private event hosting, and merchandise sales. Reservations are managed through OpenTable for the Memphis location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food & Dining Full-service restaurant dining experience serving food and beverages at BB King's Blues Club locations in Memphis, Tennessee and Montgomery, Alabama. Open daily 10 AM - 12 AM.
• Live Music Entertainment Nightly live blues music performances featuring local and touring musicians at both the Memphis and Montgomery club locations.
• Private Events Venue rental services for private parties, corporate events, and special occasions at the Memphis Blues Club location.
• Merchandise Shop Online shop offering BB King's Blues Club branded merchandise and collectibles.
• Reservations Table reservation system allowing customers to book dining seats at the Memphis location via the OpenTable platform.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OpenTableminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOpenTable is used as a reservation platform partner for the Memphis B.B. King's Blues Club location, allowing customers to book tables online.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hard Rock Cafe: Global themed restaurant and entertainment chain combining memorabilia-driven dining with live music events — comparable as a brand-led, music-themed hospitality experience at much larger scale.
• Planet Hollywood: Themed entertainment restaurant chain leveraging celebrity and pop-culture IP — comparable as a globally branded, experience-driven dining concept with merchandise retail.

Direct peers

• House of Blues: Live music venue chain with full-service restaurant and bar offerings, deeply themed around blues and roots music — the closest direct competitor to BB King's Blues Club in format, audience, and programming.
• Blues Alley: Washington D.C.-based jazz and blues supper club offering dinner-and-music programming — directly comparable operating model as a genre-specific live music dining venue.
• The Bluebird Cafe: Iconic Nashville listening-room and restaurant offering intimate live music with food service — directly comparable format of paid-entry live music paired with dining.
• Rum Boogie Cafe: Blues-focused restaurant and live music venue on Beale Street in Memphis — a same-street direct competitor offering similar food, drink, and nightly blues performances.

Regional players

• Tootsie's Orchid Lounge: Famous Nashville honky-tonk combining live country music with bar service on Broadway — comparable operating model in a different music tourism geography.

Emerging players

• Tin Roof: Multi-location live music bar chain featuring nightly acts and full bar service — comparable as a smaller-scale, music-first bar and restaurant concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 BB King's Blues Club