Mediterranean Cruise Cafe
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is a family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant in Burnsville, MN, serving local diners with lunch, dinner, and happy hour service, a hookah patio, live entertainment, and off-premise catering for weddings and corporate events across the Twin Cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersBurnsville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mediterranean Cruise Cafe does
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is a family-owned, single-location Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant operating in Burnsville, Minnesota since 2009, with origins tracing back to a 1979 founding in Eagan, MN by Jamal Ansari and his brothers from Jerusalem. The current operation is run by Jamal Ansari alongside his sons Khalid and Rhami, who joined as co-owners during the relocation. The restaurant serves lunch (including a daily buffet), dinner, happy hour, and late-night service, and operates a 50-seat main dining room, a 20-seat private banquet room, a patio hookah lounge, and recurring live entertainment programming such as belly dancing and Salsa Saturdays with cover charges.
The business extends beyond dine-in through Baba's Catering, a dedicated off-premise catering division handling weddings, corporate events, graduations, and private parties, supported by partnerships with more than 20 Twin Cities venues including the Ames Center, Semple Mansion, and Bell Ame Vineyard. The catering line is distributed both directly and through the EZCater marketplace, while a sister-company relationship with Baba's Hummus extends the family brand into Middle Eastern food products. There is no proprietary technology stack; the operation depends on third-party platforms including Toasttab for online ordering, Resy for reservations, Square for payment processing, and EZCater for catering orders. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram, an email newsletter, and event-driven promotion.
Revenue is generated across multiple pay-as-you-go streams: dine-in food and beverage (with menu items ranging from $7 appetizers to $45+ steaks and family-style prix fixe dinners), alcoholic beverages, hookah service ($30/hookah with $12 refills), entertainment cover charges ($20, with a $5 prepay discount), and catering/event contracts. The primary customer segments are local Twin Cities individuals and families for dine-in, couples and families hosting wedding and life events, and corporate clients for business catering. The company is privately held with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding.
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mediterranean Cruise Cafe
- Legal name
- Mediterranean Cruise Cafe
- Website
- https://medcruisecafe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is a family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant in Burnsville, MN, serving local diners with lunch, dinner, and happy hour service, a hookah patio, live entertainment, and off-premise catering for weddings and corporate events across the Twin Cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)
Keywords
Where Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burnsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales: Restaurant generates revenue from selling Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, alcoholic beverages including signature cocktails, wines, and beers, plus hookah services. Operating hours span lunch, dinner, and late-night service with weekend entertainment.
- Catering Services: Baba's Catering provides off-premise catering for weddings, corporate events, graduations, and private parties. Services include full catering delivery and setup for events of various sizes.
- Private Event Hosting: Restaurant hosts private events including weddings, business lunches, receptions, and celebrations in their dedicated banquet room with 20-seat capacity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour Menu - Discounted small plates and drinks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lunch Menu - Mediterranean cuisine items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner Menu - Full-service dinner offerings |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hookah Menu - Patio hookah service |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Catering Services - Off-premise event catering |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe operates a family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant in Burnsville, MN, offering dine-in lunch and dinner service, a happy hour, and a hookah terrace, supplemented by weekly live belly dancing and Latin band entertainment. The business extends into off-premise catering under the Baba's Catering brand for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations, and hosts private events in a dedicated 20-seat banquet room. All food and beverages are prepared in-house using recipes inspired by Jerusalem, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Turkey, and Greece.
Product overview
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe operates as a single-location, multi-service hospitality business consisting of a core restaurant operation with several integrated service modules. The flagship restaurant (core product) provides dine-in services across lunch, dinner, and happy hour periods, while Baba's Catering extends the brand into off-site event catering. Additional modules include a hookah lounge, live entertainment (belly dancing and salsa nights), and private event hosting. The restaurant also partners with various venues for catering events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mediterranean Cruise Cafe Restaurant
Quantifiable outcome
- Recognized as one of the top restaurants in the Twin Cities
Companies that use Mediterranean Cruise Cafe
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Baba's HummuscoreBaba's Hummus is described as a sister company to Mediterranean Cruise Cafe. It blends old and new flavors with a 'traditional with a twist' approach. The company celebrates food and culture with daringly delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.
- ToasttabcoreOnline ordering platform used for direct customer food orders. Restaurant maintains active online menu presence through Toasttab.
- ResycoreRestaurant reservation platform enabling customers to book tables online. Integrated throughout website for appointment scheduling.
- EZCatercoreCatering ordering platform for business and event catering. Restaurant catering is available through EZCater for corporate events and orders.
- The KnotminorWedding planning platform where Baba's Catering by Mediterranean Cruise Cafe maintains a profile to connect with brides for wedding catering inquiries.
- Ames CenterminorFeatured catering venue partner. Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center, opened January 2009. Has two theatres with 1,014 seat and 150 seat Black Box Theatre capacities.
- Semple MansionminorHistoric event venue partner in Minneapolis. Features 26,270 square feet of historic charm with updated luxury. Home to the largest original residential ballroom in Minnesota.
- Bell Ame VineyardminorWedding venue partner offering on-site ceremony and reception facilities with 13 acres of views. Features 5,000+ sqft of indoor event space and covered pavilion with vineyard views.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CAVA: National Mediterranean fast-casual chain operating at scale; competes for the same dining occasions (lunch, casual dinner, catering) with a more limited-service, lower-check model.
- Olive Garden: Large Italian/Mediterranean casual dining chain with a comparable full-service family dining model and lunch/dinner/happy hour programming, but at vastly greater scale and with limited cuisine authenticity.
Direct peers
- Holy Land Deli: Long-established Middle Eastern restaurant and deli in Minneapolis/St. Paul serving similar Levantine cuisine to a comparable local family and event clientele. Direct geographic and conceptual competitor.
- D'Amico Catering: Long-standing Twin Cities catering operation competing for the same wedding, corporate, and private event business that Baba's Catering targets through its venue partnerships.
- Mintahoe Catering: Established Minneapolis-based full-service catering company that competes directly with Baba's Catering in the Twin Cities corporate and event catering market.
- Shish Mediterranean Grill: Multi-location Mediterranean restaurant offering a comparable menu (kabobs, hummus, family-style dining) with dine-in and catering service models similar to Mediterranean Cruise Cafe.
- Saffron Restaurant & Bar: Modern Mediterranean restaurant in Minneapolis with a similar full-service dinner-focused concept, comparable menu positioning, and overlapping Twin Cities dining audience.
Emerging players
- The Halal Guys: Middle Eastern/Mediterranean restaurant brand that scaled from a single cart to a national chain with a similar cuisine focus; competing for the same demographic seeking authentic halal/Mediterranean food.
Regional players
- Mamnoon: Middle Eastern restaurant in Seattle offering modern Levantine cuisine with a similar full-service experiential dining model; operates in a different geography but is closely comparable in concept and check size.
- Galit: Middle Eastern restaurant in Chicago with a comparable fine-casual positioning and heritage-driven Levantine menu; operates in an adjacent Midwestern regional market without direct Twin Cities overlap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe social profiles
Digital presenceMediterranean Cruise Cafe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe 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 Mediterranean Cruise Cafe
What does Mediterranean Cruise Cafe do?
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe operates a family-owned Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant in Burnsville, MN, offering dine-in lunch and dinner service, a happy hour, and a hookah terrace, supplemented by weekly live belly dancing and Latin band entertainment. The business extends into off-premise catering under the Baba's Catering brand for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations, and hosts private events in a dedicated 20-seat banquet room. All food and beverages are prepared in-house using recipes inspired by Jerusalem, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Turkey, and Greece.
Is Mediterranean Cruise Cafe a public or private company?
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Mediterranean Cruise Cafe founded?
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mediterranean Cruise Cafe based?
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe is headquartered in Burnsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mediterranean Cruise Cafe make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and private Event Hosting.
Who are Mediterranean Cruise Cafe's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CAVA and Olive Garden. Direct peers are Holy Land Deli, D'Amico Catering, Mintahoe Catering, Shish Mediterranean Grill and Saffron Restaurant & Bar. The Halal Guys is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Mamnoon and Galit.
Does Mediterranean Cruise Cafe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mediterranean Cruise Cafe.
What industry is Mediterranean Cruise Cafe in?
Mediterranean Cruise Cafe's product category is Casual Dining Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of HSACAGAA, Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise). Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.