The Highball

What The Highball does

The Highball is a single-location bar and entertainment venue operated within Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's South Lamar theater at 1120 S Lamar Blvd in Austin, Texas, founded in 2009 and operating with 11-50 employees. The venue serves nightlife and entertainment seekers in Austin with craft beer, custom cocktails, a food menu, and themed entertainment programming including drag queen game shows, live music performances, themed nights such as "80's Obsession" and "Dungeons & Drafthouse," and private karaoke bookings in themed and private karaoke rooms.

The business operates as a venue concept under Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a privately held chain owned by Alamo Intermediate II Holdings, LLC with Sony Pictures Entertainment as a key investor. Revenue is generated through on-site bar and food service plus ticketed events sold primarily via Eventbrite and through the parent Alamo Drafthouse digital ecosystem, including drafthouse.com, mobile apps on iOS and Android, and the Victory Rewards loyalty program. Distribution is purely physical and local, with one venue in Austin, TX, and pricing is not publicly disclosed though food and drink menu pricing is available via PDF. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no subsidiaries; it is a non-public LLC with no ticker.

The Highball's core product is an integrated bar-plus-interactive-entertainment experience — craft cocktails and food are paired with ticketed, themed entertainment events that drive repeat visitation. The competitive positioning rests on the unique combination of themed karaoke rooms and a curated live events program within the Alamo Drafthouse brand ecosystem, rather than on any proprietary technology or software stack. There is no API, no SDK, no disclosed integrations, and no AI or ML capabilities; the venue's technology footprint is limited to standard mobile apps, Eventbrite ticketing, and PDF menu distribution.

Name

The Highball

Legal name

The Highball (Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar venue)

Website

https://thehighball.bar

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Highball is a single-location bar and entertainment venue at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's South Lamar theater in Austin, Texas, offering craft cocktails, food, themed and private karaoke rooms, and ticketed live entertainment events to nightlife seekers and small private event bookers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nightlife Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Nightlife entertainment venue
• Karaoke bar
• Craft cocktail bar
• Live music venue
• Private event space

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Highball is a bar and entertainment venue at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's South Lamar location in Austin, Texas, offering craft beers, custom cocktails, and a food menu alongside themed and private karaoke rooms and ticketed live entertainment events including drag queen game shows, themed nights, and live music performances.

Product overview

The Highball is a bar and entertainment venue operated by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at its South Lamar location in Austin, TX. It functions as a single unified bar product offering craft beers, custom cocktails, and a food menu alongside entertainment services including themed and private karaoke rooms, live music events, and drag queen game shows. The venue operates with extended bar hours and hosts various ticketed events throughout the week.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Highball Bar A bar and entertainment venue at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar offering craft beers, custom cocktails, and flavorful food bites to walk-in guests and venue visitors.
• Themed and Private Karaoke Rooms Private karaoke rooms where guests can sing and perform in themed environments, with recurring themed events including Drag Queen Game Shows, 80s Obsession nights, and Dungeons & Drafthouse sessions.
• Food & Drink Menu Bar menu featuring craft beers, custom cocktails, and food items available at the South Lamar location for on-site consumption.
• Ticketed Live Entertainment Events Live entertainment events such as Drag Queen Game Show, themed 80s Obsession nights, Dungeons & Drafthouse sessions, and live music performances, ticketed through Eventbrite and hosted at the South Lamar venue.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alamo Drafthouse CinemaflagshipOthersThe Highball operates as the bar and entertainment component within Alamo Drafthouse's South Lamar theater location. The venue is branded as 'The Highball - South Lamar | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema' and leverages Alamo Drafthouse's food and drink menu system, Victory Rewards program, and ticketing infrastructure.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Kings Dining & Entertainment: Kings combines bowling, full-service dining, bars, and entertainment under one roof with a nightlife-adjacent feel, analogous to The Highball's integrated bar + entertainment format.
• Sing Sing Karaoke: Sing Sing is a themed karaoke and cocktail bar featuring private rooms and immersive interiors, closely matching The Highball's themed-room karaoke + craft cocktail positioning.
• Punch Bowl Social: Punch Bowl Social operates multi-concept eatertainment venues combining food, craft cocktails, and entertainment (bowling, karaoke, games) — directly comparable to The Highball's bar + live entertainment + karaoke mix.
• Voicebox Karaoke: Voicebox operates themed private-room karaoke bars with craft cocktails and full food service, closely mirroring The Highball's signature combination of themed/private karaoke + craft bar + entertainment.
• Pure Karaoke: Pure Karaoke runs high-end themed private-room karaoke venues with full bar service across multiple U.S. markets, directly comparable to The Highball's private-room karaoke + bar concept.

Broad incumbents

• Bowlero: Bowlero is a large-scale bowling-and-entertainment chain with bars, arcades, and event programming at far greater scale than The Highball, representing a broader eatertainment incumbent competing for the same experiential nightlife dollar.
• Dave & Buster's: Dave & Buster's is a national eatertainment chain combining arcade gaming, full bar service, and event space — a broader incumbent targeting the same group experiential-nightlife segment as The Highball.
• Lucky Strike Entertainment: Lucky Strike operates bowling + bar + entertainment venues nationwide as part of a larger portfolio, comparable as a broader eatertainment incumbent to The Highball's single-site nightlife-entertainment approach.

Regional players

• Whisler's: Whisler's is an Austin cocktail bar with live music programming in a craft/curated format, comparable to The Highball as an Austin-based craft bar layering in live entertainment and event programming.
• The Continental Club: The Continental Club is an iconic Austin live-music bar on the same South Congress-adjacent nightlife circuit, directly comparable as a local competitor vying for The Highball's bar + live entertainment spend in Austin.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highballaustin
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlamoDrafthouse
• TikToktiktok.com/@drafthouse

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 The Highball