Pioneer Bar

What Pioneer Bar does

Pioneers Bar (also trading as PIONEERS) is a single-location bar and entertainment venue operating at 138 W 29th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Founded on December 12, 2012 — when it became the first bar on 29th Street in over a century — the business occupies approximately 3,000 square feet of bar and lounge space equipped with skylights, a 12ft by 14ft projector, and multiple big-screen televisions. The venue operates daily from 2:30pm to 3am and offers a wheelchair-accessible entrance. Its primary customer base consists of walk-in retail consumers including local Chelsea and Midtown office workers, residents, sports fans attending events at nearby Madison Square Garden, and patrons of adjacent comedy venues such as The PIT Comedy Theater and Fishbowl Comedy Room.

The venue's product surface combines a full bar (24 draft beers featuring local favorites, a full spirits list, frozen margaritas), a limited food menu (personal pizzas, hot popcorn, Zapp's Voodoo chips), and an unusually broad amusement layer for a neighborhood bar: a pool table, Star Wars and Godzilla pinball machines (the former rated Top 100 by Pinside.com), a Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga arcade cabinet at $1 per play, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four, and Hoop Fever basketball. Programming includes Weekend Warrior Open Mic every Saturday hosted by Shareef Taher, an APA New York City Wednesday night pool league, an in-house art program featuring NYC artist Asher Rogers, and sports watch parties tied to events like the World Cup and Knicks NBA Finals.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and transaction-based. Revenue derives from per-unit beverage and food sales supplemented by daily happy hour promotions ($2 off drinks Monday–Thursday 2:30–6PM and 11pm–Close, all day Sunday), daily specials (e.g., $9.99 Magic Marg Mondays, $30 Bud Light pitchers with pizza on Thursdays), and private event rentals for office parties, birthdays, showers, and corporate gatherings. The go-to-market motion is primarily organic: Instagram (@PioneersBar), the Squarespace-hosted website, and proximity-driven foot traffic from MSG, Penn Station, and adjacent comedy venues. Pioneers is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional backing; ownership appears to be founder/individual-operated with a lean staff of 9 employees.

Name

Pioneer Bar

Website

https://pioneersbar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pioneers Bar is a single-location Chelsea, Manhattan bar and entertainment venue founded in 2012, serving walk-in consumers and private event bookers with a 3,000 sq ft space featuring 24 draft beers, bar food, pinball, arcade games, and recurring programming like open mic and pool league nights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bar & Lounge / Hospitality

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer bar
• Sports bar
• Bar food service
• Live entertainment venue
• Event space rental

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue from selling alcoholic beverages (draft beer, bottles, cans, liquor, frozen drinks) and food items (pizza, popcorn, chips). Revenue is transaction-based, driven by foot traffic and events.
2. Event Space Rental: Revenue from hosting private events including office parties, birthdays, showers, and corporate gatherings. Drink specials can be arranged for groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pioneer Bar operates a full-service neighborhood bar at 138 W 29th St in Chelsea, Manhattan, selling alcoholic beverages (24 draft beers, spirits, frozen margaritas) and bar food (pizza, popcorn, Zapp's chips). The 3,000-square-foot venue layers in on-site entertainment — pool table, pinball machines, Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four, Hoop Fever basketball — and offers private event space rentals, weekly open mic comedy, and sports watch parties as additional revenue streams.

Product overview

Pioneers Bar is a Chelsea, NYC bar and entertainment venue established December 12, 2012, offering a unified hospitality experience centered on its core bar service, food menu, and extensive game offerings. The venue combines drinks service (24 draft beers, full spirits, frozen margaritas) with recreational amenities including pool, pinball machines (Godzilla and Star Wars), Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga arcade, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four, and Hoop Fever basketball. The 3,000 square foot space also hosts private events and features weekly entertainment like Weekend Warrior Open Mic. Daily happy hour specials and sports watch parties (World Cup, NBA Finals) complement the core offerings. No AI, API, or technical product integrations are present.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pioneers Bar - Drinks & Bar Service Full-service bar offering 24 beers on draft featuring local favorites, fully stocked bar with spirits (gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, cordials), frozen margaritas, and daily drink specials. Targeted at adult walk-in customers seeking on-premise beverage service.
• Pioneers Bar - Food Service Bar food menu featuring fresh hot personal pizzas (with toppings like extra cheese, spinach, buffalo chicken, bruschetta), in-house popcorn, and Zapp's Voodoo thin potato chips. Targeted at on-premise bar patrons.
• Pool Table Pool table available for casual play and league competition, including APA NYC Pool League on Wednesday nights.
• Pinball Machines (Godzilla & Star Wars) Classic arcade pinball machines including Star Wars (rated top 100 by Pinside.com) and Godzilla, available for play at $1 per game.
• Ms. Pac-Man & Galaga Arcade Machine Classic arcade cabinet featuring Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga games, located in the back of the bar, $1 per play.
• Giant Jenga Enormous Jenga tower game for competitive play, supports multiple simultaneous games and tournaments.
• Giant Connect Four Extra-large version of the classic Connect Four strategy game for patrons.
• Hoop Fever Basketball Classic arcade basketball shooting game for solo or competitive two-player play.
• Event Space & Venue Rental 3,000 square feet of bar and lounge space available for parties, corporate events, meetups, birthdays, and showers, featuring skylights, 12ft by 14ft projector, and multiple big-screen TVs. Targeted at private event and corporate group bookers.
• Weekend Warrior Open Mic Weekly open mic comedy event held every Saturday at 1 PM, hosted by Shareef Taher, featuring $5 cash for 5 minutes of stage time.
• Sports Watch Parties World Cup and major sports event watch parties shown on multiple TVs throughout the venue, including NBA Finals and Knicks games, targeted at sports fans attending events at Madison Square Garden.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000 square feet of bar and lounge space available for events and gatherings
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• APA New York City (Pool League)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Wednesday Night Pool League partnership running summer 2025 (until 9/3/2025), Wednesdays 7-10PM. APA New York City league members gather at Pioneers for organized pool competition.
• The PIT Comedy TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PIT Comedy Theater is located nearby, and Pioneers Bar is promoted as a nearby bar for comedy patrons. The PIT also hosts improv jams and open mics that may drive traffic to Pioneers.
• Asher Rogers (Artist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based artist Asher Rogers' original paintings are featured throughout Pioneers Bar and on the website. Customers can purchase paintings seen at the bar or commission original works.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Yard House: Yard House is a national chain with 100+ draft beers, sports viewing, and a large food menu; broadly comparable as a larger sports-bar operator that competes for similar sports-fan and group-event occasions, though at chain scale.

Direct peers

• The Dead Rabbit: The Dead Rabbit is a high-profile NYC cocktail bar focused on craft cocktails and bar programming; directly comparable as an independently operated Manhattan bar with strong drink program and event-driven reputation.
• The Ainsworth: The Ainsworth is a New York sports bar brand with multiple locations emphasizing big-screen sports viewing, private events, and a food/drinks menu; directly comparable sports-bar concept with similar event-driven positioning.
• Bounce Sporting Club: Bounce is a NYC sports bar that layers entertainment (ping pong, foosball) onto its drinks program; directly comparable as an entertainment-augmented sports bar concept competing for the same sports-fan and group-event clientele.
• The Tippler: The Tippler is a Chelsea bar located in the same neighborhood as Pioneers, offering cocktails, beer, and a casual neighborhood vibe; directly comparable as a Chelsea/Midtown neighborhood bar competing for the same local office and resident traffic.
• Houston Hall: Houston Hall is a large-scale beer hall and bar in NYC's West Chelsea/Garment District offering draft beer, food, and event space; directly comparable Manhattan bar targeting similar office workers and event groups in the Chelsea vicinity.
• Stout NYC: Stout is a multi-level sports bar in Midtown Manhattan with extensive TV coverage and large capacity for sports watch parties; directly comparable as a Manhattan sports bar chasing the same MSG and corporate crowd.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pioneersbar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pioneer-bar

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 Pioneer Bar