Captains Inn

What Captains Inn does

Captain's Inn is a single-location waterfront restaurant and event venue operating at 304 E. Lacey Road in Forked River, New Jersey, on the bend of the Forked River since the early 1950s. The business was originally part of the Riverside Hotel complex and continued as a standalone restaurant after a fire destroyed the main hotel structure. The venue combines three core offerings: a full-service restaurant serving lunch and dinner with seafood-focused menus at entrees ranging from $10-$52, a seasonal Captain's Tiki Bar offering casual seafood fare, tropical cocktails, and live music, and a waterfront weddings and private events service accommodating up to 200 guests with customizable catering packages. A distinctive physical asset is 30 private boat slips allowing guests to arrive by water.

The business operates as a wholly owned concept within Chefs International Inc., a New Jersey-based hospitality group managing multiple restaurants. Captain's Inn serves three primary customer segments: casual diners and locals seeking waterfront dining, wedding and event planners hosting milestone celebrations, and entertainment seekers attending live music events. Revenue is generated through three streams: per-transaction restaurant and Tiki bar sales, custom-quoted wedding and private event packages (described as multi-year contracts), and ancillary online gift card sales through a third-party platform (securetree.com). Distribution is direct-to-consumer at the physical location, supplemented by a Squarespace-hosted website and an Instagram presence (@captainsinn.nj) for marketing and customer engagement. The venue partners with regional wedding photographers for referral-based demand generation.

No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, or digital platform infrastructure is disclosed. Operations are traditional hospitality with standard third-party tools for web and gift card commerce. The company is privately held with no public revenue disclosures, no funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no disclosed leadership team beyond the parent group affiliation. Geographic footprint is restricted to a single New Jersey location serving the Ocean County market.

Name

Captains Inn

Legal name

Chefs International Inc.

Website

https://captainsinnnj.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Captain's Inn is a single-location waterfront restaurant and event venue in Forked River, NJ, operating since the 1950s under Chefs International Inc. It offers seafood dining, a seasonal Tiki bar with live music, and waterfront weddings and private events for up to 200 guests, with 30 boat slips for arriving guests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Forked River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Revenue from food and beverage sales through restaurant dining including lunch, dinner, and bar service
2. Private Events and Weddings: Revenue from hosting private events, weddings, and celebrations with customizable packages for up to 200 guests
3. Tiki Bar and Entertainment: Revenue from Tiki bar sales including cocktails, beer, wine, and casual seafood fare during live music events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Captain's Inn is a waterfront restaurant and hospitality venue on the Forked River in Forked River, NJ, offering fresh seafood and comfort food across lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch menus, a seasonal Captain's Tiki Bar with casual fare and live music, and full-service waterfront wedding and private event hosting for up to 200 guests. The venue includes 30 boat slips for arriving guests and operates as part of the Chefs International Inc. restaurant group.

Product overview

Captain's Inn is a single-location waterfront restaurant and hospitality venue offering multiple dining experiences: a full-service restaurant serving dinner and lunch with seafood-focused menus, an outdoor seasonal Tiki Bar with casual fare and live music, and private event/wedding hosting capabilities. The venue provides diverse menu offerings across multiple price points including happy hour specials, and hosts regular live entertainment. The business operates as a unified waterfront dining destination rather than a platform with modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Captain's Tiki Bar: Seasonal waterfront tiki bar featuring casual seafood fare, local libations, and live music on a covered waterfront dock.
• Captain's Inn Restaurant

Products and services

• Restaurant Dining
• Captain's Tiki Bar

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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.

• The Meyer Photo & Video GroupminorOthersWedding photography vendor whose work is featured in the Captain's Inn wedding gallery showcasing waterfront wedding celebrations at the venue.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Maritime Parc: Waterfront restaurant and event venue in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ with private dining and wedding hosting overlooking NYC skyline and marina — comparable premium waterfront event/dining model in the broader NJ market.
• The Lobster House: Iconic waterfront seafood restaurant in Cape May, NJ at a fishing harbor with raw bar, casual dining, and scenic boat-side seating. Directly comparable on seafood-forward waterfront dining at a working marina.
• The Reeds at Shelter Haven: Upscale waterfront resort in Stone Harbor, NJ with on-site restaurants, private dining, and event hosting overlooking a marina — comparable combination of waterfront dining and event venue in the NJ shore market.
• The Blue Pig Tavern: Casual tavern at the Congress Hall resort in Cape May, NJ offering American comfort food, cocktails, and live entertainment — comparable shore-market casual dining plus entertainment venue concept.
• Windrift Hotel: Beachfront hotel, restaurant, and event venue in Avalon, NJ with live music, casual dining, and ocean-view event space — analogous NJ shore hospitality venue combining lodging-adjacent dining with entertainment programming.
• The Molly Pitcher Inn: Historic waterfront hotel in Red Bank, NJ with on-site restaurant, banquet facilities, and marina views. Comparable NJ waterfront hospitality venue combining dining, events, and scenic river/harbor setting.
• The Riverhouse: Waterfront restaurant and event venue in Brielle, NJ on the Manasquan River offering similar full-service dining, raw bar, private events, and marina-adjacent guest experience. Closest comparable NJ shore waterfront dining + events concept.

Emerging players

• Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar: Casual upscale American restaurant and bar in Hoboken, NJ with private event hosting — overlaps on event-driven dining revenue model though without waterfront/marina positioning.
• The Madison Hotel: Boutique hotel in Madison, NJ with multiple on-site restaurants, rooftop bar, and private event/wedding hosting — comparable event-driven hospitality venue, though not waterfront.

Broad incumbents

• Bonefish Grill: National seafood-focused casual dining chain — overlaps on seafood-centric menu and mid-market event/group dining, though operating at much broader scale and without waterfront/marina positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/captainsinn.nj
• Instagraminstagram.com/captainsinn.nj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/captains-inn

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 Captains Inn