Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro

What Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro does

Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro is a privately held, multi-location independent cafe and bistro operator headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, founded on Valentine's Day 2006 by brothers Chris McArthur and Michael McArthur. The company operates four physical cafe locations across Lakeland — Downtown (flagship in a restored 1903 building), Lake Morton (at the Lakeland Public Library), Southside (South Lakeland), and Lakeland Hills (inside Lakeland Regional Health's Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children) — serving differentiated daypart and segment demand with a unified menu built around locally roasted Patriot Coffee, espresso beverages, breakfast sandwiches, signature sandwiches, salads, nourish bowls, soups, flatbreads, and desserts.

The revenue model is a direct-to-consumer retail model with four primary streams: in-cafe food and beverage sales across all locations, corporate and event catering (operated via the ezCater platform from Downtown and Southside), online ordering and delivery through a proprietary iOS/Android app and website on the Incentivio platform, and gift card sales. The loyalty layer (Black & Brew Rewards) supports customer retention, and ancillary revenue includes dinner service and craft beer/wine specials at the Downtown location. Pricing spans $2.75 for espresso up to $15.65 for nourish bowls, with catering bundles priced $57–$175.

The technology stack is built on third-party SaaS integrations rather than proprietary technology: Incentivio for e-commerce ordering and gift cards, ezCater for catering distribution, Workstream for applicant tracking, and native iOS/Android apps. There is no disclosed proprietary platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no research publications or patents. The company emphasizes local sourcing (Patriot Coffee Roasters, Born & Bread Bakehouse, Kelley's Apiary, Cravory Co, A Cow Named MOO) and community engagement (kidsPACK, United Way, Saturday Morning Fun Run) as core brand pillars.

Name

Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro

Legal name

Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro, Inc.

Website

https://blackandbrew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro operates four independently run cafe and bistro locations across Lakeland, Florida, serving locally roasted coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and catering to general consumers, healthcare workers, library visitors, and local businesses since 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty coffeehouse and bistro

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars (THAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee beverages
• Cafe and bistro dining
• Corporate catering services
• Breakfast and lunch menu
• Community coffeehouse

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: In-cafe sales of coffee beverages, espresso drinks, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbreads, and desserts across all 4 locations. Menu features locally roasted Patriot Coffee and quality ingredients.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering including sandwich bundles, salad bundles, boxed lunches, soup platters, breakfast platters, and beverage service. Orders placed through ezCater platform.
3. Online Ordering and Delivery: Digital ordering through own app and website for pickup or delivery. Mobile app includes Black & Brew Rewards program for customer retention.
4. Gift Cards: Gift card sales through incentivio platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Black & Brew operates four physical cafe and bistro locations in Lakeland, Florida, serving locally roasted Patriot Coffee espresso and coffee beverages, fresh breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, plus desserts. The company supplements dine-in retail with corporate and event catering ordered through ezCater, mobile-app-based pickup and delivery through Incentivio, gift card sales, and a Black & Brew Rewards loyalty program.

Product overview

Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro is a multi-location casual dining chain operating four cafes across Lakeland, Florida (Downtown flagship, Lake Morton, Southside, and Lakeland Hills). The company offers a unified bistro experience centered on locally roasted Patriot coffee and espresso beverages, fresh breakfast items (signature breakfast sandwiches and granola bowls), lunch/dinner fare (signature sandwiches, flatbreads, salads, soups, nourish bowls), and desserts. Catering services and a loyalty rewards program (Black & Brew Rewards) extend the brand beyond dine-in. Each location maintains its own hours and menu variations, with dinner and alcohol specials (craft beer and featured wines) available at the downtown location. The product portfolio functions as a single unified cafe concept with location-specific customizations rather than separate product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Downtown Cafe (Flagship)
• Lake Morton Cafe

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• kidsPACKminorOthers · 1 January 2011Non-profit organization fighting child hunger in Polk, Hillsborough, and Hardee counties. Black & Brew spotlights kidsPACK on blog and supports their mission through community awareness.
• United Way of Central FloridaminorOthers · 1 January 2011Annual Pumpkin Latte Giveaway to benefit United Way. Customers donate $1 for a free Pumpkin Pie latte. Black & Brew has raised thousands over 10 years. Additional $200 donation to top-referring partner agency.
• Patriot Coffee RoasterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Lakeland coffee roaster providing small-batch roasted coffee featured at all Black & Brew locations. Coffee tote included with catering orders.
• Born & Bread BakehousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal baker providing country loaf bread for sandwiches and toast platters. Featured in catering toast platter offerings.
• A Cow Named MOOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal company providing ice cream sandwiches featured on menu.
• Cravory CominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal company providing macarons featured in pastry offerings.
• Kelley's ApiaryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal apiary providing honey featured in various menu items including granola bowls and toasts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: National cafe-bakery chain offering coffee, soups, salads, sandwiches, and flatbreads with dine-in and catering. Overlaps with Black & Brew's full-day cafe/bistro menu and corporate catering motion, but at vastly larger scale.
• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Multi-unit specialty coffee and tea cafe chain with an all-day menu including breakfast, sandwiches, and iced beverages. Comparable to Black & Brew's cafe+bistro menu breadth and beverage-led identity.
• Peet's Coffee: Established specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain offering espresso, brewed coffee, tea, and pastries. Overlaps with Black & Brew on locally-roasted, premium coffee positioning and cafe format.
• Starbucks: Global coffee chain with the most directly comparable product set (espresso beverages, cold brew, pastries, breakfast sandwiches). Operates as a much larger incumbent and does not specialize in Black & Brew's community-anchor / bistro niche.

Regional players

• Kahwa Coffee: Tampa Bay-based specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain with multiple Florida locations. Closest same-state regional peer to Black & Brew on geography, Florida coffee market dynamics, and locally-roasted brand story.

Direct peers

• Scooter's Coffee: Franchise/specialty coffee chain offering espresso drinks, teas, and breakfast items in a multi-location retail cafe model. Closely aligned with Black & Brew on category, menu, and multi-unit retail operations.
• Black Rock Coffee Bar: Regional specialty coffee chain expanding across multiple U.S. states with a menu of espresso, cold brew, and energy drinks. Direct comparable on specialty-coffee chain positioning and multi-location retail growth.
• Dutch Bros Coffee: Fast-growing specialty coffee chain competing in espresso, cold brew, and signature beverages with a drive-thru/retail model. Comparable product set and direct-to-consumer cafe experience to Black & Brew's coffee bars.
• 7 Brew: Rapidly scaling drive-thru coffee franchise focused on specialty espresso, energy, and tea drinks. Comparable on beverage-led menu and multi-unit specialty coffee positioning.
• Foxtail Coffee: Florida-based specialty coffee chain with multiple company-owned cafes — most direct geographic and operational comparable to Black & Brew as a regional specialty cafe operator in the Florida market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackandbrew
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackandbrew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-&-brew-coffee-house-&-bistro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro