Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Chris' Jazz Cafe is a privately held Philadelphia jazz club and restaurant founded in 1989, hosting 400+ live jazz performances annually five nights weekly with a tiered ticketed, Southern-influenced scratch-kitchen dining program, complemented by professional recording studio services and YouTube live streaming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Chris’ Jazz Cafe does
Chris' Jazz Cafe is a privately held jazz club and restaurant operating from a single location at 1421 Sansom Street in center-city Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1989 and currently employing 16 people, it is the longest continuously operating jazz venue in Philadelphia's history, hosting live performances five nights per week (Tuesday through Saturday) with approximately 400 shows annually. The venue is led by Chef/Owner Mark DeNinno, whose kitchen produces a Southern-influenced menu with French technique entirely from scratch. DownBeat magazine has named it one of the "100 Great Venues Around the World to Hear Jazz," and the venue has reportedly attracted visitors from more than 160 countries and all 50 U.S. states over its lifetime.
The core product is a tiered ticketed entertainment-and-dining experience spanning General Admission ($15–$35), Dinner & Show packages ($75–$110), and VIP Dinner & Show ($105–$130), each paired with varying degrees of three-course dining and seating. Ancillary revenue streams include a full bar with seasonal cocktails and wines, a $35 per-bottle corkage on BYOB, a $10-per-person seated minimum, branded merchandise (apparel, glassware, accessories, and the book "Images of America ~ Philadelphia Jazz"), and non-expiring gift certificates in denominations from $25 to $200. Distribution is consumer-direct through Seat Engine-powered online ticketing, phone reservations, walk-ins, and an online merchandise store.
Beyond the physical venue, Chris' Jazz Cafe operates a YouTube live-stream channel and, in partnership with MoMomma Media, a professional recording and streaming studio offering six PTZ cameras, Dante-based multitrack recording, livestream packages, rehearsal space, and master class setup at hourly rates ($50–$100/hr). The 2024–2025 Live Music Society Music in Action Grant funds the "Sisterhood of Jazz" series spotlighting women jazz artists. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional ownership, funding rounds, or material M&A activity.
Chris’ Jazz Cafe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chris’ Jazz Cafe
- Legal name
- Chris' Jazz Cafe
- Website
- https://chrisjazzcafe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chris' Jazz Cafe is a privately held Philadelphia jazz club and restaurant founded in 1989, hosting 400+ live jazz performances annually five nights weekly with a tiered ticketed, Southern-influenced scratch-kitchen dining program, complemented by professional recording studio services and YouTube live streaming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chris’ Jazz Cafe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Jazz Club & Restaurant
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)
Keywords
Where Chris’ Jazz Cafe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chris’ Jazz Cafe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from General Admission tickets ($15-$35), Dinner & Show packages ($75-$130), and VIP packages. Ticket prices vary by artist prominence and day of week. Server gratuity added to Dinner & Show fees.
- Food and Beverage: Full-service bar with seasonal cocktail and wine menu. Scratch kitchen producing Southern-influenced cuisine with French technique. Corkage fee of $35 per bottle for BYOB. Table minimum of $10 per person for seated General Admission.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of gift certificates ($25-$200), branded merchandise including t-shirts, wine glasses, stickers, matches, masks, and the book 'Images of America ~ Philadelphia Jazz'
- Professional Studio Services: MoMomma Media recording studio services including audio recordings ($50/hr, 2hr min), audio & video ($100/hr, 2hr min), live streaming ($700 for 4 hours), post-production ($60/hr min), rehearsal space, master classes, and audition videos
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission with a la carte dining |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner & Show Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Dinner & Show Package |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Audio Recordings |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Audio & Video Recording |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Live Streaming |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Post-production |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Certificates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Chris’ Jazz Cafe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chris' Jazz Cafe is a brick-and-mortar jazz club and full-service restaurant in center-city Philadelphia that delivers live jazz performances five nights a week (Tuesday-Saturday) paired with Southern-influenced scratch cooking and a full bar. The venue sells tiered ticket packages (General Admission, Dinner & Show, VIP Dinner & Show), gift certificates, and branded merchandise, and operates an in-house recording and live streaming studio under the MoMomma Media brand.
Product overview
Chris' Jazz Cafe is a jazz music venue and restaurant offering live performances five nights a week. The core offering combines Southern-influenced cuisine prepared from scratch with jazz performances across multiple seating tiers (General Admission, Dinner & Show, and VIP). Additional products include merchandise (t-shirts, wine glasses, masks, stickers, matches, and books), gift certificates in various denominations, professional studio services for recording and streaming, and online live streaming via YouTube. The venue operates with lunch service, happy hour, and late-night dining options, with entertainment running until 2am on weekend nights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Jazz Performances Scheduled jazz performances by featured artists and groups held five nights a week at the Philadelphia venue, with sets of approximately 60 minutes available to ticket-buying audiences.
- Dinner & Show Packages Ticketed dining experiences combining a 3-course dinner prepared by Chef/Owner Mark DeNinno with reserved seating for a live jazz performance, sold in Dinner & Show ($75-$110) and VIP Dinner & Show ($105-$130) tiers.
- Southern-Influenced Cuisine and Bar Service À la carte scratch kitchen menu of Southern-influenced cuisine with French technique (signature New Orleans Style Jambalaya), seasonal cocktail and wine menu, full-service bar, happy hour Tuesday-Friday 4-6:45pm, lunch service Tuesday-Friday noon-3pm, and a BYOB corkage fee of $35 per bottle.
- MoMomma Media Pro Studio Services Professional recording and streaming services offered to musicians through the MoMomma Media studio at Chris' Jazz Cafe, featuring 6 PTZ cameras, Dante multitrack recording, audio recording ($50/hr, 2hr min), audio & video ($100/hr, 2hr min), live streaming ($700 for 4 hours), post-production ($60/hr min), rehearsal space, master classes, and audition videos.
- Online Live Streaming via YouTube Live broadcast of jazz performances on the Chris' Jazz Cafe YouTube channel with membership subscriptions available, extending the in-venue experience to remote audiences worldwide.
- Gift Certificates Gift certificates redeemable for admission, food, and beverage, sold in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, and $200 with no expiration date.
- Branded Merchandise Chris' Jazz Cafe branded merchandise including 30th Anniversary t-shirts (S-XXL), wine glasses, wine glass pairs, face masks, stick matches, stickers, and the book 'Images of America ~ Philadelphia Jazz.'
Companies that use Chris’ Jazz Cafe
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Chris’ Jazz Cafe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Chris’ Jazz Cafe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Live Music SocietycoreLive Music Society's Music in Action Grant recipient for 2024-2025. Funds support Chris' Jazz Cafe's 'Sisterhood of Jazz' series, a program dedicated to showcasing the next generation of women in jazz artists.
- MoMomma MediacoreMoMomma Media offers professional streaming and recording services at Chris' Jazz Cafe, including a brand-new recording studio with 6 PTZ cameras and scalable multitrack recording system via Dante. Production team led by engineers with degrees from Temple University.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Chris’ Jazz Cafe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
Emerging players
- Joe's Pub (at The Public Theater): NYC venue presenting live music nightly with table-service dinner and bar — comparable supper-club-style live music venue with tiered ticketing and scratch kitchen/bar offerings, though broader programming than pure jazz.
Direct peers
- Smalls Jazz Club: NYC basement jazz club offering late-night live performances with cover charge and live streaming via internet broadcast — comparable intimate jazz venue model with streaming extending reach beyond physical capacity.
- Birdland Jazz Club: NYC jazz club featuring live performances nightly with dinner service and VIP seating — direct peer given the combination of ticketed live jazz, food packages, and tiered seating in a single urban venue.
- Blue Note Entertainment Group (Blue Note Jazz Club): Operates the Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC and affiliated venues globally, offering live jazz performances paired with full dinner and bar service — directly comparable as a live music venue + restaurant model with multi-tier ticketing.
- Village Vanguard: Iconic NYC jazz club operating since 1935 with continuous live jazz programming and drink service — comparable as a long-established single-room jazz venue with multi-night weekly performances and cover-charge ticketing.
- Blues Alley: Washington, D.C. jazz supper club with dinner-and-show ticketing and live performances multiple nights per week — directly comparable live-jazz-with-dinner venue with a similar multi-night performance cadence.
- The Jazz Cafe (London): London live music venue hosting jazz, soul, and adjacent genres with bar service and ticketed performances — comparable intimate live-music club model with ticketed performances and on-site F&B.
- Dizzy's Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center): Lincoln Center-operated jazz venue offering nightly ticketed performances with full dinner and bar service — directly comparable ticketed dinner-and-show jazz club model in a major U.S. city.
Broad incumbents
- SFJAZZ Center: San Francisco-based jazz presenting organization running a multi-room venue with nightly ticketed concerts, full bar, and education programming — broader-scale peer that programs live jazz performances with ticketed dining options in a major U.S. market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chris’ Jazz Cafe social profiles
Digital presenceChris’ Jazz Cafe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chris’ Jazz Cafe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Chris’ Jazz Cafe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chris’ Jazz 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 Chris’ Jazz Cafe
What does Chris’ Jazz Cafe do?
Chris' Jazz Cafe is a brick-and-mortar jazz club and full-service restaurant in center-city Philadelphia that delivers live jazz performances five nights a week (Tuesday-Saturday) paired with Southern-influenced scratch cooking and a full bar. The venue sells tiered ticket packages (General Admission, Dinner & Show, VIP Dinner & Show), gift certificates, and branded merchandise, and operates an in-house recording and live streaming studio under the MoMomma Media brand.
Is Chris’ Jazz Cafe a public or private company?
Chris’ Jazz Cafe is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Chris’ Jazz Cafe founded?
Chris’ Jazz Cafe was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chris’ Jazz Cafe based?
Chris’ Jazz Cafe is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chris’ Jazz Cafe make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage, merchandise Sales and professional Studio Services.
Who are Chris’ Jazz Cafe's main competitors?
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is listed as an others. Joe's Pub (at The Public Theater) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Blue Note Entertainment Group (Blue Note Jazz Club), Village Vanguard, Blues Alley, The Jazz Cafe (London) and Dizzy's Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center). SFJAZZ Center is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Chris’ Jazz Cafe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chris’ Jazz Cafe.
What industry is Chris’ Jazz Cafe in?
Chris’ Jazz Cafe's product category is Jazz Club & Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.