The Cliff House

What The Cliff House does

The Cliff House is a privately held, San Francisco–based brand that sells heritage-themed memorabilia and operates a weekly food truck. Its primary line of business is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront built on Shopify, offering roughly ten SKUs across three categories: apparel (crop tee, fitted t-shirts, Columbia fleece jacket, trucker cap, bucket hat), drinkware (ceramic mug, 16 oz shaker pint glass), and home goods (cork-back coaster). All merchandise is produced on demand through a print-on-demand fulfillment model, which the company positions as a sustainability feature that eliminates overproduction and inventory risk. Pricing is per-unit with no subscription tiers, ranging from $8.00 (coaster) to $64.50 (Columbia fleece jacket).

The company's commercial footprint is anchored in San Francisco, both digitally and physically. Online, the Shopify storefront ships merchandise nationally (and globally per its stated distribution scope), with email newsletter signup as the principal owned marketing channel. Physically, the company operates a food truck at the corner of Howard and Steuart Streets off the Embarcadero every Monday from 11 am to 1:30 pm, serving a small menu of San Francisco staples — Clam Chowder Bowl, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwich, Seafood Cioppino, and Grilled Crab Sandwich. The food truck serves both as a secondary revenue stream and as a local brand-awareness touchpoint under the "WHERE SAN FRANCISCO BEGINS" positioning. No funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, or institutional ownership are disclosed; the company appears closely held or founder-owned. The reported employee range of 101–250 is materially inconsistent with the visible business scale and is likely the source of any underestimation in revenue inference.

Customer base is exclusively individual consumers — tourists, SF residents, and gift buyers seeking authentic local memorabilia — with no enterprise or B2B accounts disclosed. The company has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no patents, no certifications, and no app or API surface; its technology stack is limited to standard Shopify e-commerce infrastructure plus standard payment methods (American Express, Apple Pay, Diners, Discover, Google Pay, Mastercard, PayPal, Shop Pay, Visa).

Name

The Cliff House

Legal name

Cliff House

Website

https://cliffhouse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Cliff House is a privately held, San Francisco–based DTC brand selling roughly ten heritage-themed apparel, drinkware, and home-good SKUs through a Shopify storefront with on-demand production. It also operates a weekly food truck serving SF cuisine at the Embarcadero, targeting tourists and locals seeking authentic city memorabilia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Branded Apparel & Lifestyle Merchandise

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Trucks (Motorized) (THAFAHAA)

Keywords

• Branded apparel retail
• Novelty drinkware
• Mobile food service
• Souvenir merchandise
• Print-on-demand merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: The company sells branded apparel and accessories including t-shirts, fleece jackets, hats, mugs, and glassware through its e-commerce storefront. All products are sold as one-time purchases with no subscription component.
2. Food Truck Operations: The Cliff House operates a food truck serving fresh San Francisco favorites including Clam Chowder Bowl, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwich, Seafood Cioppino, and Grilled Crab Sandwich. The truck operates every Monday at the corner of Howard and Steuart Streets off the Embarcadero.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Cliff House sells its own branded San Francisco-themed merchandise—including apparel (crop tees, t-shirts, Columbia fleece jackets, trucker caps, bucket hats), drinkware (glossy mugs, shaker pint glasses), and home goods (cork-back coasters)—through a direct-to-consumer Shopify e-commerce storefront, with all products produced on-demand to reduce overproduction. The company also operates a physical food truck every Monday at the corner of Howard and Steuart Streets off the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco, serving fresh San Francisco-favorite cuisine for lunch between 11 am and 1:30 pm (excluding Christmas and New Year's Day).

Product overview

The Cliff House is a San Francisco-based merchandise brand operating both an e-commerce apparel and drinkware business and a physical food truck service. The product portfolio consists of branded apparel (crop tee, t-shirts, fleece jacket, trucker cap, bucket hat), drinkware (mug, pint glass), and home goods (coaster), all sold through their Shopify-powered online store. The company also operates a food truck serving San Francisco cuisine every Monday at the Embarcadero. Products are made on demand to reduce overproduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cliff House Crop Tee A tight-fitting crop top that hits above the navel, made from 52% combed ring-spun cotton and 48% polyester with a slim fit; sold through the Cliff House e-commerce storefront.
• Cliff House Pocket Logo T-shirt A soft, lightweight, form-fitting t-shirt with a pocket logo design made from 100% combed ring-spun cotton (heather grey variant is 90% cotton, 10% polyester); sold through the Cliff House e-commerce storefront.
• Cliff House Short Sleeve T-shirt A comfortable, soft, lightweight, form-fitting short sleeve t-shirt with a fabric weight of 4.3 oz/yd² (145.8 g/m²); sold through the Cliff House e-commerce storefront.
• Cliff House Columbia Fleece Jacket A unisex fleece jacket crafted from 100% polyester MTR (maximum thermal retention) filament fleece, designed for warmth and comfort in colder weather; available in Black, Collegiate Navy, and Charcoal Heather color variants.
• Cliff House Shaker Pint Glass A 16 oz (473 ml) glass pint glass that can also be used as a mixing glass for cocktails; not dishwasher or microwave safe.
• Cliff House Black Glossy Mug A ceramic mug with glossy finish available in 11 oz and 15 oz sizes; hand-wash only, not dishwasher or microwave safe.
• Cliff House Cork-back Coaster A waterproof and heat-resistant cork-back coaster designed to protect surfaces from mug stains and moisture.
• Cliff House Trucker Cap A six-panel trucker cap with mesh back made from 60% cotton and 40% polyester; features hard buckram front panels and fits head circumference of 21⅝″–23⅝″.
• Cliff House Bucket Hat A 100% cotton twill bucket hat with 3¾″ crown and 2¼″ brim, sewn eyelets for breathability, and one-size-fits-most sizing.
• The Cliff House Food Truck A weekly food truck operating every Monday from 11 am to 1:30 pm at the corner of Howard and Steuart Streets off the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco, offering fresh San Francisco-favorite cuisine including Clam Chowder Bowl, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Grilled Tri-Tip Sandwich, Seafood Cioppino, and Grilled Crab Sandwich.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Off the Grid: San Francisco Bay Area food truck marketplace and event organizer. Directly comparable to The Cliff House's food truck operation as a curated SF mobile food vendor with local brand-building focus.
• Society6: Print-on-demand marketplace for art-driven home goods, apparel, and accessories. Comparable on the on-demand production model, DTC Shopify-style storefront, and mixed product catalog (apparel + home goods).
• Custom Ink: Custom apparel and merchandise retailer specializing in branded clothing for groups and individuals. Comparable on DTC custom merchandise model and product mix centered on apparel and drinkware.
• Spring (formerly TeeSpring): Print-on-demand platform enabling creators to design and sell branded apparel and merchandise without inventory. Comparable on the print-on-demand + Shopify-style DTC model that powers The Cliff House's storefront.
• The Chairman: San Francisco-based food truck brand known for bao buns and Asian-fusion street food. Comparable as a SF-rooted single-truck food brand that built a loyal following and local identity through mobile operations.
• Redbubble: Global print-on-demand marketplace selling artist-designed apparel and merchandise. Directly comparable to The Cliff House's on-demand Shopify model with similar product categories (t-shirts, hoodies, drinkware).
• Kogi BBQ: Iconic LA-based food truck-turned-restaurant brand known for Korean-Mexican fusion. Comparable as a heritage food truck brand that scaled from a single truck into a multi-location restaurant concept.

Others

• Printful: Print-on-demand fulfillment and drop-shipping provider powering many Shopify stores. Comparable as the likely backend production infrastructure underlying The Cliff House's on-demand Shopify storefront model.

Broad incumbents

• Zazzle: Large custom products marketplace enabling user-designed merchandise across apparel, drinkware, and home goods. Comparable to The Cliff House's product mix but with significantly broader SKU range and scale.
• CafePress: Established print-on-demand marketplace for custom apparel, gifts, and home goods. Comparable to The Cliff House's on-demand model but operates at much broader scale across multiple product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cliff-house

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 Cliff House