Dakota
The Dakota is a 41-year-old Minneapolis live music venue and chef-driven restaurant pairing nightly jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana performances with elevated comfort food and craft cocktails, serving individual music fans, corporate clients, social event hosts, and nonprofit fundraisers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Dakota does
The Dakota is a 41-year-old live music venue and chef-driven restaurant operating from 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1985 originally in St. Paul before relocating to its current address, the venue pairs nightly performances spanning jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana with an elevated comfort-food menu, seasonal specialties, and craft cocktails. The single physical venue accommodates 250-350 guests in its main room, plus two private dining rooms (up to 30 each), the main dining room (which can host private events for up to 70), and a mezzanine accommodating 90 standing or 60 seated. The venue is equipped with Steinway pianos and Meyer Sound professional audio systems.
The business recently expanded its event-hosting footprint by operating the Quinlan Room, a historic event space in the Young-Quinlan building (turning 100 years old in 2026) that can host up to 170 guests. Revenue is generated across five streams: live music ticket sales (sold via Etix online and a phone box office), food and beverage sales on-site, private event rentals, the A-Train membership subscription program (free tickets and member discounts), and gift cards/merchandise sold through a Shopify storefront. Supporting infrastructure includes a downloadable mobile app, SMS marketing, a multi-platform social presence (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), email newsletter, and an iCal/Google/Outlook calendar export feature.
Dakota serves four primary customer segments: live music enthusiasts seeking intimate concert experiences with dinner (primary), corporate clients booking events and client entertainment, social/family event hosts, and nonprofit organizations hosting fundraisers. The venue is privately held with concentrated local ownership — co-owner Lowell Pickett is publicly identified — with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or venture capital involvement. Geographic operations are confined to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, with no indication of multi-venue expansion plans.
Dakota firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dakota
- Legal name
- The Dakota
- Website
- https://dakotacooks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Dakota is a 41-year-old Minneapolis live music venue and chef-driven restaurant pairing nightly jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana performances with elevated comfort food and craft cocktails, serving individual music fans, corporate clients, social event hosts, and nonprofit fundraisers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dakota industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue & Restaurant
- NAICS
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
Keywords
Where Dakota is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dakota business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Live Music Tickets: Revenue from selling tickets to live music performances featuring jazz, blues, R&B, Americana, and other genres. Shows include ticketed events with varying price points, VIP meet & greet add-ons, and album release events.
- Food and Beverage: Revenue from a full chef-driven menu featuring elevated comfort food, seasonal specialties, and craft cocktails served during shows and dining hours.
- Private Events: Revenue from hosting private events including corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, and cocktail affairs. The venue offers multiple private spaces including two private dining rooms (up to 30 each), main dining room (up to 70), and mezzanine.
- Membership Program: A-Train membership program offering benefits including free tickets, member discounts, and exclusive access to members.
- Gift Cards and Merchandise: Sales of gift cards and merchandise through their online shop.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | General admission and VIP tickets with varying price points |
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Dakota product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dakota is a live music venue and restaurant located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis that presents jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana performances seven nights a week. The venue combines nationally recognized musicians with a chef-driven dining program, hosts private events in its Quinlan Room event space, and operates an A-Train membership program, gift card program, and mobile app for ticketing.
Product overview
Dakota is a jazz club and restaurant that operates as a single unified venue offering live music performances seven nights a week alongside chef-driven dining. The core product is the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant experience combining world-class musical performances with elevated comfort food and craft cocktails. Supporting offerings include the A-Train Membership loyalty program, private event venue rentals through both the main venue and the Quinlan Room event space, a downloadable mobile app, and gift cards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Quinlan Room: A historic event space operated by Dakota in the Young-Quinlan building in downtown Minneapolis, featuring grand marble staircase, deco light fixtures, and arched windows. Used for weddings, corporate parties, fundraisers, cocktail affairs, and book talks with live music.
Products and services
- Live Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Americana Performances Seven-nights-a-week ticketed live music performances featuring national and regional jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana artists for adult concertgoers and diners at the Minneapolis venue.
- Chef-Driven Restaurant Dining Full-service chef-driven restaurant offering food and beverage service to concertgoers and walk-in diners at the Minneapolis venue.
- A-Train Membership Program Membership program that provides enrolled patrons with benefits such as priority access and member pricing on performances and other Dakota offerings.
- Quinlan Room Private Events Dedicated private event venue located in the historic Young-Quinlan building adjacent to Dakota, available for corporate receptions, private parties, and celebratory events with catering and live music.
- Gift Cards Prepaid gift cards redeemable at the Dakota venue for restaurant dining, ticketed performances, and on-site purchases.
Companies that use Dakota
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Dakota technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dakota partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Steinway & SonscoreSteinway pianos are featured at the Dakota venue, providing premium instrument quality for musical performances. The partnership is highlighted on their website with Steinway logo displayed.
- Meyer SoundcoreProfessional audio equipment provider for the venue's sound system. Meyer Sound logo appears on the website indicating a technical partnership for live music amplification.
- Hilton HotelsminorCorporate partnership for hotel accommodations, with Dakota listed as a preferred dining/entertainment destination for Hilton guests. Corporate booking code available.
- Schmitt MusicminorLocal Minneapolis music retailer partnership. Logo displayed on Dakota website indicating collaborative relationship in the local music community.
- EtixcorePrimary ticketing platform for online ticket sales. Etix handles all online ticket transactions for Dakota shows and events.
- Quinlan RoomcoreDakota operates the Quinlan Room, a historic event venue in the Young-Quinlan building (turning 100 years old in 2026). This expands Dakota's event hosting capabilities with a separate elegant space featuring grand marble staircase and original architectural features. First public event was May 2026 with Phil Manzanera. Space accommodates up to 170 guests for sold-out events.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dakota competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Hideout: Long-running Chicago live music venue in an intimate format with adjoining food and drink service; matches Dakota's profile as a small-capacity, independent, destination ticketed venue pairing music with hospitality.
- City Winery: Live music venue and full-service restaurant/wine bar with locations across multiple cities; comparable because it bundles intimate ticketed performances with on-site F&B, mirroring Dakota's combined dining and entertainment model.
- Yoshi's: Oakland-based jazz club and Japanese restaurant operating nightly with world-class programming and ticketed dining; matches Dakota's intimate-capacity, full-menu, jazz-and-blues-oriented concept.
- Joe's Pub: Intimate NYC live music venue offering ticketed performances alongside curated food and cocktail service; matches Dakota's small-capacity, ticket-driven, premium-positioned entertainment model.
- Birdland Jazz Club: NYC jazz venue offering live performances paired with dinner service seven nights a week — closely matches Dakota's intimate 250-350 capacity, full chef-driven menu, and nightly programming model.
- Rams Head On Stage: Intimate seated concert venue with on-site food and beverage; comparable to Dakota as a destination ticketed music venue combining dining with high-quality nightly programming.
- Blue Note Jazz Club: Iconic New York jazz club combining nightly world-class performances with full dining service — directly comparable to Dakota's jazz-club-meets-restaurant model and its high-ticket, reservation-driven experience.
- The Iridium: Small-format NYC jazz club with nightly ticketed performances and on-site dining — directly comparable to Dakota as an intimate listening room anchored by jazz programming and elevated food.
- Catalina Jazz Festival / Catalina Bar & Grill: Hollywood jazz supper club offering world-class artists with dinner service; mirrors Dakota's combine of high-end dining with intimate ticketed jazz performances.
Broad incumbents
- House of Blues: Multi-city chain of music venues with on-site restaurants and bars; broader incumbent that overlaps with Dakota's music-plus-F&B concept but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Dakota social profiles
Digital presenceDakota financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dakota leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Dakota funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dakota 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 Dakota
What does Dakota do?
Dakota is a live music venue and restaurant located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis that presents jazz, blues, R&B, and Americana performances seven nights a week. The venue combines nationally recognized musicians with a chef-driven dining program, hosts private events in its Quinlan Room event space, and operates an A-Train membership program, gift card program, and mobile app for ticketing.
Is Dakota a public or private company?
Dakota is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dakota founded?
Dakota was founded in 1985. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Dakota based?
Dakota is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, in the North America region.
How does Dakota make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Live Music Tickets are the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage, private Events, membership Program and gift Cards and Merchandise.
Who are Dakota's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Hideout, City Winery, Yoshi's, Joe's Pub, Birdland Jazz Club, Rams Head On Stage, Blue Note Jazz Club, The Iridium and Catalina Jazz Festival / Catalina Bar & Grill. House of Blues is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Dakota have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dakota.
What industry is Dakota in?
Dakota's product category is Live Music Venue & Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues, with a secondary code of THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars. Its NAICS code is 71 and its SIC code is 7900.