EJ's Luncheonette

What EJ's Luncheonette does

EJ's Luncheonette is a single-location American diner operating at 1271 3rd Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Founded in 1992 and now in its fourth decade of continuous operation, the venue serves an all-day menu spanning breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, with item-level pricing ranging from $3.25 to $35.95. The restaurant runs extended hours — 8am to 10pm Monday through Friday and 8am to 9:30pm on weekends — supporting a broad daypart mix. A stated staff range of 1–10 employees indicates a small, lean operation consistent with a neighborhood sit-down diner rather than a multi-unit chain.

The business extends beyond dine-in service through three distinct revenue streams. Catering is offered on a published tiered structure of $15.95 to $34.95 per person with a 10-person / $250 minimum, targeting group and corporate buyers. Private party hosting monetizes capacity for events outside standard service hours. Online ordering is enabled through the ToastTab platform, adding a digital off-premise channel. Marketing and web presence are supported by SpotHopper. The menu has been broadened over time to include gluten-free, vegan, and organic options, reducing dietary barriers and widening the addressable customer base.

The underlying technology stack is entirely third-party SaaS — ToastTab for ordering and SpotHopper for marketing — with no proprietary systems disclosed. The business model is straightforward transaction-based revenue: per-ticket dine-in sales, per-head catering contracts, and event-based private party fees. Customer segments span Upper East Side residents, walk-in neighborhood traffic, tourists, corporate catering clients, and private event organizers, with no anchor account concentration. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, investors, or revenue figures.

Name

EJ's Luncheonette

Website

https://ejsluncheonette.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EJ's Luncheonette is a single-location American diner on Manhattan's Upper East Side, founded in 1992. It serves dine-in customers, catering clients ($15.95–$34.95 per person), and private party hosts through on-premise service and ToastTab-powered online ordering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB), Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual (THAFABAL)

Keywords

• Comfort food restaurant
• American diner
• Event catering services
• Private party hosting
• Online food ordering

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Service: Traditional table service restaurant generating revenue from walk-in customers ordering from the full menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items including comfort food, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, entrees, and desserts.
2. Online Ordering and Takeout: Customers place orders through ToastTab platform for pickup. Revenue from individual menu items including pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and specialty items ranging from $3.25 to $35.95.
3. Catering Services: Full-service catering for events including breakfast, lunch, and dinner packages. Offers buffet-style options, sandwich platters, salad bowls, hot entrees, and desserts. Minimum orders starting at $250 with 10-person minimums. Prix fixe options from $15.95 to $34.95 per person.
4. Private Party Hosting: Event space rental for group reservations and private parties. Venue accommodates special occasions with customizable menu options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EJ's Luncheonette operates a full-service American diner at 1271 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a menu of 36+ comfort food items including pancakes, French toast, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and dinner entrees. The restaurant supplements dine-in service with prix-fixe catering packages for corporate events, birthdays, holidays, and weddings, plus private party hosting and online ordering for takeout and delivery through ToastTab.

Product overview

EJ's Luncheonette is a single-location American restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side operating since 1992. The core product is its full-service dine-in restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The business supplements its dining services with catering packages (Prix Fixe Breakfast Buffets, Sandwich Platters, Hot Entrees, Desserts), private party and group reservation hosting, and direct online ordering via Toast Tab. The food portfolio includes signature items like the Famous Crunchy French Toast, Belgian Waffles, Eggs Benedict variations, Angus beef burgers, fresh salads, and dinner entrees. Drink offerings span soft drinks, beer, wine, cocktails, specialty coffees, and hand-scooped milkshakes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service Full-service American diner operating at 1271 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with comfort food classics, gluten-free, organic, and vegan options for individual diners, neighborhood residents, and tourists.
• Catering Services Off-site catering packages for birthday parties, holiday parties, corporate events, and wedding festivities, with prix-fixe breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus priced per person and a $250 minimum order with a 10-person minimum.
• Private Party Hosting Event space rental at the restaurant for group reservations, birthdays, holiday parties, and wedding-related celebrations, with customizable menu options for hosted private events.
• Online Ordering for Takeout and Delivery Digital ordering channel via the ToastTab platform enabling customers to place takeout and delivery orders directly from the menu for individual pickup or delivery.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• ToastTabcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline ordering and point-of-sale platform used for customer online orders, takeout, and delivery operations. Provides the digital ordering infrastructure for the restaurant's e-commerce channel.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tom's Restaurant: Classic 24-hour Upper West Side diner, established NYC comfort food institution famous for all-day breakfast. Directly comparable as a long-running Manhattan diner serving all dayparts with a similar comfort-food positioning.
• Pastis: French-American bistro in Manhattan's Meatpacking District offering all-day service, classic comfort-leaning fare, and bar/cocktail program. Comparable single-location all-day Manhattan casual-full-service concept with strong brand recognition.
• Sarabeth's: NYC-origin American comfort food restaurant group known for breakfast/brunch classics, with multiple locations and a bakery product line. Comparable comfort food menu focus with multiple revenue extensions (retail/bakery) and Manhattan heritage.
• Katz's Delicatessen: Historic NYC Lower East Side deli/diner institution serving classic American comfort food (sandwiches, breakfast, brisket) to locals and tourists. Comparable as a long-standing, single-location NYC comfort food institution with tourist appeal and brand recognition.
• The Smith: Casual American brasserie with multiple Manhattan locations serving breakfast through dinner, known for broad menu and high-volume neighborhood diner-style service. Comparable all-day casual full-service operator with similar menu breadth and pricing.
• Joe's Pizza: Iconic NYC casual slice shop with multiple Manhattan locations, known for high-volume, affordable comfort food and tourist/locals crossover. Comparable as a beloved NYC comfort food brand with broad demographic appeal, though narrower menu than EJ's.
• Veselka: Iconic 24-hour Ukrainian-American diner in NYC's East Village, serving comfort food across all dayparts. Directly comparable all-day casual dining model, menu breadth, and historic neighborhood diner positioning to EJ's Luncheonette.
• Russ & Daughters: Legendary NYC appetizing/diner institution operating since 1914, serving classic American-Jewish comfort food to a mix of locals and tourists. Comparable as a multi-generational NYC single-location comfort food brand with strong tourist draw.
• Balthazar Restaurant: Full-service French brasserie in SoHo serving breakfast through dinner with broad menu and strong tourist/locals following. Comparable as a high-traffic, all-day NYC casual-full-service restaurant with catering/event capabilities.

Others

• ezCater: Largest US online marketplace for corporate and group catering, connecting restaurants and event hosts. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure layer relevant to EJ's catering channel rather than a direct restaurant competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EJsLuncheonette
• Facebookfacebook.com/120276151329535
• Instagraminstagram.com/ejsluncheonette
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ej-s-luncheonette

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 EJ's Luncheonette