Gun Flint Tavern

What Gun Flint Tavern does

Gun Flint Tavern is a privately held, multi-venue hospitality business founded on May 22, 1998 by Jeff and Susan Gecas, headquartered at 111 Wisconsin St in Grand Marais, Minnesota, in the historic Grand Marais State Bank building overlooking Lake Superior. The company operates three connected on-site venues: The Gunflint Tavern (a full-service restaurant serving organic food, craft-brewed beer, wine, cocktails, and fine spirits with year-round live music), The Raven Pub (a timber-framed fine-spirits bar opened in May 2004), and The Raven's Nest (a seasonal rooftop bar opened in spring 2005). It also offers venue rentals and a penthouse apartment short-term vacation rental listed on Airbnb, and maintains a cross-promotional sister-bar relationship with Up Yonder at 1516 W Hwy. 61. The customer base is entirely walk-in consumers — locals plus seasonal tourists drawn to Grand Marais and the North Shore of Lake Superior — served via direct-to-consumer brick-and-mortar distribution. The business employs approximately 12 people, operates as an unregistered trademark holder (Gun Flint Tavern), and has no disclosed funding, institutional ownership, M&A activity, or app product. Revenue is generated through one-time food and beverage transactions at the venues and transaction fees from the Airbnb-managed penthouse rental.

Name

Gun Flint Tavern

Legal name

Gun Flint Tavern

Website

https://gunflinttavern.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gun Flint Tavern operates a multi-venue hospitality business in Grand Marais, Minnesota, comprising a full-service restaurant, fine-spirits pub, seasonal rooftop bar, and Airbnb-listed penthouse rental, serving locals and North Shore tourists visiting Lake Superior.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurants and Bars

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

Keywords

• Fine dining restaurant
• Craft beer brewing
• Live music venue
• Rooftop bar
• Vacation rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Marais

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from serving organic food, craft-brewed beer, wine, cocktails, and fine spirits. Offers growlers and crowlers for off-premise consumption.
2. Penthouse Rental: Short-term vacation rental of penthouse apartment located above the tavern, available on Airbnb. Features harbor views and proximity to rooftop bar.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Gun Flint Tavern is a multi-venue hospitality business operating a full-service restaurant and bar in downtown Grand Marais, Minnesota. The business serves organic fine food, craft-brewed beer, wine, cocktails, and fine spirits across three connected venues: the main Tavern, The Raven Pub (fine spirits bar), and The Raven's Nest (seasonal rooftop bar). It also offers year-round live music entertainment and a short-term penthouse vacation rental above the tavern.

Product overview

Gun Flint Tavern operates a multi-venue hospitality business centered on fine dining, craft beverages, and entertainment. The core offering is The Gunflint Tavern, a restaurant and bar established in 1998. The business also encompasses two related venues: The Raven Pub (a fine spirits bar opened in 2004) and The Raven's Nest (a seasonal rooftop bar opened in 2005). Additionally, the company offers short-term vacation rentals through the Gunflint Tavern Penthouse apartment. The venues provide food service, craft beers, wine, cocktails, live music, and event hosting across multiple spaces with varying hours of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Raven: A quaint timber-framed pub across the hall from the main bar and dining room, serving fine spirits and specialty drinks in an Olde World atmosphere.
• The Raven's Nest

Products and services

• The Gunflint Tavern (Main Restaurant) Fine food and craft-brewed beer served in the historic Grand Marais State Bank building, with a full dining experience and live music year-round.
• The Raven Pub Quaint timber-framed pub across the hall from the main dining room serving fine spirits and specialty drinks in an Olde World maritime atmosphere.
• The Raven's Nest (Rooftop Bar) Seasonal rooftop deck and full-service bar with panoramic views of Grand Marais Harbor. Features patio seating, a pet-friendly policy, and operates May through October.
• Gunflint Tavern Penthouse Vacation Rental Short-term vacation rental apartment above the tavern and adjacent to the rooftop bar. Features harbor views, master bedroom with four bunks, kitchen, living area, dining room, and snowmobile trailer parking in winter. Available via Airbnb.
• Music & Events Live music performances and event hosting services held at the tavern venues year-round.
• Venue Rentals Private event space rentals at the tavern, including the rooftop bar, for special occasions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Up YonderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister bar located at the old Harbor Light (1516 W Hwy. 61, Grand Marais, MN). Late night bar and grill that complements Gun Flint Tavern's offerings. Cross-promotional relationship between the two establishments.
• AirbnbminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirbnb listing (airbnb.com/rooms/40946211) for penthouse rental above the tavern. Airbnb serves as distribution channel for short-term vacation rental bookings.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Grand Portage Lodge & Casino: Lodge, casino, and restaurants in Grand Portage, MN. Competes for North Shore tourist discretionary spend in the same broader Grand Marais/North Shore destination region.
• Cascade Lodge Restaurant: Resort dining at Cascade Lodge near Lutsen, MN along the North Shore. Comparable seasonal-tourist fine-dining experience targeting the same Lake Superior visitor market.

Direct peers

• The Harbor Light Grille: Historic Grand Marais restaurant formerly operating out of the Harbor Light building (now Up Yonder's location). Overlapping harbor-view casual-dining positioning with Gun Flint Tavern.
• Voyageur Brewing Company: Grand Marais craft brewery with an on-site taproom serving food and live music. Directly competes for craft-beer and live-entertainment tourist traffic in the same downtown market.
• Bluefin Grille: Fine-dining restaurant at Bluefin Bay resort on Lake Superior near Grand Marais. Competes for the same North Shore tourist dining occasions with a higher-end menu and lake views.
• Up Yonder: Sister bar owned by the same Gecas family at 1516 W Hwy. 61 in Grand Marais, MN. Late-night bar and grill that directly overlaps with Gun Flint Tavern's customer base and serves as a cross-promotional venue.
• Sven & Ole's Pizza: Iconic Grand Marais, MN restaurant serving pizza, sandwiches, and salads in a similar casual sit-down format. Directly competes for the same local and tourist dining dollars within walking distance of Gun Flint Tavern.

Broad incumbents

• Fitger's Brewhouse: Established Duluth, MN brewpub offering craft beer, food, and entertainment in a historic building. Comparable brewpub/hospitality concept in the broader northern Minnesota tourism market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gun-flint-tavern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Gun Flint Tavern