THE HEN & CHICKEN

What THE HEN & CHICKEN does

The Hen & Chicken is a privately owned restaurant, bar, and live entertainment venue located on North Street in Southville, Bristol (BS3 1JF). Operating for over 30 years, the venue operates a pizza and grill kitchen alongside a bar featuring locally brewed craft beers and wine sourced via a family connection to The House of Townend wine merchant. The business also operates three distinct event spaces for hire: The Chicken Shed (up to 90 guests with private bar and courtyard garden), The Studio (up to 300 guests, self-contained with stage and bar), and The Studio Bar (up to 35 guests, suitable for meetings and pre-Ashton Gate corporate hospitality). The venue has 13 employees and operates standard hospitality technology infrastructure including POS, online table booking, and event ticketing systems.

The company's revenue model is diversified across four streams: food and beverage sales (the largest, covering lunch, dinner, Sunday roasts, and walk-in bar trade), ticketed event admissions (via the venue's own box office and third-party platforms like Eventbrite and Ticketsource), venue and room hire for private events (£150-£250 base rate plus staff and AV fees), and pre-event dining promotions (25% off food bills for event ticket holders). Pricing is in British Pounds, with Sunday roasts at £20 per person for two courses, spritz cocktails at £8.50, and student discounts of 20% off all F&B available seven days a week. The business serves a hybrid customer base including local residents, entertainment seekers, private event hirers, students, and corporate clients — primarily within South Bristol and the broader Southwest England market.

The venue's core competitive position is built on long-standing resident promoter partnerships, most notably The Comedy Box (operating out of the venue since 1998 and featuring major UK circuit headliners), Be-Bop Club (Bristol's longest-running modern jazz club, Thursday nights), CRH Music (Americana programming since 2018), Seed Talks (intellectual events since 2021), and Stepping Out Theatre. These partnerships create a recurring programming calendar that draws consistent audiences and differentiates the venue from typical pub-restaurant competitors. The 1,253 Google reviews indicate strong local brand reputation, and the proximity to Ashton Gate Stadium enables corporate hospitality cross-sell during sporting events.

Name

THE HEN & CHICKEN

Legal name

Hen & Chicken

Website

https://henandchicken.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hen & Chicken is a privately owned restaurant, bar, and live entertainment venue in Southville, Bristol, operating for over 30 years with three event spaces (up to 300 guests) and a resident promoter ecosystem spanning comedy, jazz, Americana, and talks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage sales: Core revenue from restaurant kitchen (pizza and grill menu, Sunday roasts) and bar operations (craft beers, wines, cocktails, spirits). Food service spans lunch, dinner, and Sunday sessions with pizza available throughout opening hours on Sundays.
2. Ticketed event admissions: Revenue from ticket sales for live music, comedy, theatre, talks, and other ticketed performances. The venue takes no commission on ticket sales but may request a nominal allocation.
3. Venue and room hire: Rental income from private hire of event spaces: The Chicken Shed (up to 90 guests), The Studio (up to 300 guests), and The Studio Bar (up to 35 guests). Fees vary by space and time slot. Additional charges for audio/light engineers, bar staff, and security.
4. Pre-event dining reservations: 25% off food bill for event ticket holders who reserve a table before performances, driving incremental food revenue alongside entertainment spend.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Hen & Chicken is a multi-use hospitality venue on North Street in Southville, Bristol, operating a pizza and grill kitchen, a main bar serving locally brewed craft beers, wines and cocktails, and three distinct event spaces. It functions as a live entertainment venue hosting comedy, music, theatre, jazz, and talks, and also hires out its rooms for private parties and corporate events.

Product overview

The Hen & Chicken is a restaurant, bar, and live entertainment venue located in Southville, Bristol. The venue operates a pizza and grill kitchen serving fresh, locally sourced ingredients alongside a bar featuring locally brewed craft beers and wines. The business offers three distinct event spaces for hire: The Chicken Shed (up to 90 guests), The Studio (up to 300 guests), and The Studio Bar (up to 35 guests). Its entertainment program includes regular live music, comedy shows (via Comedy Box partnership), jazz nights (via Be-Bop Club), theatre productions, and talks (via Seed Talks). Additional services include private dining, Sunday roasts, and seasonal Christmas menus. The venue also promotes special offers including pre-show dining discounts, 2-for-1 cocktails, and student discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Hen & Chicken Restaurant & Bar A restaurant and bar located on North Street, Southville, Bristol, serving fresh, locally sourced food from a pizza and grill kitchen, along with locally brewed craft beers and a variety of drinks. Open to walk-in trade with online table booking available.
• Main Menu (Pizza & Grill) A grill and pizza menu that changes seasonally, featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Includes stone-baked pizzas, homemade burgers, and pub classics served at lunch and dinner.
• Sunday Roast Menu Two-course Sunday roast served from 12pm-5pm at £20 per person, with the pizza menu also available on Sundays from 12pm-8pm.
• Drinks Menu Selection of drinks including rotating craft beers from Bristol breweries (Lost & Grounded, Meantime, Bristol Beer Factory, Butcombe), wines sourced from The House of Townend, spritz and frozen cocktails, and other beverages.
• The Chicken Shed & Bar (Venue Hire) Ground floor private event space for up to 90 guests featuring a private bar with dedicated bartender (Fri & Sat nights), sound and lighting desk, courtyard garden access, and air-conditioning. Suitable for private parties and corporate events.
• The Studio (Venue Hire) First floor event space for up to 300 guests, self-contained with its own toilets, bar, stage, sound desk, and full air-conditioning. Ideal for parties, standing buffets, and corporate events.
• The Studio Bar (Venue Hire) Small meeting and event space (5.84m x 4.52m) for up to 35 guests, suitable for meetings, rehearsals, and pre-Ashton Gate corporate entertaining. High ceilings, natural light, carpeted. Room rates from £75-£130.
• Private Party Menus Curated party menus available when booking event spaces, including a celebration cakes option and ability to order additional items from the main menu.
• Live Entertainment Program Live music, comedy, theatre, jazz, and talks events throughout the week. Includes weekly comedy shows, jazz nights, open mic nights, and special ticketed events, run in partnership with resident promoters.
• The Comedy Box (Comedy Nights) Weekly comedy nights run in partnership with The Comedy Box, operating at the venue since 1998. Features 'Stand Up For The Weekend' shows every Saturday with top UK circuit headliners.
• Be-Bop Club Jazz Nights Bristol's longest-running modern jazz club hosting gigs at the venue on Thursday nights, led by trumpeter Andy Hague, featuring both local Bristol musicians and touring artists from the London scene.
• Open Mic Night Monthly open mic night held on the first Wednesday of each month, hosted by Sarah Larkham and Elliot Hall. Free entry for all performers and audience.
• Seed Talks Live talks series featuring speakers on science, psychedelics, wellness, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience topics, hosted in partnership with Seed Talks.
• Private Dining (Sunday Lunch) Sunday lunch private dining held in The Chicken Shed for groups of 12-26 guests. Two-course Sunday roast menu priced at £20 per person, with no additional room hire fee.
• Christmas Menu Christmas party menu available from late November through December, featuring festive starters, mains, and puddings designed for group celebrations.
• Pre-Show Dining & Promotional Offers Special offers including 25% off food bill for event ticket holders who reserve a table, 2-for-1 cocktails on Mon-Wed, and 20% student discount on all food and drink.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Seed TalksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Seed Talks is an independent events company founded in London in 2021, passionate about sharing big ideas in science, psychedelics, wellness, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. They bring thought-provoking talks to venues across the UK, hosting at the Hen & Chicken with speakers diving into topics that spark curiosity and challenge assumptions.
• CRH MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Bristol's leading Americana promoters, CRH Music found their true home at the Hen & Chicken in 2018 after years of moving between venues. They host acclaimed Americana nights featuring artists like The Hanging Stars, Kevin Montgomery, and Elliott Brood. CRH Music has been promoting Americana and folk music in Bristol since the late 1990s.
• The Comedy BoxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998The Comedy Box has promoted cutting-edge comedy in Bristol for over 30 years, operating out of the Hen & Chicken since 1998. Their flagship 'Stand Up For The Weekend' shows are a Bristol comedy institution. The partnership has hosted major names including Russell Howard, Katherine Ryan, Stewart Lee, Rhod Gilbert, Reginald D Hunter, John Bishop, Ria Lina, Tom Davis, Joe Wilkinson, and Jayde Adams.
• The Be-Bop ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBristol's longest-running modern jazz club, hosting gigs at The Hen & Chicken on Thursday nights. Led by trumpeter, drummer, bandleader, composer and arranger Andy Hague. Presents Bristol-based jazz musicians alongside touring bands and high-profile guest soloists from the London scene including Dave O'Higgins, Ed Jones, Simon Spillett, Quentin Collins, and Nigel Price.
• Stepping Out TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStepping Out Theatre is the UK's leading mental health theatre group, founded inside a Bristol psychiatric hospital in 1997. Silver anniversary celebrated in 2022. The company regularly brings high-quality, affordable theatre to the Hen & Chicken, showcasing new writing, comedy, drama, and community-driven performance on mental health themes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stonegate Pub Company: Major UK pub operator running multiple venue formats including live entertainment concepts. Broad incumbent comparison for hospitality scale, multi-site operations, and live entertainment programming.
• J D Wetherspoon: Largest UK pub chain offering food and drink across hundreds of sites. Broad incumbent benchmark for UK hospitality unit economics, supplier relationships, and operating leverage, though format differs.

Direct peers

• The Old Market Assembly: Bristol venue hosting live events alongside food and drink service. Similar multi-use venue positioning combining event hire, bar, and restaurant offerings.
• The Gallimaufry: Bristol live music pub with kitchen service. Comparable independent venue combining live entertainment programming with food and drink offerings in the city.
• Mothers' Ruin: Independent Bristol live music pub combining ticketed music programming with bar service. Comparable scale and independent-operator positioning in the same Bristol market.
• Crofters Rights: Bristol live music pub with craft beer focus and street food offering. Comparable in mixing ticketed music nights with bar revenue and curated local drink selection.
• The Exchange: Bristol live music venue with bar service and event programming. Directly comparable in combining ticketed entertainment with hospitality revenue in the same local market.
• The Fleece: Historic Bristol live music venue combining ticketed concerts with bar and food service. Closest direct comparable given its long-running mix of live entertainment programming and hospitality revenue in the same city.
• The Thekla: Bristol live music venue on a moored boat offering ticketed gigs plus bar and food service. Comparable multi-revenue entertainment venue model serving similar music-event audiences.
• The Louisiana: Long-running Bristol live music pub combining regular gig programming with bar and kitchen service. Directly comparable multi-revenue venue model serving overlapping audiences in Bristol.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HenAndChicken
• Facebookfacebook.com/Henandchickenbristol
• Instagraminstagram.com/henandchicken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hen-and-chicken-bristol

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 HEN & CHICKEN