Hopsmith Tavern

What Hopsmith Tavern does

Hopsmith Tavern is a single-location sports bar and restaurant in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood at 15 W Division St, operated as a subsidiary of Big Onion Hospitality, LLC. The two-story venue features 30 rotating draft taps poured from an iconic 1965 Volkswagen bus centerpiece, 47 flat-screen TVs, a second-floor retractable roof, and a Skylight Lounge used for late-night bottle service and events. Hopsmith serves American fare with a full kitchen open until 11PM daily and a late-night menu from 11PM-3AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and operates 11AM-4AM Sunday-Friday and until 5AM on Saturdays.

The business monetizes through three primary streams: dine-in food and beverage sales (happy hour and daily drink specials with pricing such as $5 You-Call-It drinks and $15 pitchers), private events and parties booked directly through the venue's events team, and online ordering with delivery through order.online. Pricing is pay-as-you-go across all SKUs and is subject to change for sport and special events. Hopsmith has cultivated official fandom positioning as the 'Home of the Michigan State Spartans' and (as of August 2025) the Official Fandom Headquarters for the Original Steelers Club of Chicago, anchoring a community-driven GTM motion built around game-day viewings, fan-club meetups, SpartyFest, and bachelorette/holiday party programming. Distribution runs through dine-in, OpenTable reservations, online ordering, direct event inquiry, and Mailchimp newsletter marketing, with no disclosed revenue, headcount, or outside funding in the available data.

Name

Hopsmith Tavern

Legal name

Big Onion Hospitality, LLC

Website

https://hopsmithtavern.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hopsmith Tavern is a Chicago Gold Coast sports bar and restaurant, operated by Big Onion Hospitality, that serves American fare, 30 draft taps from a VW bus centerpiece, and late-night programming to sports fans, MSU alumni, Steelers fans, and private-event hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Bar and Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Bars & Pubs (Non-Music) (MPAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Sports bar
• American restaurant
• Craft beer
• Private events
• Late night bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling American fare, craft beers, cocktails, and wine. The venue operates a full kitchen open until 11PM daily with a late-night menu from 11PM-3AM on Fridays and Saturdays.
2. Private Events and Parties: Revenue from hosting private parties including bachelorette parties, corporate events, and team sponsorship bookings. The venue features a 2-story space with a second-floor retractable roof and Skylight Lounge.
3. Online Ordering and Delivery: Online food and beverage ordering through third-party delivery integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hopsmith Tavern operates a full-service sports bar and American restaurant at 15 W Division St in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood. The venue offers 30 rotating craft beer taps served from an iconic 1965 Volkswagen bus draft system, American fare from a full kitchen open until 11PM daily, late-night menu from 11PM-3AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and sports viewing on 47 flat-screen TVs throughout a 2-story venue with retractable roof. It also hosts private parties, bachelorette events, and corporate gatherings.

Product overview

Hopsmith Tavern is a high-energy restaurant and bar located in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, operated by Big Onion Hospitality. The establishment offers American fare, 30 rotating draft taps served from an iconic 1965 Volkswagen bus bar feature, sports viewing on multiple TVs, late-night service until 4AM/5AM, private party hosting, and event spaces including a second floor with retractable roof. The venue features daily drink specials, happy hour promotions, and specializes in hosting Michigan State Spartans and Pittsburgh Steelers fan communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports Bar and Restaurant Dining
• Late Night Menu
• Private Events and Parties
• Online Ordering and Delivery
• Happy Hour and Daily Drink Specials

Quantifiable outcome

• Open 7 days a week from 11AM until late night (4AM/5AM)

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Original Steelers Club of ChicagocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 August 2025Official Fandom Headquarters partnership declared August 13, 2025. Hopsmith serves as the official home bar for the Original Steelers Club of Chicago, hosting all Steelers games with drink specials, DJs, giveaways, and fan activities. The partnership includes game day viewing with black and gold theming.
• Big Onion HospitalitycoreOthersParent company and hospitality group that owns and operates Hopsmith Tavern. Also operates additional restaurant concepts in Chicago. Privacy policy and SMS terms reference Big Onion Hospitality LLC at 1307 N Clybourn Ave, Suite A, Chicago, IL 60610.
• Michigan State University Alumni AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSelf-described 'Home of the Michigan State Spartans' serving as the primary viewing venue for MSU basketball and football games in Chicago. Hosts game day events with Go Green, Go White theming, Sparty mascot appearances, and MSU merchandise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Murphy's Bleachers: Wrigleyville sports bar and grill with similar multi-floor, multi-TV layout and game-day-centric customer base; directly comparable sports viewing + American fare format in Chicago.
• Timothy O'Toole's Pub: Chicago streeterville/Gold Coast-adjacent pub with full kitchen, late-night hours, and strong sports viewing — directly comparable Chicago sports-pub bar-and-grill.
• The Kerryman: Chicago Irish bar with full American menu, late-night entertainment, and event/private-party hosting in a multi-story footprint; comparable Chicago bar-and-grill with nightlife programming.
• Bub City: Chicago sports-bar venue from the Lettuce Entertain You group with craft beer selection, sports viewing, live music, and event programming; comparable Chicago sports-and-beer destination format.
• Cubby Bear: Wrigleyville institution steps from Wrigley Field running a comparable sports-bar + Americana food + live event model; most directly competitive Chicago sports-bar peer on fan-driven game-day traffic.
• Kings Dining & Entertainment: Multi-concept entertainment and dining venue combining full bar, sports viewing, bowling, and event hosting at late-night hours; overlapping sports-bar-plus-event format.
• Rockit Bar & Grill: Chicago River North bar and grill known for high-volume sports viewing, late-night crowd, and event programming; comparable high-energy bar-and-grill play.
• Gaslight Bar & Grille: Chicago bar and grille near the Loop/River North offering multi-level layouts, sports viewing, and private event programming; comparable Gold Coast-adjacent bar format.

Broad incumbents

• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports-bar chain with wings-focused menu, multi-TV sports viewing, and game-day promotions; same sports-bar category at much broader scale for benchmarking and competitive context.
• Dave & Buster's: National entertainment-venue chain combining full bar service, sports viewing, and amusement/arcade attractions; provides benchmark for combined sports + entertainment venue economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hopsmith-tavern

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 Hopsmith Tavern