What Le Benjamin Bar & bistro does

Le Benjamin Bar & Bistro is a single-location French bistro and wine bar in central Oslo, Norway, operating at Søndre Gate 6 with 13 employees. The restaurant serves local Oslo residents and tourists seeking authentic French cuisine made from scratch, with a particular emphasis on a curated selection of French wines and French cheeses. Operations are dinner-only, Tuesday through Sunday from 16:00 with the kitchen closing at 21:30, and the business closes annually for a summer break from July 5 to August 7. The dining room is currently run at roughly half seating capacity, with a manual waitinglist process for full bookings.

The company's product surface is narrow and in-person: the core offering is the dine-in experience, augmented by digital and physical gift cards (valid for one year) and an online reservation flow via the third-party GastroPlanner platform. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile app, no delivery infrastructure, and no disclosed management team. Marketing is conducted through a corporate website (lebenjamin.no), Instagram and Facebook handles (@lebenjaminoslo), and a Norwegian/English bilingual web presence. Quality validation comes from external Nordic dining guides: Star Wine List Nordic Silver, Petit Futé, White Guide, and DN Smak.

The business model is direct-to-consumer: revenue is generated by one-time food and beverage purchases at the table and one-time gift card sales, with reservations handed off to GastroPlanner for groups of six or fewer and managed via email for larger parties. The firm is privately held, has no disclosed parent company, no funding rounds, no M&A, and no partnerships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; menus are distributed as PDF downloads rather than listed on the website.

Name

Le Benjamin Bar & bistro

Legal name

Le Benjamin Bar & Bistro

Website

https://lebenjamin.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Le Benjamin Bar & Bistro is a single-location French bistro and wine bar in central Oslo serving dinner Tuesday–Sunday, with a curated French wine and cheese selection, gift card sales, and online reservations via GastroPlanner.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

French Bistro Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

Keywords

• French bistro dining
• Wine bar service
• Restaurant operations
• Gift card sales
• Table reservations

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: The restaurant generates revenue through food and beverage sales from dine-in service. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 4 PM with kitchen closing at 9:30 PM. Offers a full bistro menu and extensive wine selection.
2. Gift Card Sales: Digital gift cards sold online and physical gift cards sold at the restaurant. Gift cards are valid for 1 year from purchase date.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Le Benjamin Bar & Bistro is a French bistro and wine bar offering authentic French cuisine made from scratch with quality ingredients, complemented by an extensive selection of French wines and French cheeses. Core service is dine-in restaurant operation in central Oslo, with supplementary digital and physical gift card sales and online table reservations via GastroPlanner.

Product overview

Le Benjamin Bar & Bistro is a casual French bistro offering a unified dining experience. The core offering is the dining experience featuring authentic French food made from scratch with quality ingredients, complemented by an extensive selection of French wines and cheeses. Additional services include digital and physical gift cards (both valid for 1 year), and an online table reservation system via GastroPlanner for booking dining reservations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• French Bistro Dining Experience Authentic French bistro dining experience offering food made from scratch with quality ingredients, an interesting and varied wine selection, and a great selection of French cheeses. Served Tuesday to Sunday from 4 PM (kitchen closes at 9:30 PM) at the Søndre Gate 6 location in Oslo, targeting local diners and tourists seeking French cuisine.
• Digital Gift Cards Digital gift cards purchasable online via the Le Benjamin website, marketed as a gift for friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances, and valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.
• Physical Gift Cards Physical gift cards available for purchase at the Le Benjamin restaurant in Oslo, suitable as a gift for friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances, and valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Statholdergaarden: Historic Oslo fine-dining restaurant in Kvadraturen with French-influenced cuisine and a renowned wine cellar. Comparable through shared French culinary influence and central Oslo location, though at a higher price tier and formality.
• Maaemo: Three-Michelin-star Oslo restaurant with a Nordic tasting menu and award-winning beverage program. Comparable as a top-tier Oslo dining destination recognized by international guides, though operating at a very different price point and format.
• Café de Flore: Iconic Parisian café-brasserie offering traditional French food, wine, and all-day service. Comparable through the authentic French bistro/cafe format and brand cachet in a dense urban market, though globally recognized and much larger.

Direct peers

• Engebret Café: Historic Oslo restaurant operating since the 19th century with a European bistro-style menu and central-city location. Closely comparable single-site Oslo dining institution with table service and curated wine list.
• Theatercaféen: Iconic Oslo café and restaurant located on Karl Johans gate serving classical European dishes with full bar service. Comparable as a long-standing central Oslo dining destination with table service and significant brand recognition.
• Balthazar London: London French brasserie serving classic bistro fare with a strong wine list in a high-traffic urban setting. Comparable as a French bistro/wine bar concept with table service, though at significantly larger scale.
• Smalhans: Modern Oslo bistro offering a casual, seasonally-driven menu in a neighborhood setting. Comparable to Le Benjamin as a small-footprint, chef-led bistro serving Oslo diners with table service.
• Brasserie France: Oslo-based French brasserie offering classic French dishes and a curated wine list in central Oslo. Comparable as a directly overlapping French bistro concept serving the same Oslo customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lebenjaminoslo
• Instagraminstagram.com/lebenjaminoslo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-benjamin-bar-&-bistro

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 Le Benjamin Bar & bistro