BUNGALOW BY MIDDLE BROW

What BUNGALOW BY MIDDLE BROW does

Middle Brow (operating as Bungalow by Middle Brow) is a vertically integrated natural winery, brewery, and sourdough pizzeria/bakery located at 2840 W Armitage Avenue in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. Founded in 2011 as a craft brewery with a social-mission pledge to donate 50% of profits to local social justice organizations, the company ultimately donated 112% of profits over its first eight years. In 2019, Middle Brow expanded into on-premise natural winemaking using dry-farmed, hand-picked grapes from West Michigan. The single 6-employee operation runs brewery, winery, bakery, and kitchen functions under one roof.

The core technology is craft fermentation across three disciplines: house-brewed beer including lagers, IPAs, sour beers, and foeder-solera beers using grains malted by Sugar Creek Malt Co. and hops from Hophead Farms; natural wine with no added yeast, no fining, and no filtration; and single-origin sourdough bread and pizza dough made from Meadowlark Organics flour from the Wisconsin driftless region. Over 95% of the beverage program is made in-house from produce grown within 150 miles of Chicago, sourcing across Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. High-volume purchasing has enabled three small Michigan farmers to begin converting to organic and biodynamic practices.

The business model is direct-to-consumer hospitality. Revenue is generated through on-site dining (with a 21.1% service charge in lieu of tipping), take-out ordering via Toasttab, reservations via Resy, retail (bread pre-orders, gift cards, merchandise) through the Community Supported Goods platform, and experiential events including a $60 pizza stretching class, Pizza Play sessions for children, and private patio buyouts for groups of 21-45 guests. Customers are local Chicago diners and event hosts seeking hyper-local, naturally fermented food and beverage. Marketing is community-driven, anchored by a Substack newsletter and local partnerships rather than paid acquisition.

Name

BUNGALOW BY MIDDLE BROW

Legal name

Middle Brow

Website

https://middlebrowbeer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Middle Brow operates Bungalow, a vertically integrated natural winery, brewery, and sourdough pizzeria/bakery in Chicago's Logan Square. It serves local diners with house-made beer, natural wine, and single-origin sourdough pizza sourced from farms within 150 miles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Brewery and Natural Winery

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Breweries (31212), Wineries (312130), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Malt Beverages (2082), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD), Cookie & Brownie Shops (THAFAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft brewery
• Natural winemaking
• Sourdough bakery
• Farm-to-table restaurant
• Wood-fired pizza

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: On-site food and beverage service including pizza, bread, pastries, bagels, beer, wine, and cocktails. Service charge of 21.1% added to bills with no tipping.
2. Take-out and Delivery: Take-out ordering via Toasttab platform for food and beverages.
3. Retail Sales: Bread pre-orders, gift cards, and merchandise sold through store and Community Supported Goods platform.
4. Events and Classes: Pizza stretching classes ($60 per person) and private event bookings for parties of 9-45 guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Middle Brow operates Bungalow, a natural winery, brewery, sourdough pizzeria and bakery in Chicago's Logan Square. The business produces and serves house-brewed craft beer (lagers, IPAs, sour and foeder-solera beers), natural wines made from Michigan-grown grapes with no added yeast, fining or filtration, wood-fired sourdough pizzas, single-origin sourdough breads and pastries, craft cocktails, and soft-serve ice cream — all primarily sourced from producers within 150 miles of the restaurant.

Product overview

BUNGALOW BY MIDDLE BROW is a natural winery, brewery, and sourdough pizzary/bakery located in Chicago's Logan Square. The establishment offers a unified hospitality experience combining house-brewed beer (including lagers, IPAs, sour beers, and foeder-solera beers), natural wines made from Michigan-grown grapes, wood-fired sourdough pizzas, single-origin sourdough bread and pastries, bagels from Beachwater Bagels pop-up, craft cocktails, and soft serve ice cream. The company operates its beer and wine production entirely from regional sources within 150 miles of the restaurant, making their beverage program among the most local in the country. Additional offerings include gift cards, bread pre-orders, and experiential events like pizza stretching classes and pizza play sessions for children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• House-brewed Craft Beer

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% local sourcing within 150 miles for beverages
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Beachwater BagelsminorOthersBeachwater Bagels operates a pop-up at the Logan Square location every Saturday and Sunday from 9a until sold out. Hot and fresh bagels available during brunch service.
• Community Supported GoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity Supported Goods platform handles bread pre-orders and merchandise sales for Middle Brow. Also used for ticketing pizza stretching classes ($60 per person).
• ToasttabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorToasttab platform handles take-out ordering and gift card sales for the restaurant.
• ResycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorResy reservation platform used for booking dining reservations and pizza counter sessions.
• EventbriteminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEventbrite used for ticketing wine tasting events such as New Wine summer tasting ($10 tickets).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Half Acre Beer Company: Chicago craft brewery with a brewery/taproom model and on-site food service. Operates at a comparable scale in the same city and competes for the same Logan Square-adjacent craft beer crowd.
• Marz Community Brewing: Chicago brewery with a strong social mission and experimental/fermented beer focus. Highly comparable on values-driven craft positioning and barrel/sour beer production in Chicago.
• Maplewood Brewery: Chicago craft brewery with its own taproom and food partnerships. Comparable as a small Chicago brewery serving in-house beer alongside a curated food program.
• Haymarket Pub & Brewery: Chicago brewpub producing its own beer served alongside a full restaurant menu. Directly comparable gastropub/brewpub operating model.
• Ruby: Chicago natural wine bar with a small food program. Comparable on the natural wine and craft hospitality positioning in the same market.
• Forbidden Root: Chicago brewery and restaurant that pairs house-brewed beer with a full kitchen. Closely comparable as a venue where brewing and hospitality are integrated under one roof.
• Kumiko: Chicago cocktail and natural wine bar with a curated food offering. Comparable as a Chicago venue built around carefully sourced natural beverages and a tight hospitality experience.
• Whiner Beer Company: Chicago brewery built around barrel-aged and foeder-style beers. Comparable as a small Chicago brewery specializing in foeder/wild beers, mirroring Middle Brow's production style.

Emerging players

• Sportman's Club: Chicago natural wine bar with small plates and a neighborhood focus. Comparable as a Logan Square-adjacent venue with natural wine and casual food overlap.

Regional players

• Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream: Chicago neighborhood restaurant operating a sourdough-driven, locally-sourced menu with creative beverage program. Comparable on the farm-forward, fermentation-focused casual dining concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bungalow-by-middle-brow

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 BUNGALOW BY MIDDLE BROW