Mikes Place Bars
Mike's Place Bars (SOBO LTD) is a privately-held Israeli bar and restaurant chain operating three venues in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (kosher), and Eilat, serving English-speaking expatriates, locals, sports fans, and live music audiences with American food, free nightly live music, multi-screen sports, and franchise licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersTel Aviv, Israel
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mikes Place Bars does
Mike's Place Bars (legal entity SOBO LTD) is an Israeli privately-held bar and restaurant chain operating three locations in Tel Aviv (beach-front next to the U.S. Embassy), Jerusalem (kosher-certified, downtown near Zion Square), and Eilat (King Solomon Promenade). Founded in 1993 in Jerusalem by retired photo-journalist Mike Vigoda and later inherited and expanded by brothers Assaf and Gal Ganzman, the chain serves a primarily consumer-facing market of English-speaking expatriates, Israeli locals, sports fans, and live music audiences across all three venues. The company operates a free live music platform featuring Israel's longest-running jam session, an open mic night, and a multi-screen sports broadcasting service, alongside American cuisine (hand-ground ribeye-cap burgers, steaks, Tex-Mex, pizza), a wide beer selection, and a daily 50%-off happy hour Sunday-Friday 5-7pm.
The business model combines food and beverage transaction-fee revenue across three owned venues with a separately monetized franchise program offering turn-key operations at $150,000-$450,000 startup cost with multi-unit and exclusive-territory rights. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through physical locations, online reservations, and word-of-mouth from a loyal "Irregulars" regular-customer community. Marketing is driven by a bilingual website, branch-level Facebook pages, press coverage, the "Blues By The Beach" documentary and graphic novel IP, and experiential events (live music, sports screenings). The company employs 17 staff across the chain, holds Kosher certification in Jerusalem, complies with Israeli accessibility and WCAG 2.0 standards, and is GDPR-compliant. There is no proprietary technology platform; underlying technical components are limited to commodity tools such as Google Maps for directions, Google Forms for franchise inquiries, and the company website for table reservations.
Mikes Place Bars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mikes Place Bars
- Legal name
- SOBO LTD
- Website
- https://mikesplacebars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mike's Place Bars (SOBO LTD) is a privately-held Israeli bar and restaurant chain operating three venues in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (kosher), and Eilat, serving English-speaking expatriates, locals, sports fans, and live music audiences with American food, free nightly live music, multi-screen sports, and franchise licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mikes Place Bars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bar & Restaurant Hospitality
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)
Keywords
Where Mikes Place Bars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tel Aviv
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices3 records
Markets served
Mikes Place Bars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Core revenue from food and drink sales at three bar/restaurant locations in Israel. Menu includes American food, steaks, burgers, Tex-Mex, pizza, cocktails, and wide selection of beers including local and imported options.
- Franchise Fees and Licensing: Franchise opportunities with startup costs ranging from $150,000 to $450,000 for turn-key operations. Multi-unit opportunities and exclusive areas for growth offered.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Franchise Turn-key Operation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mikes Place Bars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mike's Place Bars operates a chain of three American-style bar and restaurant venues across Israel (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat), selling food and beverages including hand-ground ribeye cap burgers, steaks, Tex-Mex, pizza, and a wide selection of local and imported draft beers and cocktails. Each venue features free nightly live music (Blues, Rock, Funk, Soul) supported by a tip jar, multi-screen sports broadcasting, and daily happy hour promotions. The chain also licenses its brand through a franchise program offering turn-key operations to new operators.
Product overview
Mike's Place is a world-renowned bar and restaurant chain operating three hospitality venues across Israel: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (kosher-certified), and Eilat. The company offers a unified hospitality experience centered on American cuisine, craft cocktails, draft beer, free live music (blues, rock, funk, soul), and sports broadcasting. The three core bar/restaurant locations share a consistent brand identity and service model, supplemented by supporting services including a franchise program, band registration platform, job opportunities, and table reservation systems. The Tel Aviv branch serves as the flagship location near the US Embassy, the Jerusalem location is kosher-certified, and the Eilat venue offers Red Sea views. All venues feature the signature TIP JAR-funded live music program and weekly happy hour promotions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mike's Place Bar & Restaurant (Tel Aviv) Flagship bar and restaurant location in Tel Aviv situated on the beach-front promenade next to the US Embassy, offering American cuisine, craft cocktails, draft beer, free live music, sports screenings, and table reservations. Open Sat-Thurs 12:00-01:00, Fri 12:00-02:00.
- Mike's Place Bar & Restaurant (Jerusalem) Kosher-certified bar and restaurant in downtown Jerusalem offering American cuisine, live music, sports screenings, and table reservations in the original historic landmark setting. Open Sun-Thu 12:00PM-3:00AM, Fri 12:00PM-5:00PM, Sat 8:00PM-3:00AM.
- Mike's Place Bar & Restaurant (Eilat) Bar and restaurant on the King Solomon Promenade in Eilat offering American cuisine, live music, and sports screenings with views of the Red Sea. Open Sun-Thu 17:00-24:00, Fri 17:00-01:00, Sat 12:00-24:00.
- Live Music Program Free nightly live music across all three venues featuring Blues, Rock, Funk, and Soul bands performing on a professional stage. Includes Israel's longest-running jam session and open mic night, with musicians funded by customer contributions to the tip jar system.
- Sports Broadcasting
Companies that use Mikes Place Bars
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mikes Place Bars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
Mikes Place Bars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Blues By The Beach FilmminorDocumentary film project documenting the Mike's Place story including its founding, community building, and resilience following the 2003 terrorist attack. Featured on company website and marketing materials.
- Israel Blues SocietyminorAffiliated with Israel's Blues Society, supporting and promoting blues music culture in Israel. Listed as affiliate on company website.
- Red Sea Jazz FestivalminorAffiliated with Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat's premier jazz music event. Listed as affiliate on company website.
- Kley-Zemer Music StoreminorMusic store affiliate providing musical equipment and supplies. Listed as affiliate on company website.
- SOBO Blues BandminorLocal blues band affiliated with Mike's Place venue. Listed as affiliate on company website.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mikes Place Bars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TGI Fridays: International casual dining and bar franchise chain serving American food, cocktails, and sports in a high-energy atmosphere—directly comparable concept to Mike's Place but with global scale and franchise footprint.
- Dave & Buster's: Entertainment-anchored food and beverage venue chain combining dining, drinks, games and live entertainment—comparable one-stop entertainment-and-hospitality positioning targeting group outings.
- Chili's Grill & Bar: American casual dining and bar franchise offering Tex-Mex, burgers, and a full bar in a sports-friendly atmosphere—comparable menu, ambience, and franchise-driven expansion model.
- Applebee's: American neighborhood bar and grill franchise chain with sports viewing, casual American menu, and franchise unit economics—analogous casual dining/bar franchise model serving similar social-occasion use cases.
- Buffalo Wild Wings: Sports bar franchise chain centered on multiple screens broadcasting major sports alongside American food and beer—closely aligned with Mike's Place's sports-screening and casual dining model.
- Hooters: Sports-focused bar and casual dining franchise chain with multiple international locations and licensed operator model—comparable franchise economics and American food/sports positioning.
Regional players
- Isrotel: Major Israeli hospitality operator running hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues including in Eilat—comparable Israeli-based multi-venue hospitality operator with strong tourist customer overlap.
- Café Landwer: Israeli heritage chain of casual all-day dining restaurants serving Western-European/American-influenced cuisine with multiple branches across Israel—local comparable for chain restaurant operations in the same Israeli market.
- Aroma Espresso Bar: Leading Israeli chain of casual cafés serving light American/Western food and coffee with multi-location presence—local comparable for chain restaurant operations targeting Israel's English-speaking and tourist populations.
Broad incumbents
- Hard Rock Cafe: Iconic themed bar/restaurant combining American food, live music, and memorabilia in international locations—closest large-format analog to Mike's Place's music-driven, tourist-oriented hospitality concept.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mikes Place Bars social profiles
Digital presenceMikes Place Bars compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Mikes Place Bars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mikes Place Bars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Mikes Place Bars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mikes Place Bars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mikes Place Bars
What does Mikes Place Bars do?
Mike's Place Bars operates a chain of three American-style bar and restaurant venues across Israel (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat), selling food and beverages including hand-ground ribeye cap burgers, steaks, Tex-Mex, pizza, and a wide selection of local and imported draft beers and cocktails. Each venue features free nightly live music (Blues, Rock, Funk, Soul) supported by a tip jar, multi-screen sports broadcasting, and daily happy hour promotions. The chain also licenses its brand through a franchise program offering turn-key operations to new operators.
Is Mikes Place Bars a public or private company?
Mikes Place Bars is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Mikes Place Bars founded?
Mikes Place Bars was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mikes Place Bars based?
Mikes Place Bars is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the Middle East region.
How does Mikes Place Bars make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees and Licensing.
Who are Mikes Place Bars's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TGI Fridays, Dave & Buster's, Chili's Grill & Bar, Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters. Regional players are Isrotel, Café Landwer and Aroma Espresso Bar. Hard Rock Cafe is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Mikes Place Bars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mikes Place Bars.
What industry is Mikes Place Bars in?
Mikes Place Bars's product category is Bar & Restaurant Hospitality. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAA, Neighborhood & Sports Bars. Its NAICS code is 72241 and its SIC code is 5810.