Phoenicia Diner

What Phoenicia Diner does

Phoenicia Diner is a farm-to-table destination diner founded in 2012 by owner Mike Cioffi at 5681 Route 28 in Phoenicia, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. The original diner structure dates to 1962 and was relocated to the Catskills in the early 1980s before Cioffi acquired and re-launched operations. The business runs a single physical location open 8am–6pm daily except Wednesday on a first-come, first-served basis, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner using ingredients sourced from Catskills and Hudson Valley farms. A 6-person management team supports a lean operating model.

Beyond dine-in service, the company has built a multi-channel brand business that monetizes its identity through a published cookbook (85 recipes, released March 3, 2020), four SKUs of branded pancake mixes (Buttermilk, Buckwheat, Sugar Shack, Vegan) priced at $10–$13 per unit, a 27-product e-commerce apparel and gift store running on Shopify, private events across three venue spaces (The Diner for 80, The Lot for 150, The Lounge for 30), off-site catering, and a mobile "Griddle on the Go" pancake pop-up. Wholesale pancake mix distribution runs through the Faire marketplace to retailers across the US, and curated bundles such as the Greetings from the Catskills Gift Box incorporate local suppliers (Cody's Sugar Shack maple syrup, Java Love coffee).

Revenue derives from four streams: in-restaurant food sales (sample items: Suzette Pancakes $17, Jalapeño Poppers $14, Heirloom Tomato Bisque $7–$10), event and catering services priced by custom quote, e-commerce merchandise and pancake mixes priced on a unit basis, and wholesale pancake mix distribution via Faire. The company is privately held, has no disclosed funding, no parent company, and operates only in the United States, though its Shopify store supports global shipping. The go-to-motion is predominantly direct-to-consumer supported by earned media and word-of-mouth rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Phoenicia Diner

Legal name

Phoenicia Diner

Website

https://phoeniciadiner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Phoenicia Diner is a farm-to-table destination diner in Phoenicia, NY that serves Catskills visitors and locals, sells branded pancake mixes and merchandise via Shopify and Faire wholesale, and hosts private events and mobile pop-ups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Farm-to-table dining
• Diner restaurant
• Pancake mixes
• Private event catering
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenicia

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Dine-in restaurant: Traditional diner service offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner with seasonal farm-to-table menu items. Operates 8am-6pm daily except Wednesday.
2. Merchandise and packaged goods: Sells branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, pancake mixes, mugs, cookbooks, and gift boxes through their e-commerce store and retail locations.
3. Private events and catering: Offers private events including weddings, celebrations with customizable menus and multiple venue spaces (The Diner, The Lot, The Lounge). Also provides off-site catering and pancake pop-up parties.
4. Wholesale pancake mix distribution: Sells pancake mixes to retailers through wholesale and Faire marketplace, reaching online and brick-and-mortar retail stores across the US.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Phoenicia Diner operates a full-service farm-to-table diner restaurant in Phoenicia, NY serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with seasonal menus sourced from Catskills and Hudson Valley farms. Beyond the on-premise restaurant (open 8am-6pm daily except Wednesday, first come first served), the business sells branded retail products — most notably four varieties of pancake mixes, apparel, accessories, and a signed cookbook — through its own e-commerce store, wholesale, and select retailers. It also offers private event hosting across multiple venue spaces (The Diner, The Lot, The Lounge) and a mobile pancake pop-up catering service.

Product overview

Phoenicia Diner is a multi-faceted Catskills destination restaurant (open since 2012, located at 5681 Route 28, Phoenicia, NY) that operates both a dine-in restaurant and a direct-to-consumer merchandise and food products business. The restaurant offers classic American diner fare with farm-to-table influences, while the retail side sells four varieties of pancake mix (Buttermilk, Buckwheat, Sugar Shack, and Vegan) packaged for home use, along with branded apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, pullovers, hats, beanies, accessories), a signed cookbook featuring 85 comfort food recipes, art prints, and gift cards. The diner also provides private event hosting and mobile pancake pop-up services. The portfolio is unified by the Phoenicia Diner brand identity, with pancake mixes and merchandise sold through the same Shopify e-commerce platform and in retail stores nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pancake Mix: Various pancake mix varieties sold for retail including Classic Buttermilk, Gluten-Friendly Buckwheat, Plant-Based Vegan, and Sugar Shack flavors crafted with real maple sugar.

Named customers3 records

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community CompostcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partnership for food waste diversion. Phoenicia Diner has diverted more than 50,000 lbs of food waste from landfills through this partnership. Supports the diner's sustainability initiatives.
• YMCA Farm ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhoenicia Diner has raised more than $20,000 to support this program that empowers teens to learn how to grow and prepare food that's donated back into their community.
• Phoenicia Fire DistrictminorOthersLocal volunteer fire rescue organization serving the Shandaken community in Ulster County, NY. Part of The Community Stack monthly fundraising initiative.
• The Phoenicia Food PantrycoreOthersFood pantry at United Methodist Church serving up to 50 households per week. Founded in 1980s, provides fresh produce, frozen meats, bread, canned foods, and pantry staples to those experiencing food insecurity.
• Cody's Sugar ShackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse maple syrup purveyor for the diner. Their maple syrup is included in the Greetings from the Catskills Gift Box product.
• Java LovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse coffee blend roaster. Provides whole bean Columbian coffee (Java Love house blend) included in the Greetings from the Catskills Gift Box.
• FaireminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale marketplace platform where retailers can directly order Phoenicia Diner pancake mixes for their stores.
• Diner GoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeparate online retailer mentioned alongside Kingston Canteen for pancake mix wholesale inquiries.
• Local farms (Pure Catskills, Kelder's Farm, Migliorelli Farm)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm partners throughout the Catskills and Hudson Valley region. The diner sources fresh ingredients from these farms when available as part of their farm-to-table approach.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bob's Red Mill: Established natural foods brand offering pancake mixes alongside broad baking/grain portfolio. National grocery distribution makes it a broad incumbent competitor in the pancake mix category where Phoenicia Diner is scaling.

Direct peers

• The Loveless Cafe: Iconic destination diner outside Nashville, TN with on-site sit-down dining, branded merchandise retail, and catering. Closest structural analog to Phoenicia Diner's heritage-diner-plus-retail model.
• Tatte Bakery & Cafe: Fast-growing East Coast cafe-bakery chain with sit-down dining, branded retail (jams, coffee, apparel), and cookbook. Comparable farm-to-table sourcing narrative plus DTC merchandise strategy.
• Birch Benders: National pancake and waffle mix CPG brand sold through grocery and online retail. Most direct competitor for Phoenicia Diner's wholesale pancake mix line, with significantly larger distribution and marketing budget.
• Sylvia's Restaurant: Harlem-based heritage soul food destination restaurant with national brand recognition, cookbook publishing, and branded retail products. Comparable as a single-location cultural/destination dining institution extending into CPG.
• Clinton Street Baking Company: NYC destination breakfast/brunch restaurant famous for pancakes, with cookbook publishing and retail product extensions. Direct competitor for pancake-anchored destination breakfast positioning.
• Original Pancake House: Multi-location franchise concept dedicated to pancake-centric breakfast dining. Comparable in its single-category (pancake) focus and diner service model, though at much greater scale.
• Junior's Restaurant: Brooklyn-based diner and cheesecake destination with retail cheesecake mail-order and branded merchandise. Comparable business model combining diner dining with national CPG and gift commerce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PhoeniciaDiner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenicia-diner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Phoenicia Diner