Riley's Bar

What Riley's Bar does

Riley's Bar & Grill is a privately-held bar and restaurant operating from a single location at 702 W. 5th Street in downtown Chico, California. Founded on April 25, 1986 by Kevin Riley and Nick Andrew—then 23-year-old students at Chico State—the establishment serves burgers, beer, and spirits to a customer base comprised of local Chico residents, Chico State students, and returning alumni. The business earned national recognition when named 'Best bar in the nation' by Barstool Sports in 2021, was chosen as one of the Top 100 College Bars in the nation by Playboy magazine in 1997, and is among the top sellers of Rumplemintz globally and the #1 Jameson bar in Northern California.

The company's product surface spans three revenue lines: in-person food and beverage service (with daily specials including Burger Blowout on Mondays, Buck Nite on Tuesdays, Hump Day Happy Hour, and Sunday Funday), branded merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, hats, accessories, and seasonal items) sold via the rileysmerchandise.com Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront and on-site, and digital gift cards distributed through the Toasttab platform. Underlying technology is standard third-party infrastructure—Toasttab for POS and gift card fulfillment, Shopify for e-commerce, and Instagram/Facebook for community marketing. No proprietary platforms, AI/ML capabilities, or technology differentiators have been disclosed, and the business runs on a traditional bar and restaurant operating model.

The revenue model is primarily direct-to-consumer, transactional at point-of-sale for food and beverages, with ancillary transactional revenue from merchandise (both online and on-site) and from gift card purchases. Pricing for food and beverages is not publicly disclosed; merchandise is priced between approximately $10 and $45 across categories, and gift cards are sold at custom amounts. The business is privately held by its founders, with no external investment, parent company, public listing, or non-founder executive team disclosed in the source data.

Name

Riley's Bar

Legal name

Riley's Bar & Grill

Website

https://rileysbar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Riley's Bar & Grill is a single-location bar and restaurant in downtown Chico, California, founded in 1986. It serves local residents, Chico State students, and alumni with burgers, beer, and spirits, and sells branded merchandise online via Shopify and gift cards through Toasttab.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bar & Grill / Neighborhood Hospitality

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA), Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

Keywords

• Bar and grill
• Burgers and beer
• Sports bar
• Branded merchandise
• Happy hour specials

Headquarters

HQ city

Chico

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: In-person sales of burgers, beer, and other food/beverage items at the bar location. Primary revenue stream for the establishment.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store at rileysmerchandise.com selling branded apparel including t-shirts, hats, hoodies, tank tops, and accessories. Also available for purchase at the bar.
3. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold through Toasttab platform, allowing customers to purchase gift cards for use at the bar for food, drinks, and merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Riley's Bar & Grill is a neighborhood bar and grill in downtown Chico, California that serves burgers, beer, and spirits with daily food and drink specials in a sports-viewing environment with over 20 TVs. The bar also sells branded apparel and accessories through an online merchandise store (rileysmerchandise.com) and offers gift cards via the ToastTab platform. Founded in 1986 by Kevin Riley and Nick Andrew, the establishment has operated as a community gathering venue for nearly 40 years.

Product overview

Riley's Bar & Grill is a downtown Chico, California bar and grill established on April 25, 1986. The business operates two interconnected offerings: (1) a bar and restaurant serving burgers, beer, and spirits with daily food and drink specials across 20+ TVs for sports viewing, and (2) a branded merchandise e-commerce store (rileysmerchandise.com) selling T-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, hats, accessories, and seasonal items including anniversary, St. Paddy's Day, Breast Cancer Awareness, Graduation, and Sunday Funday branded apparel. The business leverages ToastTab for gift card sales and maintains an active e-commerce presence via a Shopify-powered online store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food and Beverage Service Full bar and grill service offering a menu centered on burgers and beer with daily specials including Burger Blowout on Mondays, Buck Nite on Tuesdays, Hump Day Happy Hour on Wednesdays (4pm-7pm), and Sunday Funday. The venue features over 20 TVs for satellite sports viewing. Notable as the #1 Jameson bar in Northern California (2018) and one of the top sellers of Rumplemintz in the world.
• Branded Merchandise Store

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ScherbamediaminorOthersWebsite design partner responsible for the company's website design and digital presence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Hooters: National themed bar chain combining full bar service with food and sports viewing. Comparable to Riley's bar-and-grill model as a much larger brand-driven chain operating across many markets.
• Yard House: Upscale casual sports bar chain with extensive beer selection, full bar service, and sports viewing on multiple TVs. Comparable to Riley's combination of beer-focused service and sports atmosphere at greater scale.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports bar and wing chain with extensive TV coverage, full bar service, and casual dining. Overlaps with Riley's sports-bar and grill concept as a much larger, broadly distributed incumbent.
• BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse: Casual dining chain combining in-house brewing with full bar service and sports-friendly atmosphere. Comparable to Riley's beer-focused bar-and-grill model at significantly greater scale.
• Brick House Tavern + Tap: Casual sports bar chain with multiple TVs, full bar service, and a burger-centric food menu. Directly comparable to Riley's sports-and-burger positioning as a scaled chain peer.
• Miller's Ale House: Multi-unit sports bar and casual dining chain emphasizing TVs, burgers, beer, and full bar service. Comparable to Riley's burger-and-beer core product as a scaled chain competitor.

Others

• Dave & Buster's: Entertainment-anchored venue combining food, full bar service, sports viewing, and amusement attractions. Adjacent to Riley's sports-bar experience but primarily differentiated by gaming/entertainment revenue rather than pure bar/grill.

Direct peers

• The Sink: Iconic single-location college bar near University of Colorado Boulder, founded in 1883. Comparable to Riley's as a long-standing neighborhood/college bar with deep alumni loyalty, single-location economics, and a similar community-anchor identity that has persisted for decades.
• Twin Peaks: Sports bar chain combining full bar service with food and sports viewing on multiple TVs. Directly comparable to Riley's sports-bar positioning, with the key difference being a multi-unit chain versus Riley's single location.
• Shark Club: Multi-unit sports bar concept with extensive TV coverage, full bar service, and food menu. Overlaps with Riley's sports-bar positioning and 20+ TV setup, while operating across multiple markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RileysChico
• Instagraminstagram.com/rileyschico
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riley's-bar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Riley's Bar