SF Eagle

What SF Eagle does

SF Eagle is a privately held, single-location LGBTQ+ leather bar and community venue in San Francisco's SoMa district, operating continuously at 398 12th St since opening on April 8, 1981. The venue offers a 28-foot interior bar, outdoor patio with stage and gazebo, dance floor, DJ booth, and patio barbecue pit, and runs a dense recurring event calendar anchored by three resident parties (Beer Bust on Sundays, Filth on the first Saturday, Young Hearts on the third Saturday) plus monthly events across the bear, pup, leather pet, drag, comedy, theater, and dance communities. Revenue is generated primarily through in-venue alcohol sales, event cover charges (e.g., $10 GMP music nights), Sunday Beer Bust transactions whose proceeds benefit rotating LGBTQ+ nonprofits, Eventbrite ticketing for select productions, and private venue rentals. No proprietary technology underlies the operation; GTM is community-led via Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, email newsletter, and the website calendar with webcal sync. The venue holds San Francisco Landmark No. 295 (Article 10, 2021) and Legacy Business (2017) designations, and operates a four-decade titleholder circuit (37 sashes since 1982) feeding the national leather competition pipeline including International Mr. Leather.

Ownership is held by Lex Montiel, who acquired the venue with co-owner Mike Leon in 2012, closed it for ADA and structural renovations, and reopened it in 2013; Mike Leon passed in 2019 and Lex Montiel continues as sole operator. The business carries no parent company, no venture backing, no subsidiaries, and no publicly disclosed financials. Strategic positioning has been predominantly defensive and community-deepening rather than expansionary, with the Landmark designation, Legacy Business status, and adjacent Eagle Plaza development (2019) serving to protect and amplify the existing footprint rather than to scale it.

Name

SF Eagle

Legal name

SF Eagle

Website

https://sf-eagle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SF Eagle is a privately held LGBTQ+ leather bar and community venue in San Francisco's SoMa district, operating since 1981 at 398 12th St, serving the leather, bear, pup, and kink communities through weekly resident parties, monthly contests, and rotating nonprofit Beer Busts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nightlife Bar & Community Venue

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFAEAA

Neighborhood & Sports Bars

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bars, Pubs & Nightlife Venues

SECONDARYMPAGAIAF

Rooftop Bars & Outdoor Nightlife Venues

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Nightlife & Live Music Venues (Clubs, Bars)

SECONDARYCRANACAA

Neighborhood Bars & Taverns

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/On-Premise Alcohol Retail (Bars, Pubs & Taprooms)

SECONDARYTHAHAAAJ

Outdoor Event Venues (Pavilions, Amphitheaters, Parks)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ bar
• Leather bar
• Community venue
• Nightlife events
• Drag performance

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Alcohol sales: The bar generates revenue primarily through drink sales at the venue, with an outdoor patio bar, 28-foot interior bar, and a patio barbecue pit. Cash is preferred at the door with an ATM on site.
2. Event cover charges: Various events charge cover fees, such as GMP music events at $10 per person. Door policies include cash preference at entry.
3. Beer Bust donations: Weekly Beer Bust events where proceeds benefit rotating LGBTQ+ nonprofits. Patrons purchase drinks and meals with proceeds going to charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SF Eagle is a historic LGBTQ+ leather bar and community venue in San Francisco's SoMa district that operates a full bar alongside a dense schedule of recurring themed dance parties, drag shows, live music, leather title contests, and community fundraisers. The venue also caters to community groups and private events and operates a dog-friendly outdoor patio.

Product overview

SF Eagle is a single-location historic LGBTQ+ leather bar and community venue in San Francisco's SoMa district, established in 1981. The venue operates as a unified bar and event space offering a rotating calendar of recurring events including Beer Bust (Sundays), Filth (1st Saturdays), Young Hearts (3rd Saturdays), Karaoke with Dana (Mondays), ScripTease (1st Wednesdays), theater performances, drag shows, comedy nights, and various dance parties. The venue also runs a Title & Contest Circuit awarding Mr. SF Eagle, Ms. SF Eagle, Bootblack, and Leather Pet titles, with titleholders participating in the national leather community circuit including International Mr. Leather (IML). The space is available for private rentals and community events. SF Eagle holds San Francisco Landmark No. 295 (Article 10 designation, 2021) and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (since 2017).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SF Eagle Bar & Venue Full bar and community venue operating nightly in San Francisco's SoMa district, catering to the LGBTQ+ and leather community with a dog-friendly outdoor patio. Serves individual adult patrons and private event hosts.
• Monthly Beer Bust Recurring beer bust event where proceeds are donated to community causes; positioned as an affordable, charitable gathering for the LGBTQ+ community.
• SF Eagle Title & Contest Circuit Annual leather title contest program including Mr. SF Eagle, Mr. SF Eagle Cub, SF Eagle Colt, SF Eagle Bootblack, and SF Eagle's Cigar Daddy. Open to contestants from the leather community; fans attend and support titleholders.
• Filth Monthly themed dance party series held at SF Eagle for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Cell Blok Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• Twisted Bear Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle for the bear community.
• Adonis Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• NOIR Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• BLUFSF Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• Knotty Bird Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• Disco Daddy Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• Hysteria Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• AshHole Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• GMP Sundays Live Music Recurring live music event series hosted at SF Eagle.
• WOOF Sundays Recurring themed social event series hosted at SF Eagle.
• Black Light Friday Recurring themed dance party / event at SF Eagle.
• Karaoke with Dana Recurring weekly karaoke night hosted at SF Eagle with host Dana.
• S'Morgasbord Drag Show Recurring drag show hosted at SF Eagle.
• ScripTease Recurring queer performance series hosted at SF Eagle.
• Drag Race All Stars Watch Party Recurring watch party / community viewing event for the Drag Race All Stars series hosted at SF Eagle.
• Private Event & Venue Rental Booking of SF Eagle's bar and event space for private parties, community events, support groups, and hosted gatherings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $30 million raised for the LGBTQ+ community over its history
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rotating LGBTQ+ nonprofits (Beer Bust beneficiaries)coreOthersEvery Sunday Beer Bust benefits a rotating LGBTQ+ nonprofit or charity. Proceeds from drink sales and meals go directly to support the beneficiary organization. This is a core part of the SF Eagle's community mission and has generated significant charitable impact over the venue's history.
• Local fraternal organizationsminorOthersVarious LGBTQ+ fraternal organizations rely on the SF Eagle as a meeting place for formal gatherings, membership recruitment, and to communicate their mission, values, and function. The venue serves as a community anchor for these groups.
• Local amateur sports teamsminorOthersThe SF Eagle sponsors local amateur sports teams as part of its community engagement activities, supporting LGBTQ+ athletics and team sports.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rebel Bar SF: San Francisco LGBTQ+ bar in the SoMa/embarcadero area with dance floor, drag events, and themed parties, targeting similar demographic and competing for event-night traffic.
• The Chicago Eagle: Chicago leather bar following the same Eagle franchise concept, serving a similar LGBTQ+ leather/kink community with bar and event programming analogous to SF Eagle.
• Wild Side West: Historic LGBTQ+ women's bar in San Francisco's Bernal Heights, serving a comparable community-anchor bar function with patio space and event programming for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Beaux: San Francisco LGBTQ+ bar and nightclub in the Castro, offering drag shows, dancing, and community events; directly comparable in serving the LGBTQ+ community with bar service and event programming.
• Eagle NYC: Sister Eagle leather bar in New York City with the same brand heritage, leather/kink community focus, and bar/event venue model as SF Eagle. Part of the same Eagle brand ecosystem and directly comparable in concept.
• Twin Peaks Tavern: Historic LGBTQ+ bar in San Francisco's Castro district, similarly long-established (since 1935) with landmark recognition, serving the LGBTQ+ community with traditional bar service and community gathering function.
• Eagle Pittsburgh: Another Eagle-branded leather bar in the Eagle franchise network, operating with similar leather community focus and bar/event model in a different regional market.
• The SF Badlands: Long-running LGBTQ+ dance bar in San Francisco's Castro district, operating as a neighborhood bar and event venue serving similar community segments with recurring party programming.
• Powerhouse Bar: Long-established LGBTQ+ leather bar in San Francisco's SoMa district, directly competing in the same leather/kink community space and serving overlapping patron segments during major events.
• Lookout: San Francisco LGBTQ+ bar in the Castro with dance floor and recurring community events including drag shows and themed parties, serving a comparable LGBTQ+ patron base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thesfeagle
• Facebookfacebook.com/sfeagle
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfeagle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sf-eagle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 SF Eagle