Sloopy Joes
Sloppy Joe's Bar is a privately held, historic Key West bar and restaurant founded in 1933 at 201 Duval Street, serving tourists and locals with food, drinks, live music 365 days a year, retail merchandise, and annual Hemingway-themed events under a National Register-listed single-location operation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersKey West, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sloopy Joes does
Sloppy Joe's Bar is a privately held, single-location bar and restaurant operating at 201 Duval Street, Key West, Florida, at the corner of Duval and Greene Streets since May 5, 1937. The business was founded on December 5, 1933 — the day Prohibition was repealed — by Joe Russell, who operated an illegal speakeasy during Prohibition and transitioned into a legitimate bar after the ban was lifted. The venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is widely cited as one of the most famous bars in America, owing primarily to its documented association with Ernest Hemingway, who was a regular customer and reportedly called himself a "silent partner." Ownership passed from Joe Russell through Joe Russell Jr. and Stan and Marcy Smith before Sloppy Joe's Enterprises — owned by the families of the late Sid Snelgrove and the late Jim Mayer — acquired the bar in 1978; the company remains privately held with no institutional investment, venture capital, or public listing recorded.
The business generates revenue through three core streams: on-premise food and beverage sales (specialty cocktails, the signature Sloppy Joe sandwich, wings, seafood, and casual bar fare, with the kitchen operating until 10 pm daily and the bar open 19 hours/day Mon-Sat and 17 hours on Sundays); an on-site retail store plus an e-commerce storefront at store.sloppyjoes.com selling branded clothing, souvenirs, and gift cards with global shipping; and event-driven traffic anchored by the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest (running 45+ years, held each July), the Sloppy Joe Eating Contest, and the Sloppy Joe's Foundation community programming. The venue offers live music 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. with nightly dancing, and operates a multi-camera live webcam system (Stage Cam, Bar Cam, Crowd Cam, Duval Street Cam) for remote visitor engagement. The website navigation also references "Other Sloppy Joe's Locations" and a "Sloppy Joe's Havana" concept, suggesting latent brand-licensing or geographic expansion interest, though the operating footprint remains a single Key West address.
Sloppy Joe's go-to-market is event-driven and destination-tourism-led, targeting two primary segments — Key West tourists seeking iconic bar experiences and Hemingway-related cultural tourism, and Key West locals seeking entertainment and community gathering space — supplemented by a tertiary Hemingway-enthusiast persona segment. Marketing channels are predominantly organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) plus content marketing through live webcam streaming, a historical photo gallery, and events-based marketing around the annual Look-Alike Contest. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed AI or technology platform beyond the webcam streaming infrastructure, and no subsidiaries, funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership transitions documented in the available data.
Sloopy Joes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sloopy Joes
- Legal name
- Sloppy Joe's Enterprises
- Website
- https://sloppyjoes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sloppy Joe's Bar is a privately held, historic Key West bar and restaurant founded in 1933 at 201 Duval Street, serving tourists and locals with food, drinks, live music 365 days a year, retail merchandise, and annual Hemingway-themed events under a National Register-listed single-location operation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sloopy Joes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Historic Bar and Restaurant
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood Bars & Taverns (CRANACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)
Keywords
Where Sloopy Joes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Key West
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sloopy Joes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: On-premise sales of drinks, specialty cocktails, and food items including the signature Sloppy Joe sandwich, wings, seafood, and casual bar fare. Bar operates extended hours Mon-Sat 9am-4am and Sunday 10am-4am with kitchen service until 10pm.
- Retail Merchandise: On-site retail store selling clothing, souvenirs, and branded merchandise. Online store available at store.sloppyjoes.com with shipping options.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards available for purchase online with option for bar pickup. Sold through the online store.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sloopy Joes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sloppy Joe's is a single-location historic bar and restaurant at 201 Duval Street, Key West, selling on-premise food and beverages (signature Sloppy Joe sandwich, specialty cocktails, wings, seafood, casual fare), providing live music entertainment 365 days a year, and operating an on-site plus online retail store for branded merchandise and gift cards. The bar is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and markets heavily on its Ernest Hemingway heritage and Duval Street location since 1937.
Product overview
Sloppy Joe's is an iconic Key West bar and restaurant operating as a single unified venue with multiple service offerings. The core experience centers on food, beverages, and live entertainment, supported by a retail store, e-commerce gift cards, and live webcam streaming. Annual events including the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and Sloppy Joe Eating Contest draw visitors. Founded in 1933 and located at the corner of Duval and Greene Streets since 1937, the bar is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and known for its connection to Ernest Hemingway.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food & Drink Menu Service Full on-premise food and beverage service for individual visitors and locals at the bar, featuring specialty drinks, the signature Sloppy Joe sandwich, Key West snacks, wings, sandwiches, and various alcoholic beverages.
- Live Music Entertainment Live music performances 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. with nightly dancing, featuring various musical acts for visitors and locals at the Key West venue.
- Branded Retail Store (On-site and Online) Retail store operated both physically at the venue (hours Mon-Sat 9 am-10 pm, Sunday 10 am-10 pm) and online via store.sloppyjoes.com, offering clothing, souvenirs, and branded merchandise with global shipping.
- Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase online through store.sloppyjoes.com with the option for in-store pickup at the bar.
- Live Webcam Streaming (Stage Cam, Bar Cam, Crowd Cam, Duval Street Cam) Live streaming webcams allowing remote viewers to experience the bar's atmosphere, including the Stage Cam, Bar Cam, Crowd Cam, and Duval Street Cam.
- Hemingway Look-Alike Contest Annual Sloppy Joe's Hemingway Look-Alike Contest held each July, attracting participants and spectators from worldwide, functioning as a signature signature event and seasonal traffic driver.
- Sloppy Joe Eating Contest Competitive eating event hosted at the bar featuring the signature Sloppy Joe sandwich.
Companies that use Sloopy Joes
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sloopy Joes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Sloopy Joes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sloopy Joes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Captain Tony's Saloon: Famous historic Key West bar at the corner of Greene and Whitehead, also steeped in Hemingway lore. Directly competes with Sloppy Joe's for tourist traffic on the same Duval Street corridor with a similar live-music, dive-bar positioning.
- Chumley's: Historic former speakeasy in NYC's West Village with deep literary and cultural associations. Comparable to Sloppy Joe's as a heritage-driven, single-location American bar leveraging cultural legacy.
- McSorley's Old Ale House: Historic NYC tavern operating since 1854 with a strong cultural/heritage profile and limited menu. Comparable as a long-tenured, brand-anchored American bar that monetizes its heritage through on-premise experience.
- Green Parrot Bar: Long-standing Key West dive bar with live music, also located in the Old Town tourist corridor. Directly competes with Sloppy Joe's for live-music-driven bar visitation in Key West.
- The 21 Club: Iconic New York restaurant and bar with deep cultural and celebrity history. Comparable to Sloppy Joe's as a high-recognition, single-location American hospitality landmark with premium positioning.
- Pat O'Brien's Bar: Iconic New Orleans bar famous for the Hurricane cocktail, live music in its courtyard, and tourist-driven demand. Highly comparable as a culturally-anchored, entertainment-led American bar with signature drink IP.
- Bull and Whistle Bar: Historic Key West bar on Duval Street with live entertainment and a tourist-heavy customer base. Closely comparable to Sloppy Joe's on location, format, and visitor demographic.
- Café Du Monde: Iconic New Orleans coffee and beignet destination driven entirely by tourism to a single French Quarter location. Comparable as a category-defining, single-location American food/beverage landmark with a global brand.
Broad incumbents
- The Algonquin Hotel: Historic NYC hotel anchored by the literary Round Table legacy. Comparable to Sloppy Joe's as a heritage-driven hospitality venue monetizing cultural legacy, though it operates lodging alongside food and beverage.
- Hard Rock Cafe: Global themed bar/restaurant chain that monetizes music and memorabilia culture at scale. Comparable to Sloppy Joe's on the music/cultural-merchandise angle, though it operates a much broader portfolio rather than a single heritage site.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sloopy Joes social profiles
Digital presenceSloopy Joes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sloopy Joes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sloopy Joes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sloopy Joes 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 Sloopy Joes
What does Sloopy Joes do?
Sloppy Joe's is a single-location historic bar and restaurant at 201 Duval Street, Key West, selling on-premise food and beverages (signature Sloppy Joe sandwich, specialty cocktails, wings, seafood, casual fare), providing live music entertainment 365 days a year, and operating an on-site plus online retail store for branded merchandise and gift cards. The bar is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and markets heavily on its Ernest Hemingway heritage and Duval Street location since 1937.
Is Sloopy Joes a public or private company?
Sloopy Joes is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Sloopy Joes founded?
Sloopy Joes was founded in 1933. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sloopy Joes based?
Sloopy Joes is headquartered in Key West, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sloopy Joes make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Merchandise and gift Cards.
Who are Sloopy Joes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Captain Tony's Saloon, Chumley's, McSorley's Old Ale House, Green Parrot Bar, The 21 Club, Pat O'Brien's Bar, Bull and Whistle Bar and Café Du Monde. Broad incumbents are The Algonquin Hotel and Hard Rock Cafe.
Does Sloopy Joes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sloopy Joes.
What industry is Sloopy Joes in?
Sloopy Joes's product category is Historic Bar and Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANACAA, Neighborhood Bars & Taverns, with a secondary code of THAFACAB, Casual Dining Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 7224 and its SIC code is 5810.