The Boathouse

What The Boathouse does

The Boathouse is a privately held, multi-location waterfront seafood restaurant group headquartered in Midlothian, Virginia, and operating in the Richmond metropolitan area. Founded in 1988 as Sunday's Restaurant, the company rebranded and grew into a four-venue portfolio under owner Kevin Healy: Rocketts Landing (James River waterfront in a historic power station building, capacity up to 230 in the River View Room), Sunday Park (Swift Creek Reservoir, the original 1988 location, with The Gardens Pavilion for up to 250 guests), Short Pump Town Center (a non-waterfront "dry dock" venue in a shopping center with The Stateroom for up to 12), and City Point in Hopewell (Appomattox/James rivers confluence, with Tent Pavilion for up to 150). The Boathouse is part of the HOUSEPitality family of restaurants, which also operates Casa Del Barco, Island Shrimp Co., and Can Can Brasserie.

The company monetizes across five core streams: dine-in restaurant revenue (lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, weekday happy hour with $1-$3 beverage discounts), private events and corporate group dining (minimum F&B spend of $350-$800 depending on time slot), full-service wedding packages (Saturday evening receptions priced $13,000-$20,000 inclusive of tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, flatware, and event coordination), gift cards sold through Toast Tab, and off-premise catering delivered via ezCater and Grubhub. Wedding and special occasion bookings are the highest-ticket revenue line, with the company having hosted over 1,000 weddings across its history. Pricing is uniformly transaction-based with no subscription, membership, or contracted recurring revenue components.

The technology stack is built entirely on third-party SaaS: Toast Tab for point-of-sale, online ordering, rewards, and gift cards; OpenTable for reservations across all four venues; Triple Seat for private event and wedding bookings; and Grubhub and ezCater for delivery and corporate catering. Marketing is a hybrid of organic social (Instagram @boathouse_va, Facebook), earned media (Virginia Living Magazine, Best Ever Food Review Show on YouTube with 10M+ subscribers, CBS 6), and wedding-industry platforms (The Knot, Richmond Bride A-List, Pinterest). The company has approximately 132 employees, no disclosed external funding, no M&A activity, and no announced expansion outside the Richmond/Hopewell/Midlothian corridor.

Name

The Boathouse

Website

https://theboathouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Boathouse is a privately held Richmond, Virginia restaurant group operating four waterfront and venue locations under the HOUSEPitality umbrella, serving dine-in guests, private events, weddings, and corporate catering across the Richmond metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waterfront Seafood Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Waterfront seafood restaurants
• Private event venues
• Wedding reception catering
• Locally sourced cuisine
• Happy hour dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Revenue: Food and beverage sales across four restaurant locations (Rocketts Landing, Sunday Park, Short Pump, City Point). Menu includes seafood, steaks, Southern classics, and crafted cocktails. Happy hour offered weekdays with $1 off draft beers, $2 off wines by the glass, $3 off select cocktails, plus $7 starters and $12 appetizers.
2. Private Events and Catering: Revenue from hosting private parties, corporate events, and group dining at all four locations. Private event minimums range from $350 to $800 depending on time and location.
3. Wedding Packages and Receptions: Comprehensive wedding ceremony and reception packages. Pricing ranges from $13,000-$20,000 for Saturday evening receptions. Includes plated dinner, buffet, or heavy hors d'oeuvres options with full bar service.
4. Gift Cards: Restaurant gift cards sold through Toast Tab platform.
5. Catering Delivery: Off-premise catering delivery through ezCater platform for Short Pump and City Point locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Boathouse operates four waterfront restaurant locations across the Richmond, Virginia metro area (Rocketts Landing, Sunday Park, Short Pump, City Point) serving locally-sourced seafood, steaks, Southern classics, and crafted cocktails. Beyond dine-in service, the company hosts private events, weddings, and corporate gatherings at multiple venue spaces, and offers off-premise catering through third-party delivery platforms.

Product overview

The Boathouse is a multi-location waterfront seafood restaurant chain operated by HOUSEPitality. The core offering is upscale seafood dining with locally-sourced ingredients across four distinct Richmond-area venues. The portfolio includes: the flagship Rocketts Landing (James River waterfront with historic trolley building), Sunday Park (original 1988 location overlooking Swift Creek Reservoir), Short Pump Town Center (non-waterfront 'dry dock' location), and City Point in Hopewell (Appomattox River waterfront). Beyond dining, the business operates three interconnected service lines: private event hosting (corporate dinners, celebrations), full-service wedding venues (ceremonies, receptions with inclusive packages), and catering delivery. All locations offer takeout, delivery via Grubhub, catering via EZCater, and reservations via OpenTable. The company also maintains a rewards program and weekday happy hour promotions at most locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Boathouse Restaurant Dining
• Private Events Hosting

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpenTablecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline reservation platform integrated into the website allowing customers to make reservations at all four Boathouse locations. Links provided for Rocketts Landing, Sunday Park, Short Pump, and City Point.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationPoint-of-sale, online ordering, rewards program, and gift card platform. Used for takeout orders, delivery integration, and customer loyalty program at Sunday Park location.
• GrubhubminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery service available for City Point (Hopewell) and Short Pump locations.
• ezCaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate catering delivery platform available for Short Pump and City Point locations.
• Triple SeatcoreTechnology or IntegrationDirect booking platform for private events and weddings. Used for Rocketts Landing and Short Pump event reservations.
• The KnotcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWedding planning platform where The Boathouse is featured as a recommended wedding venue.
• Edwards Virginia Ham (Surry, VA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal supplier of sausage from Surry, VA, featured on The Boathouse menu as part of commitment to locally-sourced ingredients.
• Petals & TwigsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Richmond florist recommended to wedding clients as part of showcasing local vendors.
• Pearl's Bake ShoppeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Richmond bakery recommended to wedding clients for wedding cakes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Island Shrimp Co. Another HOUSEPitality sister brand in Richmond, seafood-focused. Comparable as a portfolio-overlap peer sharing marketing, procurement, and cross-brand event referral flows with The Boathouse.
• Casa Del Barco: Sister concept under the HOUSEPitality umbrella operating in the Richmond market. Useful as a portfolio-overlap peer, sharing back-office, marketing, and a multi-venue wedding/event pipeline with The Boathouse.

Broad incumbents

• Landry's Seafood House: Multi-concept seafood operator owned by Landry's Inc., featuring waterfront dining and large-format private event spaces. Comparable in seafood-led menu, waterfront positioning, and event/reception business.
• Eddie V's Prime Seafood: Darden-owned upscale seafood and steakhouse with private dining, live music lounges, and waterfront-style experiential dining. Directly comparable in price point, seafood/steak menu mix, and event revenue strategy.
• Bonefish Grill: Bloomin' Brands' casual-upscale seafood concept with full bar and group dining. Comparable seafood-centric menu and multi-location footprint, though positioned at a lower price point than The Boathouse.
• McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks: National upscale seafood-and-steak chain offering waterfront dining and private event space. Closest scale and concept analog to The Boathouse in terms of seafood-led menu, full bar, and event hosting.
• Ruth's Chris Steak House: National upscale steakhouse (now part of Darden) that also offers private dining and event services. Comparable in AUV, full-service upscale positioning, and event/wedding business, though primarily steak rather than seafood-led.

Regional players

• The Jefferson Hotel (Richmond): Iconic Richmond luxury hotel with extensive ballroom and wedding event business. Competes with The Boathouse for the same regional wedding and private-event spend in the Richmond MSA, though delivered through a hotel-anchored model.
• Main Street Station (Richmond event venues): Historic Richmond event venue (a similarly repurposed historic building used for weddings and galas). Competes with Rocketts Landing's repurposed-power-plant venue for the same historic-building, large-format wedding segment in the Richmond market.

Direct peers

• The Oceanaire Seafood Room: Upscale seafood-only full-service restaurant with private dining and event capabilities. Directly comparable in menu positioning (fresh seafood focus), white-tablecloth service, and event hosting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theboathouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/boathouse_va
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/boathouseva

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 The Boathouse