The Monkey Bar & Grille

What The Monkey Bar & Grille does

The Monkey Bar & Grille is a privately held, single-location bar and restaurant operating at 7837 Old 3C Hwy in Maineville, Ohio, owned by Mark and Amy Altemeier since their 2016 acquisition and rebrand of the former Train Stop Inn property. The site sits on the Little Miami Scenic Trail and comprises multiple distinct seating environments — the main bar, the downstairs Bourbon Cellar, the RiverSide Balcony, the Blue Danube, the TrailSide Balcony, and a dog-friendly back patio — with operating hours spanning Monday through Sunday (bar 11am-10/12pm; Sam's Grille 11am-9/11pm). The business employs 9 people and serves a horizontal mix of consumer segments including local residents, trail cyclists, bourbon enthusiasts, private event hosts (groups of 50+), and Church at the Bar attendees.

The core offering is Sam's Grille, a full American bar menu with visible pricing on starters ($9.45-$14.70), wings ($12.60-$18.90), smash and specialty burgers ($12.60-$16.80), 10-inch specialty pizzas ($15.75), salads, sandwiches, and a $8.40 kids menu, supplemented by a craft cocktail program and an extensive bourbon/whiskey list featuring MBG Single Barrel Picks and a Bourbon Club membership. Revenue mechanics are entirely transactional and on-premise, layered with four ancillary streams: private event rentals (rental fee plus minimum tab plus 20% gratuity, two-week lead time), live entertainment (Memorial Day-to-Labor Day daily acoustic acts, Friday/Saturday bands year-round, Thursday trivia with no cover charge), gift cards via the GiftLocal third-party platform, and on-site branded merchandise (hoodies, tees, beanies, water bottles). Marketing relies on a Facebook group (Bourbon Club), an online event calendar, community fundraisers (Kings Schools Foundation, Pumpkin Regatta, Feed the City, Hunger2Help, Night to Shine, Myles Ahead Mutt Strut), and trail-driven organic foot traffic rather than paid digital advertising.

Operationally the business is a low-technology hospitality venue. Ordering and menu browsing are supported by QR-code-driven digital menus that link to standard mobile web pages; there is no proprietary platform, no mobile app, no API surface, and no disclosed third-party integrations beyond gift card distribution and Calendly-based hiring. The unique brand asset is the building's documented heritage (Twenty Two Mile Stand from 1841, the Sam the Chimp story from the mid-1980s, and the Harris family stewardship until 2013), which is leveraged through a dedicated History section but does not constitute a defensible technical or commercial moat beyond the immediate Foster/Warren County catchment.

Name

The Monkey Bar & Grille

Legal name

The Monkey Bar & Grille

Website

https://themonkeybarandgrille.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Monkey Bar & Grille is a privately owned, single-location family-friendly bar and restaurant in Maineville, Ohio, serving American bar fare, craft cocktails, and an extensive bourbon program to local residents, trail cyclists, private event hosts, and community groups along the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant & Bar

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurant
• Craft cocktail bar
• Bourbon whiskey selection
• Private event venue
• Live music entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Maineville

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Restaurant and bar sales including full food menu (starters, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, wings, entrees) and extensive cocktail and bourbon/whiskey menu. Dine-in service with multiple seating areas including main bar, Bourbon Cellar, and outdoor patio.
2. Private Event Rentals: Rental fees and minimum tab commitments for private events hosting groups of 50+. Venues include Bourbon Cellar, RiverSide Balcony, The Blue Danube, and TrailSide Balcony. Non-refundable reservation fee required.
3. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold through third-party platform (GiftLocal) for restaurant value.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, beanies, and water bottles sold at the restaurant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Monkey Bar & Grille is a family-friendly restaurant and bar serving American bar fare (starters, salads, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, wings, entrees, kids menu), craft cocktails, and an extensive bourbon and whiskey collection. It operates from a single multi-room venue in Foster/Maineville, Ohio, offering dine-in service across the main bar, Bourbon Cellar, RiverSide Balcony, The Blue Danube, TrailSide Balcony, and a dog-friendly outdoor patio. Supplementary offerings include live entertainment, private event hosting for groups of 50+, branded merchandise, and gift cards.

Product overview

The Monkey Bar & Grille is a family-friendly bar and restaurant offering a unified experience combining food service, craft cocktails, and extensive bourbon/whiskey selections. The product portfolio centers on Sam's Grille food menu alongside signature cocktails and a notable bourbon collection, supplemented by private event hosting across four distinct spaces (Bourbon Cellar, RiverSide Balcony, The Blue Danube, TrailSide Balcony), live entertainment including seasonal acoustic performances and weekend bands, branded merchandise, gift cards, and unique offerings like Church at the Bar and QR-based digital menus. The company operates as a single destination establishment rather than a platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sam's Grille: A dining section within The Monkey Bar & Grille with its own operating hours and menu offerings, featuring American grill cuisine.

Products and services

• Sam's Grille (Food Menu)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Standard: Cincinnati bourbon-focused bar with an extensive whiskey and cocktail program. Closely comparable to the Bourbon Cellar and whiskey enthusiast positioning of the subject, though lighter on the food menu.
• Threadbare Cider House: Cincinnati neighborhood venue combining a production concept with a full bar, food menu, and live entertainment programming. Comparable in offering a destination beverage-forward experience with food, events, and a strong community/live entertainment calendar.
• The Pub at Rookwood Mews: Cincinnati-area neighborhood bar and grille with a broad food menu, craft cocktails, and full bar service. Directly comparable in service model, target customer (families, groups, local regulars), and Greater Cincinnati market footprint.
• Moerlein Lager House: Cincinnati bar and grille with an extensive craft beverage program, full food menu, and event/private dining space. Comparable to Monkey Bar & Grille in its bar-forward dining format, scenic-riverfront location, and event-hosting emphasis.
• The Pitch Pizza + Pub: Cincinnati-area neighborhood venue offering pizza, sandwiches, a full bar, and live entertainment. Closely matches the subject's casual food-plus-bar model with a strong live music/trivia programming calendar.
• Incline Public House: Cincinnati neighborhood bar and restaurant offering a full food menu, craft beer, and cocktails with multiple indoor/outdoor seating areas. Closely matches the bar-and-grille format, multi-zone venue approach, and family-friendly positioning of the subject.

Broad incumbents

• The Eagle: Regional bar and grille concept known for its fried chicken, bourbon selection, and craft cocktails. Comparable bourbon-and-Americana positioning, though operates as a multi-unit brand rather than a single destination heritage venue.
• Keystone Bar & Grill: Multi-unit bar and grille chain serving the broader Midwest. Comparable in core menu (burgers, wings, sandwiches) and casual bar-and-grille experience, but operates at a larger scale and lacks the destination/heritage story of the subject.

Regional players

• Arnie's on the Levee: Cincinnati riverfront area sports bar and grille. Comparable in operating model (bar-forward full-service menu, event space, sports viewing) but located in a different submarket within the broader Cincinnati region.

Others

• BourbonTour.com: Bourbon tourism and tasting platform. Thematically related to the subject's bourbon destination positioning and barrel-pick program, but operates as a content/media platform rather than a physical bar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-monkey-bar-&-grille

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 The Monkey Bar & Grille