Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen

What Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen does

The Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen is a family-owned lakefront restaurant, bar, and entertainment venue located at 1404 Highway 71 in Okoboji, Iowa, operated by the Mau Family under private ownership since the property was incorporated into their portfolio following the 1988 acquisition of Wilson Boat Works. The current venue opened in May 2015 after renovation of the historic site, which dates to 1884, and operates with a workforce of approximately 17 employees serving tourists and residents of the Iowa Great Lakes region. The core offering combines full-service dining with a kitchen open until 11 PM and bar service Thursday through Monday, supplemented by over 100 live music performances annually on the dedicated 2026 Lakeside Stage, family-friendly amenities including a playground, gagaball, basketball court, and bean bag toss, and unique water-accessible arrival via boat with on-site valet parking.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: food and beverage sales as the primary engine, custom merchandise (apparel, hats, drinkware, blankets) sold on-site, an annual signature beer collaboration called Miss Thriller produced with West O Beer, and ancillary boat services. The go-to-market motion is exclusively direct-to-consumer through the single physical location, with marketing driven by organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), a website events calendar, a musician request submission system, and the Okoboji Project Podcast. The business operates without disclosed pricing, no public revenue figures, no outside capital, no proprietary technology platform, and no AI or ML capabilities, positioning it as a hospitality and lifestyle brand anchored to a non-replicable waterfront asset rather than a scalable technology-enabled business.

Name

Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen

Legal name

The Okoboji Store

Website

https://theokobojistore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned lakefront restaurant, bar, and live music venue in Okoboji, Iowa serving Iowa Great Lakes tourists and locals with dining, boat access, family amenities, merchandise, and an annual signature beer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lakeside Bar and Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

Keywords

• Lakeside bar restaurant
• Live music venue
• Waterfront dining
• Boat valet services
• Craft beer collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Okoboji

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: The primary revenue stream is from food and beverage sales at the bar and kitchen. The restaurant serves a menu with a variety of food options and drinks, with the kitchen open until 11 PM and the bar remaining open later. The venue also offers merchandise for sale.
2. Signature Beer - Miss Thriller: Okoboji Store Brewing Co. produces the Miss Thriller signature beer, a collaborative Beach Blonde Ale with West O Beer, sold exclusively at the venue and available for limited editions.
3. Merchandise Sales: The Okoboji Store sells branded merchandise including hats, apparel, blankets, drinkware, and limited edition items like Miss Thriller koozies. The merchandise is custom-designed for the Okoboji lifestyle and sold on-site.
4. Boat Services: Boat valet parking and boat parking services are provided for customers arriving by water. This service supports the primary dining and entertainment experience.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen operates a lakefront restaurant and bar venue in Okoboji, Iowa, serving food and drinks to walk-in guests and boaters, complemented by live music entertainment, family playground amenities, boat valet services, branded merchandise, and an annual signature beer collaboration. The kitchen is open until 11 PM and the bar operates Thursday through Monday, with the venue hosting over 100 live music performances each year on the Lakeside Stage.

Product overview

The Okoboji Store is a lakefront restaurant and bar venue offering dining, live music entertainment, and recreational activities. The core offering centers on food service from the kitchen (open until 11 PM) and bar service (Thursday through Monday), supplemented by live music performances at the Lakeside Stage with over 100 shows annually. Family-friendly amenities include a playground with gagaball, basketball court, and bean bag toss. Boat-accessible with valet parking services. The establishment also operates a merchandise line featuring custom lake-lifestyle apparel and accessories, and produces an annual signature beer (Miss Thriller) in collaboration with West O Beer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Miss Thriller: Signature summer beer collaboration with West O Beer, inspired by a famous 70-mile-per-hour vessel from Arnolds Park Amusement Park in the 1920s. Miss Thriller was a World War I submarine chaser used during prohibition.
• Okoboji Store Brewing Co.

Products and services

• The Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen A lakefront restaurant and bar offering food, drinks, and entertainment with views of East and West Lake Okoboji. The kitchen serves food until 11 PM and the bar is open Thursday through Monday starting at 11 AM, targeting tourists and local visitors.
• Live Music Entertainment at the Lakeside Stage Lakeside entertainment featuring over 100 live performances annually, including local acts, regional talents, and artists of international acclaim on the dedicated 2026 Lakeside Stage, performed on long weekends, lazy afternoons, and summer nights.
• Kids Playground and Family Amenities Family-friendly amenities including a playground, gagaball, basketball court, bean bag toss, and Legos for children to enjoy while parents relax by the water.
• Boat Valet and Parking Services Boat valet parking service where staff park boats for customers, with parking available directly in front of the store or east of the property near the gas dock, enabling waterborne access to the restaurant.
• Okoboji Store Merchandise Custom-designed merchandise including hats, apparel, blankets, drinkware, and limited edition items like Miss Thriller koozies, curated for the lake lifestyle and sold on-site.
• Miss Thriller Signature Beer Okoboji Store Brewing Co.'s signature summer beer, updated yearly. Named after a historic 70-mile-per-hour thrill-ride vessel from Arnolds Park Amusement Park, sold exclusively at the venue with limited availability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 live music performances hosted annually

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• West O BeercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest O Beer collaborates with Okoboji Store Brewing Co. on the annual Miss Thriller signature beer. This Beach Blonde Ale collaboration has become a flagship seasonal product, with each year's edition featuring unique branding and limited availability. The partnership has produced multiple successful editions including the 2025 V25 Bikini Blonde Ale and 2026 V26 Beach Blonde Ale.
• Mau MarinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMau Marine is the sister company under the same Mau Family ownership. The boat services company provides rental, sales, and service operations and shares the adjoining property with The Okoboji Store. Both operate as sibling-led businesses serving the Iowa Great Lakes community with boat-related services and social venues.
• Zeke'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZeke's, mentioned in merchandise descriptions as a location where Miss Thriller beer is available 'topless', is a partner establishment for distributing the signature beer beyond The Okoboji Store location.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports-bar chain that combines casual food, bar service, and live-event atmosphere; competes for the same discretionary leisure and group-dining occasions as the venue.
• BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse: National casual-dining chain with in-house brewing and broad bar/live-entertainment programming; comparable as a scaled version of the brewpub + entertainment model.
• Yard House: Chain bar-and-grill known for extensive craft beer selection and bar-centric atmosphere; overlaps with The Okoboji Store's bar-first, music-driven positioning.
• Granite City Food & Brewery: Multi-unit chain brewpub combining full-service restaurant and on-site brewing—the same operating model (food + craft beer) as The Okoboji Store, but at chain scale across multiple U.S. markets.

Direct peers

• Zeke's: Local Okoboji bar referenced as a distribution partner for Miss Thriller beer; comparable single-location lakeside bar serving overlapping Iowa Great Lakes visitors with food, drinks, and casual atmosphere.
• West O Beer: Regional brewery that co-produces the Miss Thriller signature beer with Okoboji Store Brewing Co. and operates taproom/service in the Iowa Great Lakes market, sharing the same customer base and craft-beer positioning.

Regional players

• Arnolds Park Amusement Park: Historic Iowa Great Lakes amusement park directly tied to the Miss Thriller brand story and a regional tourism anchor driving shared foot traffic; comparable as a complementary lakeside leisure destination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@okobojistore
• Facebookfacebook.com/okobojistore
• Instagraminstagram.com/okobojistore
• TikToktiktok.com/@okobojistore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/okoboji-store-bar-and-kitchen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Okoboji Store Bar and Kitchen