The Pen and Pencil

Bar and Restaurantthepenandpencilnq.co.uk

The Pen and Pencil is an independently owned Manhattan 1950's-themed bar and restaurant in Manchester's Northern Quarter serving food, cocktails, and event programming (DJ nights, quiz nights, bottomless brunch) to general consumers and private-hire groups.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What The Pen and Pencil does

The Pen and Pencil is an independently owned bar and restaurant located at Fourways House, 57 Hilton Street, in Manchester's Northern Quarter (M1 2EJ), United Kingdom. The venue operates under a Manhattan 1950's steakhouse-inspired concept, serving a full food menu across brunch, lunch, and dinner alongside an extensive cocktail and drinks selection. It employs approximately 29 staff and operates seven days a week, with the kitchen closing earlier on weekends (5pm Saturday and Sunday) and the bar running late. The concept is positioned as a multi-purpose hospitality venue rather than a pure dining establishment: it combines restaurant service with structured event programming, including resident DJs on Friday and Saturday nights (After Hours funk & soul; Studio 57 disco/classic house), a weekly Pencils Down quiz night hosted by Quizmodo on Tuesdays, and a monthly Bottomless Brunch on the last Saturday of each month.

The business generates revenue across three primary streams: (1) food and beverage sales from daily service and event nights, supported by promotional pricing including a £10 weekday brunch/lunch menu, 50% Off Food Mondays, and Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 4-7pm and Friday 4pm-close; (2) private hire and group bookings, offering a private room for up to 70 guests or full venue hire for up to 200 guests, targeted at corporate networking, birthday parties, hen dos, and launch events; and (3) gift vouchers redeemable against menu items. Customer acquisition is event-driven and relies on organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), an email newsletter mailing list, and third-party reservations via OpenTable. The venue also runs a careers page recruiting floor staff, cocktail bartenders, and chefs.

The underlying operating model is that of a traditional single-site hospitality business with no disclosed proprietary technology, digital platform, or AI-enabled capabilities. There is no parent company, no funding history, and no evidence of multi-site expansion. Ownership, management team identities, and financial performance are not publicly disclosed, and the business appears to be a privately held, founder/owner-operated independent venue in a competitive city-center bar and restaurant market.

The Pen and Pencil firmographics

Firmographics

Name: The Pen and Pencil
Legal name: The Pen and Pencil
Website: https://thepenandpencilnq.co.uk
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: The Pen and Pencil is an independently owned Manhattan 1950's-themed bar and restaurant in Manchester's Northern Quarter serving food, cocktails, and event programming (DJ nights, quiz nights, bottomless brunch) to general consumers and private-hire groups.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

The Pen and Pencil industry classification

Industry

Product category: Bar and Restaurant
NAICS: Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
SIC: Retail-Eating Places (5812)
akta.pro primary industry: Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)
akta.pro secondary industry: DJ & Electronic Music Venues (MPAGAIAE)

Keywords

Bar restaurant
Cocktail lounge
American cuisine
Private events
Live music venue

Where The Pen and Pencil is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Manchester
HQ country: United Kingdom
HQ region: Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

The Pen and Pencil business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Food and beverage sales: Primary revenue from food menu items including brunch, lunch, and dinner service, along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including cocktails.
Private hire and events: Revenue from hosting private events, networking meetings, birthday parties, hen dos, and launch events with dedicated private room (up to 70 guests) or full venue hire (up to 200 guests).
Gift vouchers: Gift cards and vouchers sold for use against menu items including brunch, lunch, dinner, and cocktails.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	Weekday Brunch and Lunch Menu
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	Bottomless Brunch
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	50% Off Food Mondays
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	Happy Hour
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	Quiz Night

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

The Pen and Pencil product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Pen and Pencil is a bar and restaurant located in Manchester's Northern Quarter serving American-inspired food and a cocktail menu. The venue operates as a social dining and drinking destination featuring weekend DJ entertainment and offers private hire services for events up to 200 guests.

Product overview

The Pen and Pencil is a Northern Quarter bar and restaurant in Manchester offering a unified hospitality experience. The core offering combines food service (inspired by Manhattan's 1950's steakhouses), an extensive drinks and cocktail menu, and venue hire services. Entertainment is integral to the offering with resident DJs on weekends and weekly quiz nights. The business operates primarily as a single venue with multiple revenue streams including food and beverage sales, private event hire, and gift vouchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Dine-in Restaurant Service
Bar and Cocktail Menu
Private Hire and Group Bookings
Bottomless Brunch
DJ and Live Entertainment Nights
Gift Vouchers

Companies that use The Pen and Pencil

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

The Pen and Pencil technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

The Pen and Pencil partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

The Pen and Pencil competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Manahatta: Manchester-based bar and restaurant with a similarly themed, late-night offer including resident DJs, bottomless brunch, and cocktail-led dining. Direct geographic and conceptual competitor to The Pen and Pencil in the same Manchester market.
Banyan Bar & Kitchen: UK bar and kitchen chain with a similar full-service offer (brunch, lunch, dinner, cocktails) and a recurring events calendar. Comparable business model targeting similar casual dining and social occasion customers.
Albert's Schloss: Themed Manchester bar and restaurant with a strong entertainment programme (resident DJs, weekend live acts, bottomless brunch). Operates a comparable high-energy, food-and-cocktail-plus-DJ model in the same city.
The Refuge: Manchester bar and restaurant combining food, cocktails, and a strong late-night music and events programme. Closely comparable product mix (restaurant + bar + events) in the same Manchester market.

Broad incumbents

Simmons Bar: UK themed cocktail bar chain with resident DJs, happy hour offers, and a strong late-night music-led identity. Directly comparable to The Pen and Pencil's cocktail + DJ + happy hour proposition at greater scale.
The Alchemist: Major UK cocktail bar chain known for theatrical mixology and a strong food offering. Competes for the same cocktail-led dining customer, with greater scale, multi-site presence, and brand recognition.
Be At One: Established UK cocktail bar chain focused on cocktails, late-night trade, and a high-energy atmosphere. Targets the same cocktail-and-socialising customer segment as The Pen and Pencil, with national scale.
The Botanist: Established UK bar and restaurant chain with themed interiors, extensive cocktail menus, and live music programming. A larger, multi-site incumbent operating a comparable food-cocktail-entertainment proposition across the UK.
Dirty Martini: UK-wide cocktail bar chain with a strong late-night, music-led atmosphere. Overlaps directly with The Pen and Pencil's cocktail and weekend DJ proposition, though at a significantly larger scale.
Tonight Josephine: UK cocktail bar group with a strong themed, Instagram-led brand and bottomless brunch offer. Overlaps with The Pen and Pencil on themed cocktails, weekend trade, and bottomless brunch positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

The Pen and Pencil financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

The Pen and Pencil leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

The Pen and Pencil funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

The Pen and Pencil M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Pen and Pencil

What does The Pen and Pencil do?

Is The Pen and Pencil a public or private company?

The Pen and Pencil is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.

When was The Pen and Pencil founded?

The Pen and Pencil was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is The Pen and Pencil based?

The Pen and Pencil is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.

How does The Pen and Pencil make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Food and beverage sales are the primary driver. The others are private hire and events and gift vouchers.

Who are The Pen and Pencil's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen, Albert's Schloss and The Refuge. Broad incumbents are Simmons Bar, The Alchemist, Be At One, The Botanist, Dirty Martini and Tonight Josephine.

Does The Pen and Pencil have an API?

No public API is recorded for The Pen and Pencil.

What industry is The Pen and Pencil in?

The Pen and Pencil's product category is Bar and Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAH, Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAE, DJ & Electronic Music Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5812.