The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is a family-owned live music venue, pub-fare restaurant, and boutique hotel on Queen Street West in Toronto, presenting 60+ live jazz and blues shows per month for music enthusiasts, downtown diners, hotel guests, and corporate groups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar does
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is a family-owned live music venue, pub-fare restaurant, and boutique hotel operating from a single location at 194 Queen Street West in Toronto's Entertainment District, Canada. Founded circa 1980 and owned for over 40 years by the Ross family (with Avi Ross serving as General Manager in the third generation), the venue presents approximately 19 live shows per week — totaling 60+ per month — featuring Canadian jazz and blues musicians alongside international touring artists. The core product is the performance venue itself, with operational technology limited to a rebuilt stage and sound system installed during the January 2022 'RELAUNCH 2.0' reopening, Squarespace-hosted e-commerce for merchandise and tickets (therexshop.ca), and Ritual integration for restaurant takeout and delivery.
The company monetizes across four revenue streams: (1) live show cover charges and tickets, with evening 8:00 PM shows sold online and at the door at approximately $10-$20 and daytime/early-evening shows operating on a pay-what-you-can model; (2) food and beverage sales through 'The Rextaurant' pub-fare menu priced $6-$34 and a full bar with Ontario craft beer; (3) boutique hotel room bookings on Queen Street West; and (4) branded merchandise through the online Rex Shop. Distribution is anchored by the physical venue, supplemented by online ticket pre-sales, the Ritual delivery platform, and direct hotel bookings.
Customer segments are deliberately broad and include jazz/blues music enthusiasts, downtown Toronto diners, hotel guests, corporate and office groups, and educational institutions such as the University of Toronto jazz ensembles. The go-to-market is event-driven, supported by an Instagram presence (@therextoronto), an email newsletter with the monthly performance calendar, earned media coverage in publications such as the Toronto Star and Wholenote Magazine, and flagship partnerships with TIFF and the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, where the venue is one of the central programming locations. Strategic positioning leans on being Toronto's longest-running jazz club and the affordability of its cover charges relative to higher-priced concert venues.
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar
- Legal name
- The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Club
- Website
- https://therex.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is a family-owned live music venue, pub-fare restaurant, and boutique hotel on Queen Street West in Toronto, presenting 60+ live jazz and blues shows per month for music enthusiasts, downtown diners, hotel guests, and corporate groups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue & Hospitality
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Hotels & Motels (7011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)
Keywords
Where The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Live Show Tickets & Cover Charges: Revenue from ticket sales for evening shows (8:00 PM performances) sold online and at the door. Daytime shows operate on pay-what-you-can model. Cover charges range approximately $10-$20 for ticketed shows.
- Food & Beverage Sales: Restaurant ('The Rextaurant') serves pub-fare menu including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Full bar with Ontario craft beer selection. Menu prices range from $6-$34.
- Hotel Rooms: Downtown Toronto boutique hotel with rooms for guests. Operating since the late 1980s, offering accommodation in Queen Street West location.
- Merchandise: Online merchandise store (therexshop.ca) selling branded items including apparel and drinkware.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Matinee Shows (2:00 PM) - Weekends only |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Early Evening Shows (5:00 PM) - Every day |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Main Shows (8:00 PM) - Every day |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Late Night Shows (11:00 PM) - Saturdays only |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Jazz Jam (Tuesdays 8:00 PM) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar operates a downtown Toronto live music venue presenting approximately 19 jazz and blues shows per week (60+ per month) featuring Canadian and touring international musicians. The venue also operates a boutique hotel on Queen Street West and an adjoining pub-fare restaurant (The Rextaurant) serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a full bar featuring Ontario craft beer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar (Live Shows) Daily live jazz and blues performances in Toronto's longest-running jazz club, with ticketed 8:00 PM shows and pay-what-you-can matinee and early evening sets.
- The Rex Hotel Boutique downtown Toronto hotel with attentive, affordable rooms on Queen Street West within walking distance of major attractions.
- The Rextaurant Pub-fare restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with homemade burgers, wings, fish and chips, and a full bar featuring Ontario craft beer, available to hotel guests and the general public.
- Live Show Tickets Advance online ticket sales for evening jazz and blues performances, with guaranteed seating by section of choice.
- The Rex Shop Merchandise Branded merchandise including apparel, hats, glassware, and other Rex Hotel memorabilia sold through the online store.
- Private Event Hosting Private venue hire for parties of more than 10 guests, including group bookings and special-event arrangements.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60+ live shows per month
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Juno/Factor Artist AppreciationcoreWeekly Juno/Factor Artist Appreciation concert series running every Wednesday-Saturday. Juno/Factor provides sponsorship for 5:30 PM shows, supporting Canadian musicians with vital financial assistance. This partnership helps sustain the jazz community and provides exposure for Juno-nominated artists.
- TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)flagshipThe Rex helped kick off TIFF's Festival Street Music Stage and Night of Jazz on September 7, 2023. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and Mayor Olivia Chow attended the event launch. The partnership positions The Rex as a central venue for TIFF's street music programming.
- TD Toronto Jazz FestivalflagshipThe Rex is one of the central venues during the annual TD Toronto Festival, hosting the busiest programme of the festival. This long-standing partnership makes The Rex a premier destination during Toronto's premier jazz festival.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Toronto Reference Library (cultural programming venues): While primarily a library system, the Toronto Reference Library and similar cultural institutions host jazz performances. Comparable as a Toronto cultural/arts programming ecosystem participant, but not a direct commercial competitor.
- TD Toronto Jazz Festival: TD Toronto Jazz Festival is an annual multi-venue music festival for which The Rex serves as a flagship partner venue. Comparable as a Toronto jazz ecosystem participant and programming partner, though it operates as an event organizer rather than a competing venue.
Direct peers
- Smoke Jazz Club: Smoke Jazz Club is a long-running New York City jazz venue featuring nightly live performances and a dinner-and-jazz model. Directly comparable to The Rex as a dedicated jazz club combining ticketed performances with full bar and restaurant service in an urban entertainment district.
- The Cameron House: The Cameron House is a long-standing Toronto bar and live music venue on Queen Street West featuring nightly performances across multiple genres. Comparable as a historic Toronto live music bar on the same corridor as The Rex with similar small-venue, multi-night-per-week programming model.
- Jazz Bistro: Jazz Bistro is a Toronto-based live jazz venue and restaurant offering nightly performances with dinner service. It is the most direct local competitor to The Rex, operating in the same city with a similar dinner-and-jazz business model targeting jazz enthusiasts and downtown diners.
- Velvet Underground: Velvet Underground was a Toronto live music venue historically known for rock and alternative music programming in the Queen West area. Comparable as a Toronto small-venue live music operator, though it has had limited operations compared to The Rex's continuous programming.
- The Blue Note Jazz Club: The Blue Note is a globally recognized jazz club operating in New York with ticketed nightly performances, a full bar, and dinner service. Comparable to The Rex in core business model (ticketed jazz performances + F&B) though at significantly larger scale and price point.
- Hugh's Room Live: Hugh's Room Live is a Toronto live music venue focused on roots, jazz, folk, and blues programming with a dinner-and-show format. Comparable as a Toronto small-format live music venue with ticketed performances paired with food and beverage service.
- Dakota Tavern: Dakota Tavern is a small Toronto live music venue specializing in blues and roots music with nightly performances. Directly comparable as a Toronto bar/venue with similar intimate live music focus, similar capacity scale, and similar genre programming.
Regional players
- Massey Hall: Massey Hall is a historic Toronto performance venue presenting jazz, blues, and other live music programming. Comparable as a Toronto-based live music institution with similar cultural role, though it operates as a much larger seated concert hall rather than a bar/club format.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar social profiles
Digital presenceThe Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar 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 The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar
What does The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar do?
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar operates a downtown Toronto live music venue presenting approximately 19 jazz and blues shows per week (60+ per month) featuring Canadian and touring international musicians. The venue also operates a boutique hotel on Queen Street West and an adjoining pub-fare restaurant (The Rextaurant) serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a full bar featuring Ontario craft beer.
Is The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar a public or private company?
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar founded?
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar was founded in 1980. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar based?
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Live Show Tickets & Cover Charges are the primary driver. The others are food & Beverage Sales, hotel Rooms and merchandise.
Who are The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar's main competitors?
Others on record are Toronto Reference Library (cultural programming venues) and TD Toronto Jazz Festival. Direct peers are Smoke Jazz Club, The Cameron House, Jazz Bistro, Velvet Underground, The Blue Note Jazz Club, Hugh's Room Live and Dakota Tavern. Massey Hall is listed as a regional player.
Does The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar.
What industry is The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar in?
The Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar's product category is Live Music Venue & Hospitality. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAD, Live Music Venues & Concert Bars, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 722410 and its SIC code is 5810.