The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar

What The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar does

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar is a single-location, locally owned sports bar and restaurant operating since 2007 at 5301 Northland Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan. It serves a diversified consumer base including sports fans watching games on 70+ HD TVs, families using Wednesday $2.99 kids-eat deals and outdoor beach seating, large groups booking private event decks (Stage Deck $150, Sun Deck $250, Party Deck $350, combined $600, plus $20/person F&B minimum and 18% gratuity for 20+), and adult and youth beach volleyball players participating in leagues and tournaments across three full-sized, lit, pro-quality sand courts programmed six days a week. The venue differentiates through a "Key West" atmosphere built on Michigan's first planted palm trees, a 40ft outdoor sailboat, an outdoor stage with live music seven days a week, and a craft beer program of 110+ taps, augmented by scratch-cooked American food and handcrafted cocktails.

Revenue is generated across five streams: food and beverage sales (the primary stream, with daily operations 11am-12am and Happy Hour Monday-Friday 2-5pm), private event hosting (transaction fees for venue rental plus F&B minimums), beach volleyball leagues and tournaments ($60-$320 per team and $30-$40 per player), catering through an ezCater marketplace storefront, and gift cards sold via ToastTab. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and physical-first, supported by a website with online ordering, a 10,000+ VIP email list, 20,000+ combined social followers across Facebook/Instagram/TikTok, an Eventzilla-powered event calendar, and the Funds for Friends community fundraising program covering 30+ local organizations annually. The technology stack is entirely off-the-shelf SaaS (ToastTab, Curated.menu, Eventzilla, ezCater) with no proprietary platform or API. The business has won the Revue Magazine "Best of the West - #1 Sports Bar" award five times (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and Grand Rapids Magazine "Best of Grand Rapids" in 2024 for both best sports bar and best outdoor/deck seating.

Name

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar

Legal name

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar

Website

https://thescoregr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar is a single-location, locally owned sports bar and restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving sports fans, families, large groups, and beach volleyball players through scratch-cooked food, 110+ craft beers, live music, private events, and organized volleyball leagues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Bar & Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

Keywords

• Sports bar restaurant
• Craft beer selection
• Beach volleyball leagues
• Private event hosting
• Casual American dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Primary revenue stream from food, beer, cocktails, and wine sales at the restaurant and bar. Daily operations from 11am-midnight with Happy Hour promotions Monday-Friday 2pm-5pm.
2. Private Event Hosting: Revenue from private event space reservations including Stage Deck ($150), Sun Deck ($250), Party Deck ($350), and combined spaces ($600). Additional food & beverage minimum spend of $20 per person and 18% gratuity for groups of 20+. Buffet dining required for reservations over 25 guests.
3. Beach Volleyball Leagues & Tournaments: Adult and youth volleyball leagues with fees ranging from $60-$320 per team depending on season and format (2's, 4's). Spring & Summer leagues and Fall Ball leagues with open court access included. Tournament fees: $30-$40 per person.
4. Catering Services: Catering partnerships through ezCater for large group orders. Buffet dining options available for groups over 25 guests.
5. Gift Cards: Gift card sales through ToastTab platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar operates a single-location, full-service sports bar and restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offering scratch-cooked American food, 110+ craft beers on tap, handcrafted cocktails, and live entertainment across 70+ HD TVs. The venue combines indoor and outdoor dining (including a beach volleyball complex with 3 courts, palm trees, and a Key West atmosphere) with private event hosting for groups of 20-150+ and adult/youth volleyball league programming.

Product overview

The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar is a single-location family-friendly sports bar and restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offering a unified hospitality experience. The core offering combines scratch-cooked American food, craft beer (110+ taps), handcrafted cocktails, and live entertainment with 70+ HD TVs. An adjacent beach volleyball facility with 3 courts provides sports programming including adult leagues, youth programs, and tournaments. The venue operates multiple spaces for private events and offers online ordering and gift cards as ancillary services. The business positions itself as a destination entertainment venue blending sports viewing, outdoor dining, live music, and recreational sports activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as #1 Sports Bar in West Michigan for 5 of 6 years (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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.

• Grand Rapids WhitecapscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership established in 2019 with the Grand Rapids Whitecaps (minor league baseball team) for cross-promotional opportunities and community engagement.
• West Michigan Sports CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership established in 2018 with the West Michigan Sports Commission to support and promote sports tourism and sporting events in the region.
• Paws with a CauseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual beneficiary of The Score's Golf Balls for Fur Balls golf outing. Paws with a Cause is a local non-profit organization that trains assistance dogs including service, hearing, seizure response, and autism assistance dogs. The 11th annual event was held at Boulder Creek Golf Club.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HopCat: Michigan-based craft beer and casual dining chain with a strong regional identity. Directly comparable to The Score on craft beer scale (large tap lists), sports-viewing positioning, and West Michigan footprint, making it the closest regional peer.
• Twin Peaks Restaurant: Sports lodge concept emphasizing TVs, cold beer, and a casual dining menu. Operates as a direct competitor in the sports bar category with similar bar-and-food economics, though without volleyball or outdoor beach programming.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports bar chain built around TVs, wings, beer, and game-day viewing. Same core use case as The Score — sports fans watching games with food and beer — but at national scale and without The Score's outdoor beach volleyball differentiation.

Broad incumbents

• Topgolf: Sports entertainment venue that pairs recreational sport (golf) with full bar and food service. Comparable to The Score's blend of competitive sport programming, food, and bar revenue, but at significantly larger venue scale and corporate ownership.
• Dave & Buster's: National eat-and-play entertainment concept combining full bar service with arcade/amusement attractions. Overlaps with The Score on the sports-plus-entertainment-plus-food-and-drink positioning at a much larger scale and corporate footprint.
• Hooters: National casual sports bar chain with strong TV, beer, and wings identity. Overlaps with The Score on the sports-fan dining use case at national scale; less differentiated on beer selection or programming depth.

Others

• Logan's Roadhouse: Casual American dining chain with broad beer selection and TV viewing in many locations. Adjacent peer — similar scratch-cooking and bar business model but without sports-bar specialization or volleyball programming.
• Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids-based craft brewery with a large taproom that hosts events and food service. Compares to The Score on local Grand Rapids market, craft beer culture, and event programming, but operates as a brewery rather than a sports bar.

Regional players

• Frankenmuth Brewery: Michigan craft brewery and restaurant destination that combines large-format brewing operations with food and event space. Comparable on craft beer depth, Michigan regional branding, and event hosting, though located ~100 miles from Grand Rapids.

Emerging players

• Punch Bowl Social: Eatertainment concept combining scratch food, craft drinks, and recreational activities (bowling, ping pong, darts). Comparable to The Score on the multi-activity, eat-and-play positioning, though focused on indoor activities rather than outdoor beach volleyball.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-score-restaurant-sports-bar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Score Restaurant & Sports Bar