THE WATERFRONT CAFE, LLC

What THE WATERFRONT CAFE, LLC does

The Waterfront Cafe, LLC is a privately held, single-location seasonal restaurant operating from Memorial Day through Labor Day at Berger Park & Cultural Center in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood (6219 North Sheridan Road). Founded in 2007 by owner/operator Frank Pullen, the venue operates exclusively as an outdoor counter-service patio overlooking Lake Michigan with views of the Chicago skyline. The business employs 5 people and runs approximately 5 months per year, weather permitting, from noon to 9pm daily.

The core offering is a unified experiential product combining a casual American dining menu (appetizers, salads, seafood rolls, sandwiches, and a lobster roll priced at $29) with a full beverage program (beer, wine, cocktails, canned cocktails) and complimentary nightly live music from local jazz, blues, and classical guitar musicians. The menu is priced from $4–$34, with a 5% cash discount and a $20 minimum per person for group dining accommodating 12–36 guests. Technology infrastructure is minimal and entirely third-party: SquareUp for payment processing and gift card distribution, Venmo for musician tip jars, and ParkWhiz for parking referrals.

Revenue is generated through four streams: walk-in food and beverage sales, alcoholic beverage sales, group dining minimums, and gift cards (physical and digital via SquareUp). Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer on-site; no delivery, catering, or third-party platforms are used. The business is entirely founder-owned with no institutional investors, subsidiaries, or parent company, and operates as a single-asset LLC with no disclosed revenue.

Name

THE WATERFRONT CAFE, LLC

Legal name

THE WATERFRONT CAFE, LLC

Website

https://waterfrontcafechicago.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Waterfront Cafe, LLC is a privately held, seasonal outdoor counter-service restaurant in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, operating approximately five months per year at Berger Park with lakefront views, casual American fare, and nightly live music.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Lakeside Dining

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Supper Clubs & Dinner-Theater Restaurants (THAFACAL)

Keywords

• Casual lakeside dining
• Outdoor patio restaurant
• Live music venue
• Counter service cafe
• Seasonal restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: One-time transaction revenue from food and non-alcoholic beverage sales. Menu items range from $4-$29 for food items. Counter service model with no table service.
2. Alcoholic Beverages: Beer, wine, cocktails, and canned cocktails sold by the bottle, can, or glass. Wine options from $22-$35, beer buckets at $24.
3. Gift Cards: Physical and digital gift cards sold through SquareUp platform. Digital gift cards available online at any time, physical cards available during business hours.
4. Group Dining Minimums: $20 minimum purchase per person required for group reservations of 12-36 guests. Optional open tab arrangements and pre-ordering for groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Counter-service seasonal restaurant and live music venue operating on an outdoor patio overlooking Lake Michigan at Berger Park in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The cafe sells a fixed menu of food ($4–$34 per item), a beverage program of cocktails, beer, and wine, and offers complimentary nightly live music performances in genres including jazz, blues, and classical guitar. Operations run from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year with a small staff of five employees.

Product overview

The Waterfront Cafe is a single-location seasonal casual dining and live music performance venue operating from Memorial Day through Labor Day at Berger Park & Cultural Center in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The offering consists of a unified dining experience combining a counter-service food and beverage menu with complimentary nightly live music performances. The core products include the dining menu (appetizers, salads, sandwiches, kids' items, desserts), full beverage service (soft drinks, beer, wine, cocktails), Lakefront Live Music performances by local musicians, group dining reservations for 12-36 guests, gift cards (physical and online via Square), and birthday specials featuring complimentary Dole Soft Serve. The venue has no indoor seating and operates exclusively on an outdoor lakeside patio with views of Lake Michigan and Chicago's skyline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lakeside Counter-Service Dining Counter-service seasonal restaurant on an outdoor patio overlooking Lake Michigan, serving a fixed menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and main courses priced from $4 to $34 to walk-in diners and small parties during the Memorial Day to Labor Day season.
• Beverage Program Full beverage service offering cocktails, beer, and wine to complement the food menu at the outdoor patio venue.
• Nightly Live Music Performances Complimentary nightly live music performances spanning jazz, blues, and classical guitar, offered to all guests as part of the dining experience without a separate cover charge.
• Group and Private Events Private group bookings for parties of 12 to 36 guests, including birthdays and other celebrations, subject to a $20 per person minimum purchase requirement.
• Digital Gift Cards Prepaid digital gift cards sold online through SquareUp, redeemable for in-person food and beverage purchases at the cafe.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SquareUpcoreTechnology or IntegrationSquareUp serves as the payment processing and gift card platform for The Waterfront Cafe. Online gift cards can be purchased through SquareUp's e-commerce platform at any time. Square provides the digital infrastructure for processing credit card payments and managing gift card orders.
• Shoreline Tower CondominiumminorOthersPartner parking location offering hourly underground garage public parking at $8.00 for up to 4 hours. Located one block north of Berger Park at 6301 N. Sheridan Road. Provides accessible parking option for cafe patrons.
• Loyola UniversityminorOthersUniversity parking garage available for Waterfront Cafe visitors. Accessed by continuing north on Sheridan Road to Kenmore Avenue, turning right at Loyola's main entrance. Provides additional parking option for cafe guests.
• Local Musicians (Venmo Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of local jazz, blues, and classical guitar musicians providing nightly live music performances. Musicians include Point Du Sable, Silver Sounds, Andy Lopez Music, and others. Cafe provides venue and tip jar platform via Venmo for guest gratuities to performers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cafe Brauer: Historic outdoor dining venue in Lincoln Park offering scenic park-side service comparable to the Berger Park setting. Similar casual sit-down experience with park-district adjacency and skyline proximity.
• The Dock at Montrose Beach: Adjacent Chicago Park District seasonal lakeside restaurant on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Operates in a similar outdoor, summer-only window with scenic views and casual dining, sharing the same beachside diner demographic.
• Park Grill at Millennium Park: Outdoor casual restaurant in Millennium Park serving Chicagoans and tourists with city-park views. Comparable in offering park-based outdoor dining with casual counter and full table service, though operating year-round.
• Big Star: Wicker Park taco-focused outdoor bar and restaurant with regular live music programming. Comparable combination of casual counter-service dining, robust beverage program, and recurring live entertainment.
• Shore Club Chicago: Seasonal lakeside beach club on Chicago's North Side offering outdoor dining, drinks, and entertainment during summer months. Closest match on combined dining + entertainment + lakefront positioning.
• Untitled Supper Club: Chicago dinner-and-entertainment venue pairing full dining with live performances. Closest match on the supper-club / dining-plus-show positioning, though positioned at a higher price point.
• Castaways Bar & Grill: Seasonal lakeside bar and grill at North Avenue Beach operating under a similar Chicago beachside dining model with outdoor counter/grill service and water views. Comparable footprint, target audience, and weather-dependent operating window.
• The Northman Beer & Cider Garden: Open-air beer garden on the Chicago River offering outdoor casual drinking and dining with skyline views. Comparable on outdoor-only, scenic, casual-counter experience model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-waterfront-cafe-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 WATERFRONT CAFE, LLC