WHAT BREST

What WHAT BREST does

WHAT BREST (also branded as "Le What") is a privately held bar-restaurant venue located in the Kergaradec commercial zone of Brest, France. Founded in 2021, the business operates from a single 700m² site that combines a food and beverage operation with a recreational entertainment layer, including axe throwing, shuffleboard, darts, billiards, and related games. The venue is staffed by approximately six employees and positions itself as a multi-activity hospitality concept targeting local consumers, families, sports fans, and corporate or group bookings.

From a technology standpoint, the operation runs on a standard, off-the-shelf hospitality software stack rather than proprietary infrastructure: MyLightspeed is used for point-of-sale and takeaway ordering, ZenChef handles reservations, and Flatchr is used for recruitment. There is no indication of custom-built platforms, in-house engineering, or data systems. The combined food, beverage, and entertainment model means revenue is generated across multiple lines (kitchen sales, bar sales, group/corporate event packages, and game-related spend) within a single physical footprint. Customer acquisition appears to be primarily local, supported by the venue's distinctive activity mix — described as the only axe-throwing offering in Brest and one of the few shuffleboard venues in Brittany — which differentiates it from conventional bars or restaurants in the catchment area.

Name

WHAT BREST

Legal name

What Brest

Website

https://what-brest.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WHAT BREST is a Brest-based bar-restaurant and entertainment venue combining dining, drinks, and recreational activities such as axe throwing, shuffleboard, darts, and billiards for local consumers, families, and corporate groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bar and Restaurant Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI), Supper Clubs & Dinner-Theater Restaurants (THAFACAL)

Keywords

• Bar restaurant services
• Entertainment venue
• Food beverage hospitality
• Axe throwing activities
• Event group catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Brest

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Core revenue from restaurant and bar sales including pizzas, burgers, salads, bowls, daily specials, pastries, and a wide range of beverages (softs, beers, wines, cocktails, spirits, hot drinks). Menu updated partially monthly.
2. Entertainment Activities: Revenue from paid entertainment activities including axe throwing (11€ per session), darts (1€ for 2 credits, 2€ for 6 credits). Shuffleboard is free. Food & beverage consumed alongside activities.
3. After-Work Tapas & Platters: Revenue from Italian-style tapas, boards (250g or 400g), tartinades, galette saucisse, and assorted charcuterie served during after-work hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WHAT Brest operates a 700m² bar-restaurant located in the Kergaradec commercial zone of Brest, France, combining a full-service bar, a homemade-cuisine restaurant (pizzas, burgers, bowls, salads, daily specials), and a range of entertainment activities including axe throwing, shuffleboard, darts, billiards, and outdoor games. The venue serves individual consumers, families, friend groups, and corporate groups through dine-in service, takeaway ordering, table reservations, and private event hosting.

Product overview

WHAT BREST is a 700m² bar-restaurant with an industrial vintage atmosphere located in the Kergaradec zone of Brest, France. The venue operates as a multi-faceted entertainment destination combining dining services with recreational activities. The core offerings consist of a full-service bar with rotating drink selection and a restaurant serving homemade cuisine including pizzas, burgers, bowls, and daily specials. The venue's unique differentiator is its entertainment activities, including axe throwing (the flagship activity), shuffleboard, darts, billiards, and outdoor games like pétanque and mölkky. Additional services include group/event bookings, after-work tapas, and takeaway ordering. The concept integrates dining, drinking, and games to create a lively social venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bar Service

Segments4 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

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mama Shelter: Lifestyle hospitality group with restaurant-bar venues featuring strong design identity, event programming, and a multi-segment customer base. Broader incumbent that overlaps with WHAT Brest's industrial-vintage atmosphere and event-driven positioning.
• Buffalo Grill: France's largest casual dining chain, with full bar service and family/group orientation. Larger incumbent in the same French casual full-service dining category where WHAT Brest competes for families and groups.

Direct peers

• Meltdown: European bar chain built around competitive gaming experiences (originally e-sports, now broader social games). Most directly comparable business model to WHAT Brest's bar + entertainment + drinks combination, though without a full restaurant component.
• Memphis Coffee: American-diner-themed restaurant chain in France offering burgers, salads, full bar service, and a family-friendly casual atmosphere. Closely comparable casual full-service dining model targeting similar demographic segments.
• Bowling Star: French bowling-and-dining entertainment complex offering bowling, billiards, food, and bar service. Comparable full-service leisure-dining model combining structured entertainment activities with F&B revenue.
• Del Arte: Largest Italian-themed casual dining chain in France with pizzas, pastas, and Italian appetizers. Directly comparable menu overlap with WHAT Brest's pizza and Italian-tapas offerings, though without the entertainment component.
• Léon de Bruxelles: Belgian-themed brasserie chain operating in France with full table service, mussels, burgers, and bar offerings. Closely matches WHAT Brest's full-service brasserie/bistro dining format and price positioning.

Regional players

• Bad Axe Throwing: Largest North American axe throwing bar franchise with dedicated venues and group bookings. Closest pure-play comparator for WHAT Brest's flagship axe throwing activity, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/whatbrest
• Instagraminstagram.com/what_brest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-brest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 WHAT BREST