The Winding Stair
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
The Winding Stair firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Winding Stair
- Legal name
- The Winding Stair
- Website
- https://winding-stair.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Winding Stair industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Full-Service Irish Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
Keywords
Where The Winding Stair is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Winding Stair business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Restaurant food and beverage sales: Full-service restaurant generating revenue from à la carte dining, set menus, lunch, and dinner service. Beverage revenue includes extensive wine list, craft beers, and specialty drinks. Desserts and after-dinner items contribute additional per-transaction revenue.
- Bookshop retail sales: Independent bookshop on ground floor selling books, literary magazines, zines, cards, notebooks, tote bags, and unusual titles not found in larger chains. Revenue from single-item retail transactions.
- Event venue hire: Bookshop and restaurant spaces available for book launches, readings, musical performances, art exhibitions, plays, and cultural events. Generates supplementary revenue from venue use.
- Gift vouchers: Restaurant and group vouchers sold through VoucherMe platform for gifting purposes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner à la carte pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Value Lunch Feast |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Set Dinner for groups |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Special occasion menus |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wine by the glass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beer and soft drinks |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Winding Stair product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Winding Stair operates a dual-concept Dublin establishment combining a full-service restaurant and an independent bookshop in a historic building overlooking the River Liffey. The restaurant serves seasonal Irish home cooking sourced from local artisan producers through à la carte lunch and dinner menus, complemented by an extensive wine list and local craft beer selection. The ground-floor bookshop stocks fiction, Irish authors, poetry, literary magazines, and specialty retail items.
Product overview
The Winding Stair operates as a dual-concept establishment combining a restaurant and an independent bookshop. The restaurant, open for lunch (Wednesday-Sunday) and dinner (daily), serves Irish home cooking with seasonal produce sourced from local artisans. The ground-floor bookshop offers diverse reading material including Irish fiction, poetry, and specialty items. The company also sells gift vouchers, both for individual location use and across their sister restaurant group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Winding Stair Restaurant A Dublin full-service restaurant offering Irish home cooking with seasonal, locally-sourced produce from artisan suppliers. Features à la carte dinner (Monday-Sunday from 5pm), Value Lunch Feast (Wednesday-Sunday 12-3pm), set menus, and Easter Sunday lunch. Open to walk-ins and reservations, with service charge applied to parties of 5+.
- The Winding Stair Bookshop An independent bookshop located on the ground floor of the premises. Offers fiction including Irish authors, poetry, drama, current affairs, gardening, cookery, art, design, humour, non-fiction, children's books, literary magazines, zines, cards, notebooks, and tote bags. Operates as physical storefront Mon-Sat 10:30am-6pm and Sun 12pm-6pm, with a Shopify online store for merchandise sales.
- Restaurant Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers sold through the VoucherMe platform, valid for dining at The Winding Stair restaurant. Available for purchase online for gifting purposes.
- Winding Stair Group Vouchers Group gift vouchers redeemable across the Winding Stair Group sister restaurants including The Woollen Mills, The Washerwoman, The Legal Eagle, and Little Washer. Sold through the VoucherMe platform.
- Event Venue Hire The bookshop and restaurant spaces are available for hire for book launches, literary readings, musical performances, art exhibitions, plays, and cultural events, serving as a distinctive Dublin cultural venue.
Companies that use The Winding Stair
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Winding Stair technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Winding Stair partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Self Help AfricacoreThe Winding Stair Group actively supports Self Help Africa, an organisation working with farming communities in Kenya and Uganda on long-term climate action initiatives. The partnership focuses on practical actions including vegetable gardens, water points, and school meal programmes.
- Open HiveminorLocal bee conservation project committed to maintaining biodiversity and reducing environmental impact. Specifically aims to help the native Irish honeybee re-establish itself in the Irish ecosystem.
- Euro-ToquescoreCommunity of chefs, producers, and artisans dedicated to preserving Irish culinary heritage. The Winding Stair is a proud member, supporting small, organic, and artisan producers.
- Bean InspiredcoreCoffee supplier that sources coffee from women-owned or managed farms and cooperatives selling non-commodified beans. Supports ethical and sustainable coffee supply chain.
- WinelabcoreWine supplier providing wine in fully recyclable kegs, reducing carbon emissions by half and using 94% less packaging as part of a closed-loop system. Supports sustainability initiatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Winding Stair competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Etto: Dublin city-centre full-service restaurant focused on seasonal, ingredient-led cooking with a strong wine list. Comparable in casual-but-quality positioning, pricing tier (€25-€40 mains), and target of Dublin diners seeking unpretentious but high-quality food.
- The Washerwoman: Another sister venue in The Winding Stair Group serving full-service Irish cuisine in Dublin. Shares supplier relationships, group voucher program, and operational management with The Winding Stair, providing a direct like-for-like comparable.
- The Legal Eagle: Sister Dublin restaurant in The Winding Stair Group offering full-service Irish dining. Operates from a heritage Dublin location with comparable menu pricing and target customer base, providing direct operational and brand benchmarking.
- L'Ecrivain: Long-established Dublin fine-dining restaurant with strong literary heritage (named after the writer). Shares with The Winding Stair a literary/cultural branding angle and Dublin heritage dining positioning, though operating at a higher price tier.
- Locks Restaurant: Long-established Dublin 8 full-service restaurant in a historic location (Portobello area). Comparable in iconic Dublin setting, casual full-service model, and traditional Irish menu approach, sharing similar heritage-driven positioning.
- The Greenhouse: Dublin Michelin-starred full-service restaurant offering modern Irish fine dining in a heritage setting. Comparable to The Winding Stair in Irish-produce-led philosophy and Dublin cultural-dining positioning, though operating at a higher price tier.
- The Woollen Mills: Sister restaurant within The Winding Stair Group, also located on the quays in Dublin. Operates a comparable Irish-produce-led casual dining format and shares voucher cross-redemption and group marketing, making it the most directly comparable peer.
- Chapter One Restaurant: Dublin Michelin-starred full-service restaurant in a heritage townhouse near the Liffey. Comparable cultural-dining positioning, à la carte dinner service, and bookable private event offering for Dublin's discerning dining market.
- Pichet: Dublin city-centre full-service bistro offering modern European cuisine in a heritage setting. Comparable in casual full-service format, dinner pricing, and Dublin cultural-dining customer overlap with The Winding Stair.
Emerging players
- Fallon & Byrne: Dublin food hall and wine cellar with a casual restaurant offering. Comparable in dual retail/dining model (similar to bookshop + restaurant), Dublin cultural-dining positioning, and emphasis on quality artisan Irish and international produce.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Winding Stair social profiles
Digital presenceThe Winding Stair financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Winding Stair leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Winding Stair funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Winding Stair 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 Winding Stair
What does The Winding Stair do?
The Winding Stair operates a dual-concept Dublin establishment combining a full-service restaurant and an independent bookshop in a historic building overlooking the River Liffey. The restaurant serves seasonal Irish home cooking sourced from local artisan producers through à la carte lunch and dinner menus, complemented by an extensive wine list and local craft beer selection. The ground-floor bookshop stocks fiction, Irish authors, poetry, literary magazines, and specialty retail items.
Is The Winding Stair a public or private company?
The Winding Stair is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Winding Stair founded?
The Winding Stair was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Winding Stair based?
The Winding Stair is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does The Winding Stair make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant food and beverage sales are the primary driver. The others are bookshop retail sales, event venue hire and gift vouchers.
Who are The Winding Stair's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Etto, The Washerwoman, The Legal Eagle, L'Ecrivain, Locks Restaurant, The Greenhouse, The Woollen Mills, Chapter One Restaurant and Pichet. Fallon & Byrne is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Winding Stair have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Winding Stair.
What industry is The Winding Stair in?
The Winding Stair's product category is Full-Service Irish Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.