The Place 2 Be
The Place 2 Be is a privately held, founder-led brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015, operating five dine-in locations across Connecticut and Massachusetts plus a Dallas location in development, with revenue from dine-in service, catering/private events, and branded merchandise targeting millennial and Gen Z diners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersWest Hartford, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Place 2 Be does
The Place 2 Be is a privately held, founder-led brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015 by Gina Luari in Hartford, Connecticut, operating under a 'Go Bottomless' concept that centers on unlimited beverage packages and an Instagram-coded dining aesthetic. As of the most recent data, the company runs five dine-in locations (Franklin Ave. Hartford, Downtown Hartford, West Hartford, Springfield, MA, and New Haven, CT) with a sixth location announced for Dallas, TX in 2023 at Victory Park. Each venue is positioned with a distinct visual identity (e.g., bathtub themes, a 'Thirst Trap' bar and booze garden in Downtown Hartford, swing chairs in West Hartford, a two-story build in New Haven) targeting millennial and Gen Z diners seeking social, photographable experiences.
The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model with three primary revenue streams: dine-in food and beverage sales across physical locations, full-service catering and private event hosting (including a 'WAP on Wheels' mobile food truck and tiered VIP/private party room rentals priced from $100 to $600 per hour), and a branded merchandise e-commerce shop selling apparel, accessories, and home goods. Distribution combines physical retail storefronts with Toast Tab online ordering for takeout, Wisely for reservations and virtual waitlists, and Flite for event ticketing. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram and email newsletters (the 'Booty Call' late-night list) supplemented by event sponsorships such as bar crawls.
Operating with an estimated 51-100 employees and no disclosed institutional funding, the company remains privately held by its founder with no parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity on record. Technology infrastructure is built on standard third-party SaaS (Toast Tab, Wisely, Flite, Squarespace) with no proprietary AI, data, or platform technology disclosed. The strategic posture emphasizes brand-led experiential differentiation and incremental geographic expansion rather than technology-driven scale advantages.
The Place 2 Be firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Place 2 Be
- Legal name
- The Place 2 Be
- Website
- https://place2bect.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Place 2 Be is a privately held, founder-led brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015, operating five dine-in locations across Connecticut and Massachusetts plus a Dallas location in development, with revenue from dine-in service, catering/private events, and branded merchandise targeting millennial and Gen Z diners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Place 2 Be industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual (THAFABAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ), Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)
Keywords
Where The Place 2 Be is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Hartford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
The Place 2 Be business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales: Core revenue from brunch food and bottomless drink sales across all restaurant locations. Menu balances comfort food with innovative twists targeting both casual diners and extreme foodies.
- Catering Services: Full catering offerings including on-site catering, WAP on Wheels food truck service, and private party hosting. Catering available for events such as bridal showers, retirement parties, and corporate events.
- Merchandise E-commerce: Online shop selling branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, jackets, hats), accessories (tote bags, mugs), and home goods (shower curtains). Direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Private Party Spaces (Downtown) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | VIP Room (Springfield/New Haven) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | After Hours Special |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Large Party Reservation |
| Other | Multi-year contract | WAP Truck |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Puffer Jacket |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Go Bottomless Hoodie |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quarter-Zip Pullover |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BDE Mug |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Day Drinkin' Tote Bag |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Balls 2 The Walls T-Shirt |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Place 2 Be product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Place 2 Be is a Connecticut-based brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015 that serves brunch fare to consumers across multiple locations. In addition to in-restaurant dining, the company offers catering services, branded merchandise, and private event hosting for special occasions.
Product overview
The Place 2 Be is a millennial-focused brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015, operating under a 'Go Bottomless' concept that celebrates brunch as an all-day party with unlimited mimosas and cocktails. The company offers a portfolio of five physical restaurant locations across Connecticut and Massachusetts, plus a sixth coming soon to Dallas. Beyond dining, the business extends into catering and events (The Place 2 Party), e-commerce merchandise sales, and digital reservation/waitlist services. The restaurant locations include West Hartford (the 'boujie' flagship), Franklin Ave. (the original OG location), Downtown Hartford (featuring a 'Thirst Trap' bar and booze garden), Springfield, MA (near Basketball Hall of Fame), and New Haven (their first two-story build-out). Catering services include on-site hosting, the 'WAP on Wheels' mobile food truck, and private party room rentals across all locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brunch Restaurant Dining
- Catering Services
- Private Event Hosting
- Branded Merchandise
Companies that use The Place 2 Be
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Place 2 Be technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
The Place 2 Be partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Place 2 Be competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Yard House: National casual-dining bar-and-grill chain with a large beverage program and group/event-friendly formats, partially comparable to The Place 2 Be's private-party/cocktail-driven positioning.
- Waffle House: Large breakfast-focused diner chain with operating hours spanning early-morning through late-night, providing scale-context benchmarking for breakfast/brunch operators.
- Denny's: Iconic 24-hour American diner chain serving breakfast all day, a broad incumbent comp for full-service daytime dining operations.
- IHOP: National breakfast-all-day chain with hundreds of franchised locations and broad menu reach, a much larger incumbent in the same breakfast/brunch category.
Direct peers
- Another Broken Egg Cafe: Breakfast and brunch franchise known for indulgent daytime offerings and bottomless mimosa packages, overlapping directly with The Place 2 Be's brunch and bottomless beverage model.
- The Breakfast Club: Daytime diner concept emphasizing comfort brunch fare and themed experiences, comparable to The Place 2 Be's themed-location approach in CT/MA.
- Snooze, an A.M. Eatery: A multi-unit breakfast and brunch chain with a contemporary, social-media-driven concept and creative pancake/egg offerings, directly comparable to The Place 2 Be's millennial brunch positioning.
- Eggspectation: Multi-unit breakfast and brunch chain offering a wide egg-centric menu and casual daytime dining, conceptually adjacent to The Place 2 Be's brunch daypart.
- Hash House A Go Go: Farm-fresh brunch concept focused on oversized, shareable plates with a fun, social atmosphere, analogous to The Place 2 Be's experiential brunch positioning.
- First Watch: National breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain operating in a daytime casual dining format, comparable to The Place 2 Be's core brunch daypart.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Place 2 Be social profiles
Digital presenceThe Place 2 Be financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Place 2 Be leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Place 2 Be funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Place 2 Be 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 Place 2 Be
What does The Place 2 Be do?
The Place 2 Be is a Connecticut-based brunch restaurant chain founded in 2015 that serves brunch fare to consumers across multiple locations. In addition to in-restaurant dining, the company offers catering services, branded merchandise, and private event hosting for special occasions.
Is The Place 2 Be a public or private company?
The Place 2 Be is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Place 2 Be founded?
The Place 2 Be was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Place 2 Be based?
The Place 2 Be is headquartered in West Hartford, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Place 2 Be make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and merchandise E-commerce.
Who are The Place 2 Be's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Yard House, Waffle House, Denny's and IHOP. Direct peers are Another Broken Egg Cafe, The Breakfast Club, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, Eggspectation, Hash House A Go Go and First Watch.
Does The Place 2 Be have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Place 2 Be.
What industry is The Place 2 Be in?
The Place 2 Be's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAL, Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.