Ace No. 3

What Ace No. 3 does

Ace No. 3 is a private, Charlotte, NC-based restaurant operator running a single brand of casual-dining burger restaurants across four locations in the Charlotte metro area: Belmont Village (the original), Concord Mills, Myers Park, and Center City (Uptown). The concept is built around a focused menu of made-to-order smash burgers (The ACE, The Hangover, No. 3, plus build-your-own), hand-spun milkshakes, craft and domestic beer, and classic sides including fries, onion rings, and sweet potato tots. Premium positioning is anchored by a core supply partnership with Schweid and Sons for chuck blend patties and local craft brewery relationships (Legion Brewing, Resident Culture). The brand has been voted 'Best Burger' by Charlotte Magazine for four consecutive years.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally narrow and outsourced: Toast Tab serves as the unified POS, online ordering, catering, gift card, and loyalty platform across all locations, with third-party delivery fulfilled via Uber Eats and DoorDash. The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical dine-in, curbside pickup, and direct online ordering; customer acquisition relies on organic social, an email newsletter, community engagement, and the weekday Shake Break half-price milkshake promotion. A points-based High Tide Loyalty program (1 point per $1 spent, $5 off at 50+ points) extends cross-brand retention across the parent High Tide Hospitality portfolio, which also includes The Waterman Fish Bar, Sea Level NC, Packard Tavern, and Howling Pumpkin.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through food and beverage sales at the four locations, supplemented by a no-minimum catering service with tiered delivery fees and gift card sales. No funding rounds, public listing, or PE/VC backing are disclosed. The operating structure appears privately held within the broader High Tide Hospitality group, with no management team, financials, or incorporation details publicly available.

Name

Ace No. 3

Legal name

Ace No. 3

Website

https://aceno3.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ace No. 3 operates four casual-dining burger restaurants in the Charlotte, NC metro, serving smash burgers, milkshakes, and craft beer to local consumers, families, and business professionals via dine-in, takeout, and catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Smash burger restaurant
• Casual dining
• Milkshake bar
• Craft beer pub
• Event catering service

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Ace No. 3 generates revenue primarily through direct sales of burgers, shakes, beer, and sides at four physical restaurant locations. Sales occur through dine-in, takeout, and direct delivery orders placed via Toast Tab or the Toast Local App. The company also accepts third-party delivery orders through Uber Eats and DoorDash.
2. Catering Services: Catering orders for events including business lunches, family gatherings, and team events. Offers sliders or full-sized burgers made with Schweid and Sons beef, along with sides like fries, sweet potato tots, and onion rings. Delivery available within 5-8 mile radius of each location for a fee.
3. Loyalty Program: High Tide Loyalty program where members earn 1 point per $1 spent. Points can be redeemed for discounts ($5 off at 50-100 points). The program drives customer retention and increased purchase frequency across all High Tide Hospitality concepts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ace No. 3 is a Charlotte, NC-based casual burger restaurant group operating four locations (Belmont Village, Center City, Concord Mills, Myers Park) that serves a focused menu of signature and build-your-own smash burgers, hand-spun milkshakes, craft beer, and sides. The company operates dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup, direct delivery via Toast Tab, third-party delivery via Uber Eats and DoorDash, and a flexible no-minimum catering service for events.

Product overview

Ace No. 3 is a Charlotte, NC-based burger restaurant operating four locations (Belmont Village, Center City, Concord Mills, Myers Park) with a simple menu focused on burgers, shakes, and beer. The company operates as a single-brand restaurant concept under High Tide Hospitality parent company. Core offerings include signature burgers (The ACE, The Hangover, No. 3), made-to-order milkshakes, craft and domestic beers, and classic sides. The company supplements its dine-in and takeout operations with a catering service and a Toast-based loyalty program called Burger Bucks, which enables earning and redemption across all locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smash Burgers

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted 'Best Burger' by Charlotte Magazine for four consecutive years

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• High Tide HospitalitycoreOthersParent company and operator of Ace No. 3. Also operates sister restaurants including The Waterman Fish Bar, Sea Level NC, Howling Pumpkin, and Packard Tavern. Ace No. 3 is part of a multi-concept restaurant group with shared loyalty program and gift card systems.
• Legion BrewingminorOthersLocal Charlotte brewery featured at Myers Park location. Serves Legion Juicy Jay IPA on draft as part of craft beer rotation.
• Resident CultureminorOthersLocal craft beer supplier featured at Myers Park location, rotating into the craft beer selection alongside other local breweries.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationPoint-of-sale, online ordering, and loyalty program platform provider. Handles all direct orders, catering orders, gift cards, and loyalty rewards integration. Essential technology infrastructure for restaurant operations and customer transactions.
• Schweid and SonscoreOthersPremium beef supplier for all burgers. Provides high-quality chuck blend patties for all restaurant locations. Central to the brand's quality positioning and award-winning burger reputation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Premium craft-burger chain with strong local-beer partnerships and build-your-own options. Closely comparable on premium-ingredient sourcing, beer rotation, and full-service-leaning fast casual experience.
• Smashburger: Smash-burger-focused fast casual chain. Direct competitor on the specific smash-burger positioning Ace No. 3 emphasizes, with similar counter-service model and beer-rotation strategy.
• Wayback Burgers: Smash-burger franchise chain with a similar menu (burgers, shakes, sides) and counter-service model. Competes for the same value-premium casual dining occasion.
• Shake Shack: National premium burger and shake chain with a Charlotte-area presence. Directly comparable on menu focus (burgers, shakes, beer), quality-ingredient positioning, and counter-service fast casual model.
• Five Guys: Largest premium fast casual burger chain in the US. Comparable on focused burger menu, counter-service model, and customizable build-your-own offering that competes for the same local Charlotte customer.
• BurgerFi: Premium 'better burger' chain with natural-ingredient positioning. Competes directly with Ace No. 3 on quality-ingredient narrative, fast casual service model, and craft beer program.
• The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar: Charlotte-based burger-focused restaurant. Comparable as a local Charlotte premium burger concept competing for the same local diners and corporate lunch occasions.
• Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: Fast casual chain combining steakburgers and frozen custard. Comparable on focused counter-service menu, family-friendly positioning, and shake/custard dessert program.
• Bad Daddy's Burger Bar: Gourmet burger chain with Charlotte-area locations. Direct competitor on build-your-own premium burger positioning, craft beer program, and full-bar fast casual model.
• The Habit Burger Grill: Chargrilled burger-focused fast casual chain. Comparable on focused menu of burgers, shakes, and sides with a counter-service model targeting similar family/casual occasion customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aceno.3burgers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ace No. 3