A Bar Of Their Own

What A Bar Of Their Own does

A Bar of Their Own (ABOTO) is a privately held, woman-owned sports bar and restaurant founded in February 2024 by Jillian Hiscock in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It operates as Minnesota's first bar dedicated exclusively to women's sports, broadcasting WNBA (Minnesota Lynx), PWHL (Minnesota Frost), NCAA women's athletics, women's rugby, volleyball, and other women's competitions across multiple televisions. The core offering is an inclusive physical venue for women's sports viewing, complemented by a full food and beverage menu, with operating hours of Wednesday–Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). Seating is first-come, first-served, and no reservations are taken.

The company's revenue model is built on three streams: in-person food and beverage sales during operating hours, online and in-store branded merchandise (adult, youth, and infant apparel at unit prices ranging from $16 to $40), and ticketed special events (e.g., USA Rugby Watch Party at $20 per ticket). The technology stack is minimal: standard television screens for sports broadcasting and a Squarespace-hosted e-commerce platform for merchandise. Distribution is centered on the single physical location at 2207 Franklin Avenue E, supplemented by a direct-to-consumer online store and event ticketing through third-party platforms.

A Bar of Their Own has built brand equity primarily through earned media (Star Tribune, USA Today, Bon Appetit, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, Vogue, Eater) and recurring community programming including watch parties, weekly trivia, book clubs, giveback nights, and LGBTQ+ community events. It maintains strategic partnerships with the Minnesota Lynx, Minnesota Frost, and MLV Minnesota, and operates a charitable side initiative, A Fund of Their Own (AFOTO), which accepts community donations and grant applications. The business is bootstrapped and founder-operated, with no disclosed institutional funding, board, or expansion plans beyond the single Minneapolis site.

Name

A Bar Of Their Own

Legal name

A Bar of Their Own

Website

https://abaroftheirown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A Bar of Their Own is a Minneapolis woman-owned sports bar and restaurant founded in 2024, broadcasting women's sports (WNBA, PWHL, NCAA) on televisions and serving food, beverages, and branded merchandise to fans and the LGBTQ+ community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Bar and Restaurant

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

Keywords

• Women's sports bar
• Sports bar dining
• Branded merchandise store
• Community event venue
• Sports watch parties

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Traditional bar and restaurant revenue from food and drink sales during operating hours (Wednesday-Sunday)
2. Merchandise Sales: Online and in-store sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies for adults, youth, and children
3. Event Revenue: Ticketed events and special event partnerships (e.g., USA Rugby Watch Party tickets at $20 including drink ticket and breakfast)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A Bar of Their Own is a single-location sports bar and restaurant in Minneapolis that exclusively televises women's sports (WNBA, PWHL, NCAA, rugby, volleyball) across multiple screens during operating hours from Wednesday through Sunday. The bar sells food and beverages on a first-come, first-served basis, operates an online branded apparel storefront selling tees, crewnecks, hoodies, youth, toddler, and baby items, and hosts a recurring calendar of community events such as Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Frost watch parties, weekly trivia, a book club, giveback nights, and ticketed special events.

Product overview

A Bar of Their Own is a sports bar and restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated exclusively to showing women's sports. The core offering is an all-day women's sports viewing experience across multiple televisions, complemented by food and beverage service. The business operates a merchandise store selling branded apparel (teas, sweatshirts, hoodies, youth and toddler sizes), hosts regular events (watch parties, trivia nights, book clubs, community gatherings), and manages 'A Fund of Their Own' (AFOTO), a charitable initiative supporting women in sports. The bar opened in February 2024 as Minnesota's first establishment dedicated entirely to women's sports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• A Fund of Their Own (AFOTO): A charitable fund associated with the bar supporting community initiatives and donations to local non-profits.

Products and services

• Women's Sports Viewing Experience All-day, in-venue viewing of women's sports programming (WNBA Minnesota Lynx, PWHL Minnesota Frost, NCAA women's sports, women's rugby, volleyball, and other women's athletics) shown across multiple television screens with broadcast sound on for dine-in guests during operating hours Wednesday through Sunday.
• Food and Beverage Service Full-service bar and restaurant offering alcoholic drinks and food items for dine-in guests at the Minneapolis location, with first-come, first-served seating and no reservations accepted.
• Branded Merchandise Store Online and in-person retail store selling A Bar of Their Own branded apparel including Classic Logo Tee, Classic Logo Crew Neck, Classic Logo Hoodie, Performance Tee, youth and toddler/baby sizes across multiple color options.
• Events Programming Recurring and special ticketed events including Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Frost watch parties, weekly trivia nights, book club, speed puzzling, pre-game parties, giveback nights supporting local nonprofits, and viewing parties for major women's sports championships.
• A Fund of Their Own (AFOTO) Charitable fund associated with A Bar of Their Own that accepts donations and grant-style applications to support women in sports and related community initiatives, promoted through the bar's website and donations page.

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• A Fund of Their Own (AFOTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFOTO is a fund associated with A Bar of Their Own that supports the community and women's sports. The bar promotes donations and applications for AFOTO, suggesting a close strategic partnership where AFOTO benefits from the bar's visibility and community engagement.
• Minnesota LynxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial watch party venue for Minnesota Lynx games. Hosts pre-game parties, watch parties, and post-game celebrations. Strong alignment with the WNBA team.
• Minnesota FrostcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial watch party venue for Minnesota Frost (PWHL). Hosts pre-game parties, poster-making events, and playoff watch parties. Frost staff appear at events with giveaways.
• Next Chapter BooksellersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBook club partner that provides books for author events and book club selections.
• Twin Cities PrideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipates in Cheers to Pride events, donating $1 from drinks to Twin Cities Pride programming.
• Avenues for YouthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly giveback recipient during trivia nights in June, supporting LGBTQIA+ youth.
• WeCOACHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonates 10% of drink sales on National Women Coaches Day to WeCOACH organization.
• MLV MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting watch parties for Minnesota's professional volleyball team and promoting their matches.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Twin Peaks Restaurant: National sports-bar chain positioned around multi-screen game viewing and themed lodge aesthetics. Comparable as a broad-incumbent sports-bar operator with significant scale and marketing budget that could enter the women's-sports viewing niche.
• Punch Bowl Social: Multi-concept eatertainment bar with strong events programming and community-driven calendar. Comparable as a broad-incumbent venue operator that pairs F&B with recurring social/community programming rather than pure sports broadcast.
• BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse: Casual-dining chain with in-house brewery and sports-viewing presence across locations. Comparable as a broad-incumbent sports-oriented restaurant chain with a multi-unit footprint that could expand into women's sports viewing.
• Hooters: Iconic sports-bar chain with longstanding multi-screen game-day programming. Comparable as a broad-incumbent sports-bar operator, although with a different brand positioning, that competes for the same sports-viewing occasions.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: National sports-bar chain owned by Inspire Brands with broad multi-TV sports broadcast focus. Comparable as the dominant generalist sports-bar format and the most likely mainstream competitor to add women's sports coverage as the category matures.
• Dave & Buster's: National eatertainment chain combining food, beverage, and sports viewing on numerous screens. Comparable as a broad-incumbent venue that pairs bar service with broadcast sports programming at much larger scale.
• Yard House: U.S. sports-bar chain known for dozens of TVs and a broad beer list. Comparable as a broad-incumbent sports-bar operator whose broadcast-driven model competes for the same game-day occasions in larger markets.

Direct peers

• The Sports Bra: Portland, Oregon sports bar founded by Jenny Nguyen in 2022 as one of the first bars dedicated exclusively to women's sports. Direct sister-concept competitor with identical target audience, broadcast-only programming model, and event-driven GTM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/abaroftheirown
• Instagraminstagram.com/abaroftheirown
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abaroftheirown

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 A Bar Of Their Own