Sleepy Bee Cafe

What Sleepy Bee Cafe does

Sleepy Bee Cafe is a privately held, locally owned breakfast and brunch restaurant chain operating three locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area: the original Oakley site at 3098 Madison Road in a refurbished 100-year-old brick building, the Blue Ash site at 9514 Kenwood Road on the renovated Towne Square (the largest of the three), and the Downtown site at 8 East 4th Street in a restored piano factory building. Founded in 2013 by Sandy Gross in partnership with Chef Frances Kroner, the concept is built on farm-to-table sourcing from a network of 15+ local and regional farm and producer suppliers across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, including Allez Bakery, Breadsmith, Don Popp's Honey Farm, Eckerlin Meats, Fischer Farm, Indian Creek Creamery, La Terza Coffee, Snowville Creamery, and Weaver Brothers eggs. Each location features distinctive design elements such as kiln-formed glass chandeliers, locally commissioned bee-themed artwork, and in some cases a community-built "Bee Line" of glass tiles.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer dine-in model supplemented by online ordering for pickup through the Toast Tab platform across all three sites, and sells digital and physical gift cards through the same system. Marketing is primarily organic, centered on the website (sleepybeecafe.com), word-of-mouth, and visual storytelling of the dining spaces and farm partnerships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows standard casual dining menu mechanics available in-person or via the online ordering platform. In March 2023 Sleepy Bee became the first B Corp certified restaurant in Ohio, adding to prior 2020 memberships in the Cincinnati 2030 District and 513 Green sustainability programs. The company has held the community-voted "Best Breakfast in Cincinnati" recognition continuously since 2019, has no disclosed external investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no evidence of funding rounds, M&A activity, or public listing.

Name

Sleepy Bee Cafe

Legal name

Sleepy Bee Cafe

Website

https://sleepybeecafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sleepy Bee Cafe is a privately held Cincinnati-area breakfast and brunch restaurant chain operating three locations, serving local residents, families, and brunch enthusiasts with farm-to-table menus built on regional farm partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

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

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFACAB

Casual Dining Restaurants

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Full-Service Restaurants (Casual & Fine Dining)

Keywords

• Farm-to-table dining
• Breakfast and brunch
• Locally sourced ingredients
• Casual dining restaurant
• Sustainable hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in and Takeout Food Service: Revenue from selling prepared breakfast and brunch items directly to consumers at three restaurant locations, with online ordering via Toast Tab platform for pickup orders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sleepy Bee Cafe operates three farm-to-table breakfast and brunch dine-in restaurants in the Cincinnati area (Oakley, Blue Ash, and Downtown), serving a menu of locally sourced breakfast and brunch items, La Terza coffee, and house-made treats. The company also offers online order-ahead pickup via Toast Tab and sells digital gift cards.

Product overview

Sleepy Bee Cafe is a breakfast and brunch restaurant chain with three locations in the Cincinnati area (Oakley, Blue Ash, and Downtown). The company operates as a unified restaurant brand offering dine-in service, online ordering through Toast Tab, and gift cards. All locations emphasize locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and feature distinctive design elements including kiln-formed chandeliers and local artwork. The restaurant was founded in 2013 by Sandy Gross in partnership with Chef Frances Kroner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley Location The original Sleepy Bee Cafe dine-in restaurant, located in a refurbished 100-year-old brick building at 3098 Madison Rd in Cincinnati's Oakley neighborhood. Serves the full farm-to-table breakfast and brunch menu and features a kiln-formed flower chandelier and local/regional bee-themed artwork.
• Sleepy Bee Cafe - Blue Ash Location

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Allez Bakery (OH)coreOthersLocal bakery supplier providing bread and baked goods for Sleepy Bee's menu items
• Bowman and Landes (OH)coreOthersLocal farm supplier providing quality ingredients for seasonal menu
• Breadsmith (OH)coreOthersLocal bakery providing fresh bread for restaurant menu
• Don Popp's Honey Farm (OH)coreOthersLocal honey supplier, aligning with the company's bee/ustainability theme
• Eckerlin Meats (OH)coreOthersLocal meat supplier providing quality protein options
• Fischer Farm (IN)coreOthersRegional farm supplier from Indiana providing natural ingredients
• Henry's Betta Goetta (OH)coreOthersLocal specialty food producer providing Goetta breakfast item
• Indian Creek Creamery (OH)coreOthersLocal dairy supplier providing creamery products
• La Terza (OH)coreOthersCoffee supplier providing La Terza coffee for all locations
• Milligan's Maple (OH)coreOthersLocal maple syrup supplier for menu items
• Our Home Place Meat (KY)coreOthersRegional supplier from Kentucky providing quality meat products
• Shetler Farms (OH)coreOthersLocal farm supplier for dairy and other products
• Snowville Creamery (OH)coreOthersLocal creamery providing dairy products
• Weaver Brothers (OH)coreOthersLocal egg supplier providing fresh eggs for menu
• Churchill's Fine Teas (OH)coreOthersLocal tea supplier providing tea selections

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Eagle: Farm-to-table casual restaurant group with locally sourced comfort food. Comparable in values-driven sourcing, craft-focused menu, and commitment to local producer partnerships, though its menu is broader than Sleepy Bee's breakfast/brunch focus.

Regional players

• Taste of Belgium: Cincinnati-origin breakfast, brunch, and bakery concept, now expanding regionally. Directly comparable in the Cincinnati market and daypart focus, with artisanal bakery offerings and locally roasted coffee.

Direct peers

• First Watch: National breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain with farm-to-table menu positioning. Most directly comparable by category (daypart-focused brunch), menu philosophy, and dine-in + online ordering model; competes with Sleepy Bee in the same daypart, though at significantly larger scale.
• Another Broken Egg Cafe: Breakfast and brunch franchise with farm-fresh positioning. Direct comparable in daypart focus, premium breakfast experience, and cafe-style atmosphere; established in many Midwest markets.
• Tupelo Honey: Southern-inspired farm-to-table breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain. Comparable in locally sourced ingredients, farm-to-table philosophy, and upscale-casual dining experience, though it operates at a larger regional scale.
• The Original Pancake House: Established breakfast-focused restaurant chain with dine-in service and specialty menu. Comparable by single-daypart focus on breakfast/brunch and similar casual dining model.
• Wild Eggs: Breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain with farm-fresh, scratch-cooking positioning. Comparable in daypart focus, casual dine-in service, and locally inspired menu philosophy.

Others

• La Terza Coffee: Cincinnati-based craft coffee roaster and supplier to Sleepy Bee. Adjacent ecosystem participant that supplies the cafe's coffee program and shares the local Cincinnati food community ethos.
• Breadsmith: Local bakery supplier providing bread to Sleepy Bee. Comparable as a community-rooted, locally operated food vendor, though not a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Honeygrow: Farm-to-table fast-casual chain with a focus on locally sourced ingredients and seasonal menus. Overlaps with Sleepy Bee in sourcing philosophy and locally rooted brand, though it operates in a different meal-daypart and format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

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 Sleepy Bee Cafe