Wicked Tuna

What Wicked Tuna does

Wicked Tuna is a privately held, owner-operated waterfront dining restaurant group headquartered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with two primary locations on the South Carolina coast (Murrells Inlet on the MarshWalk and Myrtle Beach on North Ocean Boulevard) plus the adjacent Tuna Shak, a year-round open-air tiki hut offering casual food and live music. The company operates a "Hook to Plate" supply chain in which it owns its fishing fleet and an on-site fish house under the Murrells Inlet restaurant; fish are landed off the Carolina coast and reach the restaurants within 24 hours, supplying grouper, mahi-mahi, sea bass, snapper, and other local species used across the menu. The culinary program centers on fresh seafood, prime USDA steaks, sushi prepared by master sushi chefs, and handmade cocktails, with menu pricing positioned in the premium tier (entrees $37-$54, appetizers $15-$25, specialty sushi rolls $19-$22).

Revenue is generated through on-premise dine-in at the two flagship locations, casual dining and live entertainment at Tuna Shak, private and semi-private event hosting (weddings, corporate events, rehearsal dinners), and direct-to-consumer online ordering via the Toast Tab platform at both Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer with marketing concentrated on organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), email newsletter signup, travel-publication press, and Toast Tab-driven reservations and gift cards. The customer base is a horizontal mix of general diners, South Carolina coastal tourists, and local residents using the restaurants for celebrations and regular dining, with no disclosed enterprise contracts or anchor accounts.

The company employs 11-50 people, operates without disclosed outside investors, parent entities, or institutional backers, and does not advertise any AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software products, or technology patents; its core "technology" is the vertically integrated seafood supply chain rather than software. There are no disclosed funding rounds, mergers, acquisitions, regulatory actions, certifications, or management-team profiles in the available source material.

Name

Wicked Tuna

Website

https://thewickedtuna.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wicked Tuna operates two premium waterfront seafood restaurants plus the Tuna Shak tiki hut in Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It serves tourists, locals, and private-event clients using an owner-operated fishing fleet for catch-to-table fresh local seafood.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Restaurants

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)

Keywords

• Waterfront dining
• Seafood restaurant
• Sushi bar
• Private events
• Fresh seafood

Headquarters

HQ city

Myrtle Beach

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. Restaurant Dining: Direct-to-consumer dining at waterfront restaurant locations. Customers pay for food and beverages at point of sale. Includes upscale seafood, steaks, and sushi offerings.
2. Private Events: Catering and private event hosting for celebrations including weddings, corporate events, rehearsal dinners, and other gatherings. Custom menus designed for specific event needs.
3. Online Ordering: Digital ordering through Toast Tab platform for takeout orders at both Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wicked Tuna operates two premier waterfront seafood restaurants in South Carolina (Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach) plus an adjacent casual tiki venue called Tuna Shak. The restaurants serve fresh local seafood, prime steaks, sushi, and handmade cocktails under a proprietary "Hook to Plate" supply chain powered by an own fishing fleet and on-site fish house, with fish reaching tables within 24 hours of being caught off the Carolina coast.

Product overview

Wicked Tuna is a premier waterfront dining restaurant with two locations in South Carolina (Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach) plus the Tuna Shak casual tiki hut. The restaurant operates on a 'Hook to Plate' philosophy with its own fishing fleet ensuring fresh local seafood daily. The core offering includes signature cuisine with fresh seafood, prime beef, sushi prepared by master sushi chefs, handmade cocktails, and award-winning dishes. The Tuna Shak provides a casual year-round open-air alternative with live music. Private event services offer customizable spaces for various occasions. Online ordering is available through Toast Tab at both locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tuna Shak: Year-round, open-air waterfront tiki hut located next door to Wicked Tuna, featuring live music every night on the MarshWalk, cold drinks, and creative cuisine.

Products and services

• Wicked Tuna Restaurant (Murrells Inlet)
• Wicked Tuna Restaurant (Myrtle Beach)
• Tuna Shak
• Private Events

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sea Captain's House: Iconic waterfront seafood restaurant on the Myrtle Beach oceanfront — same SC coastal tourist corridor, similar full-service seafood-and-steak menu, comparable premium-casual positioning and per-cover economics.
• Gulfstream Cafe: Waterfront seafood restaurant in Garden City Beach, SC, just minutes from Murrells Inlet — directly competes for the same MarshWalk-adjacent diner and serves a similar seafood-and-steak menu at comparable price points.
• Captain George's Seafood Restaurant: Long-running Myrtle Beach seafood destination specializing in fresh local catches and steaks — directly comparable in terms of SC coastal tourism customer base, family/premium seafood positioning, and menu composition.
• Drunken Jack's Restaurant & Lounge: Seafood restaurant located directly on the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet — same immediate micro-market, same waterfront setting, essentially identical customer base as Wicked Tuna's flagship.
• The Claw House: Casual seafood/crab-shack concept in the Carolina lowcountry — comparable fresh-seafood positioning, casual dining format, and SC coastal tourist clientele.

Broad incumbents

• Bonefish Grill: National polished-casual seafood chain owned by Bloomin' Brands — competes in the same premium-casual seafood niche as Wicked Tuna but at substantially broader scale and with a more standardized menu.
• Joe's Crab Shack: Casual seafood chain focused on crab, shrimp, and fish — overlaps with Wicked Tuna on seafood-centric casual dining but at a lower price point and broader geographic scale.
• Landry's Seafood House: Multi-concept seafood restaurant operator under Tilman Fertitta's Landry's Inc. — competes with Wicked Tuna in the premium seafood-and-steak dining category but with national footprint and broader corporate infrastructure.
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Themed casual seafood chain (Forrest Gump IP) — directly comparable brand-to-theming model to Wicked Tuna leveraging a recognizable entertainment name, and similar seafood-and-cocktails menu.

Regional players

• Crazy Sister Marina: Murrells Inlet marina and fishing charter operator that Wicked Tuna links to from its 'Things To Do' menu — adjacent marine tourism partner rather than direct competitor, but shares the same local catch-to-consumer seafood ecosystem and customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TheWickedTunaSC
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWickedTunaSC
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewickedtunasc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wicked-tuna

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 Wicked Tuna