POPPYCOCKS
Poppycocks is a single-location New American restaurant in downtown Traverse City, Michigan, operating since 1989. It serves local residents and tourists with seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine, craft cocktails, regional wines, and vegetarian/vegan options.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersTraverse City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What POPPYCOCKS does
Poppycocks is a single-location independent restaurant operating at 128 E Front St. in downtown Traverse City, Michigan since 1989, offering New American cuisine built around fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Mary Dueweke and produces a seasonal menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and entrees (dinner entrees priced $24-$44), with clearly labeled vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options and a signature daily special known as the 'Green Plate'. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range.
The beverage program is a core product line. Lead Mixologist Emily Bryant runs a craft cocktail program centered on house-made syrups, shrubs, and infusions that use regional fruits and herbs. The restaurant maintains eight rotating taps of local craft beers and hard ciders, a wine list with strong representation from Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula producers alongside international selections, and a specialty cordials and after-dinner drinks program. Pricing is per-unit across the menu, with a bundled 'Date Night ToGo' carry-out package (two entrees and a bottle of wine for $65) as a discrete product.
The business model is direct-to-consumer full-service restaurant operations, distributed through dine-in and phone-ordered carry-out, with reservations taken by phone. Marketing relies on a 35-year local reputation, social media, and an email newsletter offering exclusive coupons. The customer base is split between year-round Traverse City residents and tourists visiting Michigan's wine country. No funding, M&A, or multi-unit expansion activity is disclosed in the source data.
POPPYCOCKS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- POPPYCOCKS
- Legal name
- Poppycocks
- Website
- https://poppycockstc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Poppycocks is a single-location New American restaurant in downtown Traverse City, Michigan, operating since 1989. It serves local residents and tourists with seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine, craft cocktails, regional wines, and vegetarian/vegan options.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
POPPYCOCKS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Full-service restaurant (New American cuisine)
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cocktail Lounges & Speakeasies (MPAGAIAD)
Keywords
Where POPPYCOCKS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Traverse City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
POPPYCOCKS 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 Service: Full-service restaurant offering seasonally changing lunch and dinner menus featuring appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and entrees. Revenue generated from individual meal purchases at published menu prices.
- Carry-out Service: To-go and carry-out orders including the 'Date Night ToGo' special featuring two entrees and a bottle of wine for $65. Operates as an additional revenue stream beyond dine-in service.
- Beverage Sales: Craft cocktail program featuring house-made syrups, shrubs, and infusions. Eight rotating taps of local beers and hard ciders. Extensive wine program including local Michigan wines, international selections, and bottle service. Cordials, after-dinner drinks, ports, brandy, and specialty coffee drinks also available.
- Special Events: Live entertainment and music events. Private dining opportunities. Seasonal and holiday special offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Date Night ToGo special - Two entrees & a bottle of wine |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Salads (Lunch) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sandwiches |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner Entrees |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Vegetarian Entrees |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Appetizers/Small Plates |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Soup |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Craft Cocktails |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cordials and After Dinner Drinks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hot Coffee Drinks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wines by the Glass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bottled Beer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wine Bottle List |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
POPPYCOCKS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Poppycocks is a single-location full-service restaurant in downtown Traverse City, Michigan offering seasonally changing lunch and dinner menus featuring New American cuisine with appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and entrees prepared from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The restaurant operates an extensive beverage program including craft cocktails with house-made syrups, shrubs and infusions, eight rotating taps of local beers and hard ciders, an extensive wine list focused on Michigan regional producers, cordials, after-dinner drinks, and specialty coffee drinks. Service is delivered through dine-in table service and phone-order carry-out including a 'Date Night ToGo' package, with reservations accepted by phone.
Product overview
Poppycocks TC is a locally-owned restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan operating since 1989. The restaurant offers a unified dining experience comprising lunch and dinner menus featuring seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine by Executive Chef Mary Dueweke, alongside an extensive beverage program including specialty craft cocktails, wines by the glass and bottle, and local Michigan craft beers on tap. The dinner and lunch menus include salads, appetizers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and entrees with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. The beverage program features creative craft cocktails made with house-made ingredients and an eight-tap rotation of local beers and hard ciders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lunch Menu Midday dining options including salads, sandwiches, and express combinations, featuring items such as the Steak & Shrooms, Poppycocks Reuben, and Charbroiled Burger. Sold to individual diners at unit prices.
- Dinner Menu Seasonal dinner offerings featuring artfully inspired New American cuisine with eclectic flavors, including salads, appetizers, pasta dishes, and entrees such as grilled salmon, Berkshire heritage pork ribeye, braised short ribs, shrimp and grits, and chicken confit. Sold to individual diners at unit prices.
- Specialty Drinks (Craft Cocktails) Craft cocktails created by Lead Mixologist Emily Bryant featuring house-made syrups, shrubs, and infusions, with seasonal drinks including Solstice Spritz, Figgy Mule, Maple Leaf, and Poppy's Old Fashioned. Sold to individual diners at unit prices of $10-$15 per cocktail.
- Wine Bottle List Extensive wine selection by the bottle including red wines ($24-$104), white wines ($24-$60), and local Michigan wines ($26-$46) from Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula producers. Sold to individual diners at unit prices per bottle.
- Wine & Beer Service Wines available by the glass ($8-$12) and bottled beers ($3-$4.50) including local Michigan craft beers from Shorts Brewing, Founders, New Holland, and Oddside alongside imported options. Sold to individual diners at unit prices.
- Drink Specials (Cordials and After-Dinner Drinks) Specialty cordials, after-dinner drinks, ports, brandy, and hot coffee cocktails priced $6-$11. Sold to individual diners at unit prices.
- Date Night ToGo Package Carry-out package featuring two entrees and a bottle of wine for $65, ordered by phone for pickup. Sold to individual customers as a bundled to-go meal package.
Companies that use POPPYCOCKS
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
POPPYCOCKS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
POPPYCOCKS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
POPPYCOCKS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- True Food Kitchen: Full-service restaurant concept with a seasonally rotating, ingredient-forward menu and clearly marked vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options. Comparable in dietary-inclusivity and seasonal-rotation menu strategy.
- Art's Tavern: Long-established Traverse City restaurant serving American fare in a casual setting. Comparable as another heritage single-location downtown dining institution in the same market, competing for similar local and tourist traffic.
- The Blue Tractor: Traverse City smokehouse and barbecue restaurant with craft beer program. Comparable as a full-service independent in the same downtown area offering a strong craft beverage program alongside a chef-driven menu.
- Amical: European bistro-style restaurant in downtown Traverse City. Comparable as a chef-led, locally-sourced full-service restaurant in the same market targeting both locals and tourists with seasonal menus.
- Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants: Full-service restaurant chain centered on an extensive wine program and seasonal American cuisine. Comparable business model focused on integrating a strong beverage program (especially wine) with a chef-driven seasonal menu.
- Seasons 52: Darden-owned full-service chain with a seasonal, fresh-ingredients menu and wine/cocktail focus. Comparable in positioning around chef-driven seasonal offerings, dietary accommodation, and a strong beverage program.
- Trattoria Stella: Farm-to-table Italian restaurant in Traverse City's Old Mission Commons. Highly comparable as a seasonal, locally-sourced, chef-driven full-service restaurant in the same downtown market emphasizing regional ingredients.
Broad incumbents
- Bonefish Grill: National full-service seafood-focused chain with bar program. Comparable as full-service dining with a strong beverage program, though operates at chain scale without the local-sourcing or seasonal-menu positioning.
- The Cheesecake Factory: Large-chain full-service casual dining operator with extensive menus. Overlaps with Poppycocks as full-service dining serving broad demographics, but operates at vastly greater scale and lacks the local-sourcing/craft-beverage specialization.
Regional players
- Right Brain Brewery: Traverse City craft brewery with food service. Comparable as a Michigan-based craft-beverage-anchored dining operation in the same regional market, though Poppycocks operates as a restaurant-led concept rather than brewery-led.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
POPPYCOCKS social profiles
Digital presencePOPPYCOCKS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
POPPYCOCKS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
POPPYCOCKS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
POPPYCOCKS 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 POPPYCOCKS
What does POPPYCOCKS do?
Poppycocks is a single-location full-service restaurant in downtown Traverse City, Michigan offering seasonally changing lunch and dinner menus featuring New American cuisine with appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and entrees prepared from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. The restaurant operates an extensive beverage program including craft cocktails with house-made syrups, shrubs and infusions, eight rotating taps of local beers and hard ciders, an extensive wine list focused on Michigan regional producers, cordials, after-dinner drinks, and specialty coffee drinks. Service is delivered through dine-in table service and phone-order carry-out including a 'Date Night ToGo' package, with reservations accepted by phone.
Is POPPYCOCKS a public or private company?
POPPYCOCKS is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was POPPYCOCKS founded?
POPPYCOCKS was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is POPPYCOCKS based?
POPPYCOCKS is headquartered in Traverse City, United States, in the North America region.
How does POPPYCOCKS make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Food Service is the primary driver. The others are carry-out Service, beverage Sales and special Events.
Who are POPPYCOCKS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are True Food Kitchen, Art's Tavern, The Blue Tractor, Amical, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Seasons 52 and Trattoria Stella. Broad incumbents are Bonefish Grill and The Cheesecake Factory. Right Brain Brewery is listed as a regional player.
Does POPPYCOCKS have an API?
No public API is recorded for POPPYCOCKS.
What industry is POPPYCOCKS in?
POPPYCOCKS's product category is Full-service restaurant (New American cuisine). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAJ, All-Day Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAD, Cocktail Lounges & Speakeasies. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.