Lips Restaurant
Lips Restaurant is a Manhattan-based drag cabaret restaurant offering nightly dinner shows, a Sunday Broadway-style drag brunch, and hosted celebrations such as birthdays and bachelorettes, primarily serving tourists, celebrants, and nightlife seekers in NYC.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Lips Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lips Restaurant
- Legal name
- Lips NYC
- Website
- https://lipsnyc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Lips Restaurant is a Manhattan-based drag cabaret restaurant offering nightly dinner shows, a Sunday Broadway-style drag brunch, and hosted celebrations such as birthdays and bachelorettes, primarily serving tourists, celebrants, and nightlife seekers in NYC.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lips Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entertainment Dining / Drag Cabaret Restaurant
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars (THAFAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Adult Nightlife Venues (Strip Clubs) (THAFAEAK)
Keywords
Lips Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dinner & Brunch Show Tickets: Revenue from seated dinner and brunch shows featuring drag queen performances. Customers pay for their meal and show experience. Tax, tip (20% gratuity added), and drinks are additional.
- Beverage Sales: Full bar service generating revenue from alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. 2-drink minimum at bar. Bar has no cover charge.
- Special Celebrations & Packages: On-stage celebrations ($15 per person), bachelorette packages ($15 one-time fee), and specialty cakes available for order with 48-hour notice.
- Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling branded apparel including t-shirts ($17.50-$20.50), hats ($19.50), and mugs ($9.00). Gift cards also sold.
- Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards sold with no expiration date. Available for purchase online or printable at home.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Bar seating with 2-drink minimum, no cover charge |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner and Drag Show (table service) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Broadway Boozy Brunch (SOLD OUT every weekend) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | On-Stage Celebration Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bachelorette Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Men's Premium Heavyweight Tee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Women's High-Waisted T-Shirt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Lips Baseball Cap |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Black Glossy Mug |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Kosher Meal Package |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Group Reservation Deposit (10-30 guests) |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Large Group Deposit (30+ guests) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Cancellation & No-Show Fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Lips Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lips Restaurant runs a drag queen dinner-show and full-bar venue in Manhattan offering nightly shows Wednesday through Sunday, a Broadway-style drag brunch on Sundays, and late-night shows on weekends. It sells add-on celebration packages for bachelorettes, birthdays, and on-stage moments, and operates its own online store for branded merchandise and gift cards. The venue combines theatrical drag cabaret performances with full-service dining for parties of 2 to 250 guests.
Product overview
Lips Restaurant is a New York City-based drag queen show palace, restaurant, and bar offering 30 years of entertainment. The core offering consists of drag queen dinner shows (Wednesday through Sunday), Broadway-style drag brunch on Sundays, and late night shows on weekends. The venue operates a LaCage-style immersive theatrical experience with drag queens who serve as both performers and waitstaff. Add-on celebration packages include bachelorette parties ($15 package), birthday celebrations, and on-stage celebrations ($15 per person). The business also operates a merchandise line featuring apparel (t-shirts, caps) and drinkware (mugs) available through its online store, plus gift cards. Additional services include kosher meal packages (by advance arrangement) and partnered parking at Bristol Garage. The venue can accommodate groups from 2 to 200+ guests and up to 250 for brunch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Drag Queen Dinner Shows Nightly drag queen dinner entertainment featuring Divas, Divas, Divas with professional performers who serve as both hosts and waitstaff, paired with a dinner menu of grilled steaks, pasta, grilled salmon, and chocolate sin dessert.
- Drag Brunch Broadway-style Sunday brunch hosted by Ginger Snap featuring theatrical drag performances, accommodating up to 250 guests with Vegas-style cabaret entertainment.
- Late Night Shows Late-night drag entertainment offerings on Friday and Saturday nights featuring extended shows and adult-oriented content.
- Bachelorette Party Package Bachelorette party package including tiara, souvenir photo with queens onstage, congratulatory card, and a blowjob shot (non-alcoholic alternatives available) for a one-time $15 fee added to the bill.
- Birthday Celebrations Birthday celebration packages accommodating 2 to 200 guests with drag dinner or Diva Cocktail Party options, specialty cocktails, and made-to-order specialty cakes requiring 48 hours notice.
- On-Stage Celebrations $15 per person on-stage celebration experience including special crown or tiara, stage moment, souvenir on-stage photo with the show host and a queen, plus dessert with candle or souvenir shot.
- Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards with no expiration date, available for purchase online or printable at home, valid at all times.
- Men's Premium Heavyweight Tee Premium heavyweight t-shirt made of 100% combed ring-spun cotton with structured, classy fit, priced from $20.50, with some color variants at 60% cotton / 40% polyester.
- Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight T-Shirt Thick, structured heavyweight t-shirt made of 100% ring-spun cotton with relaxed fit, available in multiple colors and sizes up to 3XL, starting from $18.50.
- Women's High-Waisted T-Shirt Women's high-waisted t-shirt made of 100% combed and ring-spun cotton with ultra-soft hand feel, longline fit with crew neck, tightly knit and side-seamed, priced at $17.50.
- Lips Baseball Cap Classic dad hat made of 100% organic cotton with 8 oz/yd² fabric weight, unstructured 6-panel design, matching sewn eyelets, and self-fabric adjustable closure with brass slider, priced at $19.50.
- Black Glossy Mug Ceramic mug available in 11 oz and 15 oz sizes, lead and BPA-free with glossy finish, dishwasher and microwave safe, made on demand to reduce overproduction.
- Kosher Meal Packages Kosher meal packages available for guests with advance notice, arranged by phone (212-675-7710), not reservable online.
Companies that use Lips Restaurant
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lips Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Lips Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Bristol GarageminorPartnered parking facility located at 300 E 56th St (entrance on 55th and 56th St), offering Lips customers special parking rates: up to 3 hours for $18.00. Additional surcharges apply for SUV and oversized vehicles. Fully secure indoor garage with 24-hour availability, courteous service, and heated waiting area.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Lips Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hamburger Mary's: Nationwide drag-brunch and drag-dinner restaurant chain offering the same drag queen dinner show + full bar + celebration package model. Closest direct competitor on format, audience (bachelorette/birthday celebrants), and revenue structure.
- Lucky Cheng's: Historically iconic NYC drag cabaret restaurant; closed Manhattan location but representative of the same drag-dining format that defines this niche. Useful as a historical/format benchmark even in a different operating state.
- The Abbey Food & Bar: West Hollywood drag-entertainment restaurant and bar combining full dining with drag performances and a full bar. Comparable on venue format, target audience, and entertainment-dining positioning in a major metro market.
- Hardware: NYC drag bar offering drag performances, cocktails, and a more limited food menu. Direct competitor for the same nightlife/entertainment customer and overlapping celebration audience.
- The Monster: Manhattan drag bar combining performance entertainment with bar service. Comparable on venue format and nightlife-drag positioning, though with a more bar-centric (less dining-centric) model.
- Lips Atlanta: Drag queen dinner-show palace and restaurant in Atlanta using a near-identical name and concept to Lips NYC. Directly comparable on format, show structure, and customer use cases despite being in a different geography.
- Pieces NYC: Greenwich Village drag bar and restaurant offering drag performances alongside food service. Direct NYC competitor for drag-dining customers, especially in the tourist and celebration segments.
- RISE Bar NYC: Hell's Kitchen drag bar with nightly performances and a party-focused format. Competes with Lips for the bachelorette and weekend-night-out crowd in Manhattan.
Regional players
- Club Cumming: NYC performance-and-drinks venue offering drag and cabaret entertainment. Comparable on the entertainment/bar hybrid model but with less of a full-service dining emphasis.
Emerging players
- Drag Queen Brunch Tour: Multi-city drag brunch event series that partners with restaurants. Competes indirectly for the drag-brunch celebrant customer via a touring rather than resident format, and offers lower fixed-cost competition to permanent venues.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lips Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lips Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lips Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lips Restaurant 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 Lips Restaurant
What does Lips Restaurant do?
Lips Restaurant runs a drag queen dinner-show and full-bar venue in Manhattan offering nightly shows Wednesday through Sunday, a Broadway-style drag brunch on Sundays, and late-night shows on weekends. It sells add-on celebration packages for bachelorettes, birthdays, and on-stage moments, and operates its own online store for branded merchandise and gift cards. The venue combines theatrical drag cabaret performances with full-service dining for parties of 2 to 250 guests.
Is Lips Restaurant a public or private company?
Lips Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Lips Restaurant founded?
Lips Restaurant was founded in 1994.
How does Lips Restaurant make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Dinner & Brunch Show Tickets are the primary driver. The others are beverage Sales, special Celebrations & Packages, merchandise Sales and gift Cards.
Who are Lips Restaurant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hamburger Mary's, Lucky Cheng's, The Abbey Food & Bar, Hardware, The Monster, Lips Atlanta, Pieces NYC and RISE Bar NYC. Club Cumming is listed as a regional player. Drag Queen Brunch Tour is listed as an emerging player.
Does Lips Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lips Restaurant.
What industry is Lips Restaurant in?
Lips Restaurant's product category is Entertainment Dining / Drag Cabaret Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAH, Karaoke Bars & Entertainment Bars, with a secondary code of THAFAEAK, Adult Nightlife Venues (Strip Clubs). Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5810.