the blind cafe

What the blind cafe does

The Blind Cafe is a privately held, founder-operated experiential company founded in 2010 by American songwriter Rosh (Brian Rocheleau) and headquartered at 1052a Fulton St., San Francisco. The company produces internationally touring pop-up events held in 100% certified organic darkness without blindfolds, combining a community family-style dinner, a social impact discussion facilitated by legally blind ambassadors, and a live concert of original music performed by Rosh & The Blind Cafe Orchestra and The Richie Flores Project. The experience is designed to remove visual conditioning, social etiquette, and cell phone distractions in order to foster authentic human connection.

The core product is a single unified offering — the Blind Cafe Experience — delivered through two channels: ticketed public pop-up events in cities such as Seattle, Austin, Portland, and San Francisco (typically hosting approximately 150 attendees per event and rotating cities 2-3 times per year), and private/corporate bookings deployable worldwide for team building, leadership retreats, executive events, product launches, and client entertainment. The technical underpinning is operational rather than digital: specialized venue preparation to create authentic total darkness conditions, a trained network of blind ambassadors who guide and facilitate guests, and an in-house original music library. No mobile application, API, or digital platform is offered.

The business model is project-based services revenue with two streams: public ticketed events and private corporate bookings obtained through an inquiry-based sales process with undisclosed custom pricing. The company has no disclosed external funding, operates without subsidiaries or a parent, and runs with a small named team of ambassadors and performers. Notable enterprise clients referenced in testimonial and partnership materials include Airbnb (where the experience was incorporated into Airbnb Social Impact Experiences), TEDx Mile High, Verana Health, and Boulderado Hotel.

Name

the blind cafe

Legal name

The Blind Cafe

Website

https://theblindcafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Blind Cafe is a privately held, founder-led experiential company that produces touring pop-up dinner, discussion, and live music events held in 100% darkness, serving both general public ticket-buyers and corporate clients worldwide through custom private bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Dining Events

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH)

Keywords

• Dinner in the dark
• Social impact experiences
• Corporate team building
• Live music events
• Pop-up dining experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Pop-up Events: Ticketed dinner, discussion and music-in-the-dark experiences held in cities throughout the nation, featuring original music, community dining, and social impact discussions.
2. Private/Corporate Events: Custom blindness experience events booked for corporate team building, leadership training, executive retreats, product launches, and private parties held anywhere worldwide.
3. Social Impact Experiences: Partnership-based experiences with organizations like Airbnb Experiences, providing Blind Cafe experiences as part of social impact programming.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Blind Cafe produces internationally touring pop-up dinner, discussion, and live music events held in 100% certified organic darkness without blindfolds. Each experience features a community family-style dinner, a facilitated social impact discussion led by legally blind ambassadors, and a live concert of original music by Rosh & The Blind Cafe Orchestra and The Richie Flores Project. The company serves both general public audiences through ticketed city-based pop-ups and corporate/private clients through custom bookings deployable anywhere worldwide.

Product overview

The Blind Cafe is a single unified product offering centered around The Blind Cafe Experience — a social impact dinner, discussion, and live music event held in 100% certified organic darkness with no blindfolds. The core product consists of public pop-up events and private/corporate bookings, both featuring performances by Rosh & the Blind Cafe Orchestra and The Richie Flores Project, a social impact discussion with legally blind ambassadors, and a family-style dinner. The company operates as a touring pop-up experience rather than a fixed-location venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rosh & The Blind Cafe Orchestra: Musical ensemble performing original music in complete darkness during Blind Cafe experiences.
• The Richie Flores Project

Products and services

• The Blind Cafe Experience An internationally touring positive social change dinner, discussion, and intimate music pop-up experience held in 100% certified organic darkness without blindfolds. Features a community family-style dinner, a social impact discussion facilitated by legally blind ambassadors, and a live concert of original music performed by Rosh & the Blind Cafe Orchestra and The Richie Flores Project. Available for both public audiences and private/corporate bookings worldwide.
• Private/Corporate Blind Cafe Experience Custom blindness experience events booked for corporate team building, leadership training, executive retreats, product launches, and private parties, deployable anywhere in the world. Includes innovative team building, training, parties, dinners, launches, and corporate events delivered through the Blind Cafe's signature 100% darkness experience.
• Public Blind Cafe Events Public ticketed dining and music experiences held in 100% darkness, available in cities where the Blind Cafe pop-up tours. Each event features community dinners, social impact discussions with legally blind ambassadors, and live concerts by Rosh & the Blind Cafe Orchestra and The Richie Flores Project. Events typically host approximately 150 attendees per pop-up.

Quantifiable outcome

• Airbnb's top Social Impact Experience
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• AirbnbflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The Blind Cafe worked directly with Airbnb's founder and executive team, providing multiple Blind Cafe Experiences as part of their R&D for Experience Design for Airbnb Experiences launched in 2016. The Blind Cafe became one of Airbnb's top 'Airbnb Social Impact Experiences.'
• TEDx Mile HighcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Blind Cafe hosted a very special private Blind Cafe Experience evening for TEDx Mile High, a prestigious TEDx event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dans Le Noir: Paris-founded restaurant chain offering dining-in-complete-darkness experiences with sighted guides and social impact positioning. Closest direct peer to The Blind Cafe in concept, format, and mission, though it operates fixed-location restaurants rather than mobile pop-ups.
• Unsicht-Bar: Berlin-based 'invisible bar' that serves cocktails and food in complete darkness with blind guides. Highly comparable concept to The Blind Cafe, focused on sensory deprivation dining as a social experience in a fixed European venue.

Regional players

• Camouflage: Singapore-based dining-in-the-dark restaurant with a similar darkness + guided service model. Comparable concept but operates as a permanent restaurant in Asia rather than a touring pop-up.

Broad incumbents

• Fever: Large global experiences marketplace that runs its own 'Dining in the Dark' events in multiple cities. Overlaps with The Blind Cafe as both a competitor and a potential distribution channel for branded experiences.
• Airbnb Experiences: Platform where Blind Cafe has been a top Social Impact Experience since 2016. Comparable as both a partner and a competitive marketplace that could feature alternative dining-in-the-dark hosts.
• Medieval Times: Established dinner-theater chain pairing themed live entertainment with a multi-course meal. Comparable as a scaled example of dinner-theater as a business model, though more commoditized and theme-park oriented.

Emerging players

• Secret Cinema: Immersive entertainment company that pairs themed narratives with food, drink, and live performance in pop-up venues. Comparable as an experiential pop-up combining food and live entertainment, though centered on film IP rather than darkness.
• Supperclub: Pioneer of experiential dining venues that combine avant-garde cuisine with performance art and live music. Comparable in fusing dinner with immersive performance, although operating fixed locations.
• Bompas & Parr: London-based experiential food studio producing immersive culinary events and installations. Comparable as a creative-led pop-up experiential food business targeting both consumer and brand audiences.
• Enjoy the Village: Pop-up supper club and immersive dining operator that curates themed multi-course dinners with live entertainment in non-traditional venues. Comparable as an experiential touring dinner operator, though without the darkness/ambassador hook.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BlindCafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-blind-cafe-experience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 the blind cafe