Better Than Sex

What Better Than Sex does

Better Than Sex Inc. is a privately held, adults-only dessert restaurant chain founded in May 2008 by husband-and-wife team Dani and Len Johnson in Key West, Florida. The company operates six locations across Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, and California — two company-owned (Key West and Orlando) and four franchised (Savannah, Plano, Greenville, and Los Angeles). Its core product is the in-restaurant dining experience: an intimate, speakeasy-style ambiance centered on house-made desserts, signature chocolate- and caramel-rimmed wines, and craft cocktails, targeted at adults-only occasions such as date nights, anniversaries, girls' nights, and other special-occasion celebrations. The company also sells celebration cakes, gift cards, and limited-edition seasonal desserts through its own e-commerce properties.

The underlying 'technology' is culinary rather than digital: house-made desserts prepared from scratch using premium imported chocolates, fresh berries, small-batch liquors, and proprietary recipes, served in signature chocolate- or caramel-rimmed wine glasses. Operational technology is lightweight — Toast Tab for reservations, BentoBox for the website and online ordering, and CustomChannels for in-restaurant audio. The company has no public API, no proprietary software product, no AI/ML capabilities, and no patents or trademarks on file.

Revenue derives from dine-in service at company-owned locations, royalties and franchise fees from the four franchised locations, recurring engagement via the 'Friends With Benefits' loyalty program, online gift card sales, and seasonal/celebration cake pickups. Customer segments are horizontal and consumer-facing (no enterprise customers): primarily couples on romantic date nights, girls' night out groups, special-occasion celebrators, and solo indulgers in mid-market consumer price brackets. The brand has earned consistent regional 'best date night' and 'best dessert' awards across multiple markets plus a #1 TripAdvisor ranking for Key West desserts.

Name

Better Than Sex

Legal name

Better Than Sex Inc.

Website

https://betterthansexdesserts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Better Than Sex Inc. is a privately held, adults-only dessert restaurant chain with six US locations across five states. It serves couples, girls' night groups, and special-occasion celebrators with house-made desserts and signature rimmed wines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Dessert Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Dessert Cafes & Dessert Bars (Sit-Down) (THAFAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH), Cocktail Bars & Speakeasies (THAFAEAE)

Keywords

• Adults-only dessert restaurant
• Specialty desserts
• Date night dining
• Craft cocktails
• Franchise restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Key West

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Desserts and Drinks: Full-service dessert restaurant experience with plated desserts, signature rimmed wines, and craft cocktails served in intimate speakeasy-style dining rooms
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase through their website, enabling gifting occasions
3. Franchise Revenue: Franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchise locations in Savannah, Plano, Greenville, and Los Angeles
4. Loyalty Program: Friends With Benefits loyalty program with points earned per visit that can be redeemed for desserts and drinks

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Better Than Sex is an adults-only dessert restaurant chain that serves as a dedicated dessert-first dining destination, where house-made indulgent desserts (cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, pies) and craft cocktails/signature wines served in chocolate or caramel-rimmed glasses are the main event rather than an afterthought. The concept is delivered through an upscale, speakeasy-style intimate atmosphere designed for date nights, anniversaries, birthdays, and girls' night out celebrations.

Product overview

Better Than Sex is an adults-only dessert restaurant chain offering a unified dining experience centered on indulgent, house-made desserts and signature rimmed wines/cocktails. The core product is the in-restaurant dessert dining experience at intimate, speakeasy-style locations. Key offerings include award-winning signature desserts (cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, pies) with playful names, wines and cocktails served in chocolate or caramel-rimmed glasses, and seasonal specials. Additional offerings include non-alcoholic sparkling wine options, a Friends With Benefits loyalty program, gift cards, celebration cakes for special occasions, and a Dessert Diaries blog. The company operates locations in Key West FL, Orlando FL, Savannah GA, Plano TX, and Greenville SC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends With Benefits: Loyalty rewards program for repeat customers offering points and exclusive benefits.

Products and services

• Signature Desserts Award-winning, house-made desserts including cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, pies, and seasonal specials, served to adult guests seeking indulgent, visually stunning presentations with playful names. Known as the core offering of the in-restaurant dining experience.
• Signature Rimmed Wines & Craft Cocktails Wines and cocktails served in signature chocolate or caramel-rimmed glasses, including French Kiss Champagne, Sex Appeal Sparkling Moscato, G-Spot, Honey Bunny, and house-made Sexpresso-Tini, designed for adult guests seeking distinctive pairings with desserts.
• Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine Drinks

Quantifiable outcome

• #1 ranking on TripAdvisor for desserts in Key West
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToast Tab is used as the online reservation platform for all Better Than Sex locations. Customers can book tables through Toast Tab links for Plano, Greenville, Savannah, and Key West locations.
• Sheila and Derrick Miller (Plano Franchise)coreOthersMarried couple who discovered Better Than Sex on a vacation in Key West. They own and operate the Plano, Texas franchise location, which opened in 2019.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Serendipity 3: Iconic New York City dessert restaurant famous for Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and indulgent desserts served in a whimsical setting. Directly comparable as a destination dessert-focused sit-down restaurant where the dessert menu is the star attraction.
• Sugar Factory: Multi-location dessert and cocktail concept known for celebrity tie-ins, over-the-top presentations, and Instagram-worthy drinks. Comparable as a chain dessert/cocktail restaurant competing for experiential occasion-based dining.
• Max Brenner: International chocolate-focused restaurant chain serving chocolate-themed desserts, pizzas, and cocktails with branded glassware. Comparable as a multi-unit, dessert-first chain with proprietary drinkware and a playful concept positioning.

Broad incumbents

• The Cheesecake Factory: Large US casual-dining chain famous for an extensive dessert menu (especially cheesecakes) and experiential dining. Comparable as a dessert-led broad-menu restaurant operator competing for date-night and celebration occasions.
• Carlo's Bake Shop: Celebrity-branded bakery with multiple retail locations famous for indulgent cakes and desserts. Comparable as a destination dessert concept with strong brand recognition and tourists driving traffic.

Emerging players

• Sprinkles Cupcakes: Specialty cupcake and dessert brand with retail bakeries and cupcake ATMs. Comparable in category-adjacent dessert branding and experiential/celebration positioning, though its core product is grab-and-go rather than sit-down.
• Insomnia Cookies: Late-night dessert delivery and storefront chain. Comparable in late-night, occasion-driven (study, post-event) dessert consumption, though primarily a delivery model rather than sit-down experience.
• Death & Co: Renowned speakeasy-style cocktail bar with curated food menus. Comparable for the dimly lit, intimate speakeasy aesthetic and craft-cocktail-plus-food pairing approach that Better Than Sex also emphasizes.
• Employees Only: Award-winning speakeasy cocktail bar concept with multiple locations. Comparable for the speakeasy-style atmosphere, craft cocktails, and adults-only after-hours positioning that overlaps with Better Than Sex's date-night occasion.

Regional players

• Crumbs Bake Shop: Cupcake and dessert chain that scaled and contracted rapidly. Comparable as a multi-unit dessert-only concept demonstrating both the growth potential and execution risks of single-category dessert retail.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/betterthansexkw
• Instagraminstagram.com/betterthansexdesserts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/better-than-sex-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Better Than Sex