Death & Co

Integrated hospitality group creating unique cocktail experiences across the U.S.Introducing Gin & Luck: The need for connecting over food and drink, for thoughtful hospitality, will forever be a part of the human story and is more sought after now than ever before. In today’s landscape, hospitality groups must do more than own and operate traditional brick and mortar bars and restaurants. In order to thrive, they must be nimble, dynamic, and diversified, pursuing opportunities that expand far beyond the typical hospitality experience. We created Gin & Luck – the parent company behind the Death & Co brand, as well as the globally-recognized consulting and management firm, Proprietors LLC – to pursue cocktail-anchored international business opportunities in hospitality, retail, and media.

Total company revenue grew 49% from $4.95M in 2018 to $7.39M in 2019 - specifically, Death & Co Denver revenue grew 67% from $2.69M in 2018 to $4.43M in 2019 and Proprietors LLC, the company’s consulting arm, grew 85% from $398K in 2018 to $736K in 2019.
Cocktail Codex, the group’s second cocktail book, won the James Beard Award for “Book of the Year” – the first beverage book to ever win the category. The group is currently working on its third book, which will be released in October 2021.
Death & Co has achieved consistent praise in the hospitality space, with features in Forbes, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more; the company won the American Cocktail Bar and World's Best Cocktail Menu at Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, among other notable accolades.
Death & Co LA, the third Death & Co outpost, successfully debuted in Los Angeles’ Arts District in late December 2019, generating $212k in January and $209k in February.
The company previously successfully raised on SeedInvest in 2018. This was SeedInvest's first hospitality fundraise and the 2nd most successful Reg CF + Reg D round in the platform's history.

David Kaplan, CEO
David has worked in the hospitality business since the age of 13. In the summer of 2006, at the age of 24, he designed and opened Death & Company, a cocktail bar in the East Village of Manhattan, and shortly after formed the hospitality consulting and management company Proprietors LLC with Alex Day and Devon Tarby. As the founder and CEO, David drives company growth and culture, and directly manages the marketing and retail divisions. When not on the road, he lives in Jackson Hole with his wife Jenna, their daughter, Aria, and their dogs, Stella and Doug.

Alex Day, COO
Originally a bartender in Death & Co’s early days, Alex has been a partner since 2010 and has since co-formed various businesses in partnership with David Kaplan and Devon Tarby. As Chief Operating Officer at Gin & Luck, Alex leads all company departments, from daily operations to new venture planning. Passionate about education and writing, Alex is a regular speaker at industry conferences, has been a contributor to various publications and co-authored three books, and is an active participant in the leadership groups of the Tales of the Cocktail Education Committee and the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Alex lives in Portland, Maine, with his husband, Andrew. 

Devon Tarby, CSO
Devon Tarby began her career as a bartender at world-renowned cocktail bar The Varnish, located in Downtown Los Angeles. Today, she is the Chief Services Officer for Gin & Luck and manages Proprietors LLC, a full-service hospitality firm that consults on and operates a myriad of F&B projects. Over the last five years, Devon has opened dozens of projects across the US and abroad ranging from Michelin starred restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, to award winning cocktail bars. In addition to leading all aspects of consulting work for the company, Devon also directs training, education and beverage development for clients. Devon lives in Los Angeles, CA with her fiancé, Alejandro Guzmán.