Coyote Ugly Saloon
An American bar and nightlife brand built around high-energy bartender performances, dancing on the bar, and a deliberately rowdy saloon atmosphere.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Coyote Ugly Saloon is an American drinking-establishment brand and international chain of themed bars known for its energetic female bartenders, audience interaction, and performances on the bar. The first venue opened in New York City on January 27, 1993, after Liliana Lovell, a New York University graduate, chose to leave a Wall Street internship and work as a bartender. The original bar became the foundation for a hospitality concept that combined conventional drinks service with choreographed entertainment, a highly recognizable visual identity, and an intentionally unruly atmosphere. The brand’s early identity was closely associated with the bartenders who became known as “Coyotes.” Their role extended beyond serving alcoholic beverages: they danced on the bar, encouraged customer participation, and helped turn the venue into a live entertainment setting. This performance-led model distinguished Coyote Ugly from a conventional neighborhood bar and provided a format that could be reproduced in other cities through company-owned venues, management arrangements, and franchising. Coyote Ugly expanded beyond New York in the early 2000s. A second location opened in 2001 at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip through a franchised management arrangement. A company-owned New Orleans venue followed in 2002, and Lovell moved to New Orleans in 2003 to manage that location and participate in the company’s corporate operations. Additional company-owned venues opened in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004, followed by Denver in 2005, Memphis in 2006, and Oklahoma City in 2009. Further franchised venues were established in Florida, including Tampa, Panama City Beach, Destin, and Daytona Beach. The concept also developed an international franchise program. In 2009, the company entered Russia through a multi-unit licensing agreement and opened a venue in Moscow. Russian expansion continued with St. Petersburg in 2010 and Kazan in 2011. The brand later entered the United Kingdom, with locations opening in Liverpool and Birmingham in 2016, followed by venues in Cardiff and Swansea. Further British expansion included Camden in London in 2022, Bristol in 2024, and Edinburgh in 2025 according to the referenced Wikipedia material. The international rollout demonstrated the portability of the brand’s core format: a recognizable name, a performance-centered service model, and a nightlife experience that could be adapted to local markets. Coyote Ugly gained substantial popular-culture visibility before and during the release of the 2000 film Coyote Ugly. Former bartender Elizabeth Gilbert described her experiences working at the original bar in a 1997 GQ article, “The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon.” Producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s company acquired rights connected with the story from Lovell and developed the feature film, which starred Maria Bello as a character based on Lovell and Piper Perabo as an aspiring songwriter who becomes a bartender at the bar. The film used a Los Angeles set for most interiors and Manhattan locations for exteriors, and its worldwide gross exceeded US$110 million according to the referenced material. Although the film is a separate entertainment production, it reinforced the saloon’s name, mythology, and association with aspiring performers and high-energy nightlife. The brand’s media profile continued with CMT’s The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search, which ran for three seasons from 2006 to 2008. The first two seasons paired prospective employees with serving Coyotes, while the final season focused on selecting members of a traveling Coyotes troupe for corporate, sports, and music events. Coyote Ugly’s business model therefore encompasses bar operations, franchising and licensing, live bartender entertainment, and brand-related promotional appearances. Its positioning remains centered on experiential nightlife rather than premium dining or traditional beverage retail.
History
Coyote Ugly Saloon began in New York City in 1993 when Liliana Lovell left a Wall Street internship to work as a bartender. The first venue opened on January 27 of that year and developed a service style in which female bartenders, known as Coyotes, were also performers. Dancing on the bar and interacting directly with customers became central to the brand’s identity, transforming the establishment from an ordinary drinking venue into a theatrical nightlife experience. The concept initially remained associated with the original New York bar, but it began formal expansion in the early 2000s. In 2001, a second location opened at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip under a franchised management arrangement. The company opened a company-owned bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter in 2002. Lovell moved from New York to New Orleans in 2003 to manage that venue and take a more active role in day-to-day corporate operations. The domestic network grew during the following years. Company-owned locations opened in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004. Denver followed in 2005, Memphis in 2006, and Oklahoma City in June 2009. From 2009 onward, additional franchised venues were established in Florida, including Tampa, Panama City Beach, Destin, and Daytona Beach. This mix of corporate-operated and franchised venues enabled the brand to extend its format while retaining the same basic entertainment proposition. Coyote Ugly’s public profile expanded beyond hospitality. In 1997, former bartender Elizabeth Gilbert published an account of her experiences at the original venue in GQ. The article, titled “The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon,” became the basis for a film development process associated with producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s company. The resulting movie, Coyote Ugly, was released in August 2000. Maria Bello portrayed a character based on Lovell, while Piper Perabo played an aspiring songwriter who becomes the newest bartender. The film was shot primarily on a Los Angeles set, with Manhattan exteriors, and earned more than US$110 million worldwide according to the referenced material. The movie made the Coyote Ugly name recognizable to a much broader audience, although the film is not itself the bar company. The brand pursued international franchising from 2009. A multi-unit licensing agreement in Russia led to a Moscow venue, followed by locations in St. Petersburg in 2010 and Kazan in 2011. The company also expanded into Germany, with a location in Koblenz mentioned in the reference material. In the United Kingdom, venues opened in Liverpool and Birmingham in 2016, with later openings in Cardiff and Swansea. The British network subsequently added Camden in London in August 2022, Bristol in 2024, and Edinburgh in 2025 according to the referenced Wikipedia entry. The company also used television to extend its recruitment and entertainment profile. CMT broadcast three seasons of The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search from 2006 through 2008. The first two seasons followed prospective employees paired with serving Coyotes as they competed for employment and prize money. The third season changed the format to a competition for places in a traveling Coyotes troupe that could be booked for corporate, sports, and music events. Across its history, Coyote Ugly has remained a themed bar and live-entertainment brand rather than a conventional restaurant chain. Its principal assets are the saloon name, the bartender-performance format, the franchise system, and the cultural recognition generated by the film and television projects. The operating model combines drinks and bar snacks with staged interaction, music, dancing, and a deliberately high-energy atmosphere.
- 2025
First Scottish venue opens
[1]The referenced Wikipedia material records the opening of the brand’s first Scottish bar in Edinburgh.
- 2024
Bristol venue opens
[1]A further United Kingdom location opens in Bristol.
- 2022
Camden, London venue opens
[1]The brand adds a location in Camden, London.
- 2016
United Kingdom expansion begins
[1]Locations open in Liverpool and Birmingham, followed by additional Welsh venues.
- 2011
Kazan location opens
[1]The brand adds a further Russian location in Kazan.
- 2010
St. Petersburg location opens
[1]The Russian network expands beyond Moscow with a venue in St. Petersburg.
- 2009
International franchise program begins
[1]A multi-unit licensing agreement leads to the first international franchised venue in Moscow.
- 2002
New Orleans company-owned venue opens
[1]The company opens a bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
- 2001
Las Vegas location opens
[1]A second venue opens at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
- 2000
Coyote Ugly film is released
[1]The film inspired by the bar and related published accounts opens in August and brings the brand broad popular-culture exposure.
Products and positioning
An entertainment-led nightlife and bar concept aimed at customers seeking a highly social, theatrical, and rowdy saloon experience.
Bar beverages · 1993
Alcoholic beverages
The saloons primarily operate as drinking establishments, serving alcoholic beverages in a high-energy nightlife setting. The available reference material does not provide a standardized menu or identify specific proprietary drink products.
Bar beverages · 1993
Cocktails and mixed drinks
Cocktails and mixed drinks form part of the brand’s conventional bar-service offer. Their role is integrated with the entertainment format, in which bartenders serve customers while performing and engaging with the crowd.
Food service
Bar snacks
Coyote Ugly venues may offer bar snacks alongside drinks, but the referenced material does not establish a single chain-wide food menu or signature food line.
Live entertainment · 1993
Coyote bartender performances
The brand’s defining offering is live bartender entertainment. Female bartenders, known as Coyotes, dance on the bar and interact with patrons, making performance and audience participation central to the customer experience.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
United States
CMT broadcast a reality competition based on recruiting and selecting prospective Coyote bartenders. The first two seasons paired candidates with serving Coyotes, while the third season selected performers for a traveling troupe.
Outcome. The program ran for three seasons from 2006 to 2008 and extended the brand into televised recruitment and live-event entertainment.
- 2000Coyote Ugly feature film
United States · International
The brand’s name and concept were adapted into the feature film Coyote Ugly, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer’s company and inspired by the bar and Elizabeth Gilbert’s published account. The film functioned as a major cultural exposure vehicle for the saloon.
Outcome. The film achieved more than US$110 million in worldwide gross according to the referenced material and significantly increased public recognition of the Coyote Ugly name.
Brand decisions
2009
Launch international franchisingStrategyBackground
The company had established a domestic venue network and sought to take its recognizable bartender-performance format into overseas markets.
Action taken
Coyote Ugly began an international franchise program through a multi-unit licensing contract in Russia, opening in Moscow and subsequently expanding to other Russian cities.
Aftermath
The brand later expanded into Germany and the United Kingdom, creating an international network of themed bars.
2006
Develop a televised bartender-recruitment formatOtherBackground
The Coyote role was central to the brand and could be presented as both hospitality work and live entertainment.
Action taken
The company participated in The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search, a CMT series that recruited prospective employees and later selected members of a traveling Coyotes troupe.
Aftermath
The television series broadened the brand’s media presence and connected venue operations with corporate, sports, and music-event entertainment.
2001
Adopt a mixed company-owned and franchised expansion modelStrategyBackground
After operating the original New York venue, the brand sought to reproduce its themed-bar format in additional hospitality markets.
Action taken
The company opened the Las Vegas location through a franchised management arrangement and later combined corporate-owned venues with franchised and licensed locations.
Aftermath
This approach supported domestic growth and later enabled international expansion through licensing agreements.
Sources2 sources
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