What Happened To Gato Cafe After Shark Tank?
Adriana Montano plans to open Florida’s first cat café, aka Gato Cafe, a very popular trend outside the United States. This establishment would be similar to a typical café, except that the cats would be the customers, and they would pay for their drinks.
You can find some cat cafés in other countries that require a fee to enter. Cat cafes opened in Taiwan in 1998. They became a popular tourist attraction. Cat cafes are expanding in Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and some European countries, such as the Netherlands and Hungary.
If you are looking for a cat café that offers a petting zoo and a restaurant that serves a meal, try Cat Town Cafe in Oakland, Planet Tails Cat Café in Naples, Meow Parlour in NYC, The Cat Café in San Diego, Purrington’s Cat Lounge in Portland, MA, or Calico Nook in Franklin, MA.
Many of the cats kept in these cat cafés are available for adoption. If she opens a store in Tampa, the café will have drinks like coffee, tea, lattes, sodas, juices, and possibly beer and wine. Activities include cat talk and painting with cats.
Gato Cafe is a cat cafe concept that appeared on Season 6, Episode 29 of the American reality television show “Shark Tank.” The episode originally aired on April 10, 2015. The entrepreneur behind the Gato Cafe concept, Adriana Montano, pitched her idea to the panel of investors, known as “sharks,” seeking investment to help launch her cat cafe business.
In her pitch, Montano proposed a cat cafe where customers could enjoy food and beverages while spending time with adoptable cats in a comfortable and relaxing environment. The goal was to create a space where people could unwind and interact with cats, potentially leading to more adoptions and helping local shelters.
Unfortunately, Montano did not secure a deal with sharks on the show. However, the exposure from her appearance on “Shark Tank” helped to raise awareness of the concept, and cat cafes have since continued to grow in popularity in the United States and worldwide.
What Is Gato Cafe?
Gato Cafe is a concept for a cat cafe, an establishment where customers can enjoy food, beverages, and the company of cats in a comfortable and relaxing environment.
“Gato” is derived from the Spanish word for “cat.” In a cat cafe, people can interact with the resident cats, who are often adaptable, helping to promote cat adoptions and support local animal shelters.
Gato Cafe is Adriana Montano’s idea for Florida’s first cat cafe. Cat cafes have taken off in Asia and are gaining traction in Europe, and Gato Cafe aims to replicate that phenomenon.
The concept of a cafe serving decent food, good coffee, and cats to play with has proven to be a profitable niche throughout Asia and Europe. Gato Café wanted to bring the global concept of “cat cafes” to Florida. There would be beverages, snacks, and the possibility of adopting a feline companion.
The Gato Cafe concept gained popularity after being featured on Season 6, Episode 29 of the American reality television show “Shark Tank.” The entrepreneur, Adriana Montano, pitched her idea to the panel of investors but did not secure a deal.
Despite this, the concept raised awareness for cat cafes, which have become increasingly popular in the United States and worldwide.

Company Name | Gato Cafe |
Entrepreneur | Adriana Montano |
Product | Cafe For Cats |
Investment Asking For | $100,000 For 20% equity in Gato Cafe |
Final Deal | No Deal |
Shark | No Shark |
Episode | Season 6 Episode 29 |
Business Status | Out Of Business |
Website | https://facebook.com |
Who Is The Founder Of Gato Cafe?
Adriana Montano is the founder of Gato Cafe. Her work as a fundraiser and activist for Alley Cat Allies, a nonprofit dedicated to cat welfare, led her to team up with her husband, Michael Meng, in an attempt to open Gato Café. Meng served in the Army National Guard.
Gato Cafe Before Shark Tank
Adriana Montano became aware of the global trend of cat cafes and envisioned establishing the concept in Florida. Gato Café was conceived by Adriana in 2014 when she unleashed her inner cat lady and began an IndieGoGo campaign.
Montano’s description of herself as a cat lady is realistic, given her prior work defending cats and her love for them. When she worked at the charity group, her supervisor gave her an article about Japanese cat cafés.
The cat café fad is a huge phenomenon in Asia and gaining popularity in Europe, which Adriana believed Florida was prepared for. Adriana’s Indie Go-Go campaign wasn’t as successful as she had hoped, and she fell far short of the $75,000 goal.
Montano fell in love with the concept of a cat café and planned to build one in Boca Raton or Delray Beach, Florida. Patrons can take advantage of pre-packaged meals and “fur treatment.”
However, the shark tank producers became aware of the Gato Café concept. They approached Adriana and inquired whether she would appear on the show.
Adriana accepted the offer to obtain the money she needed and the media publicity associated with the television show.
Gato Café was conceived in 2014. Montano chose to seek startup funds through an Indie Go-Go campaign and teamed with an animal rescue charity to bring Gato Café to Florida.
Adriana will pitch Gato Café to the sharks in the shark tank. What will their reactions be? What will the sharks do when Florida’s first cat café opens? Will they unleash their inner animal lover?
How Was The Shark Tank Pitch Of Gato Cafe?
Adriana Montano appeared on Shark Tank requesting an investment of $100,000 in exchange for a 20% stake in Gato Cafe.
Adriana wants to open the first Gato Cafe in Florida. She plans to adopt cats at the cafe. Adriana is searching for rescue cats in the cafe available for adoption.
Adriana will charge $9 for going to the cafe. Cat cafes sell coffee and keep the cats in the cafe, where they sell treats to the customers. This way, people will spend time with the cats while shopping.
Adriana has experience with rescue cats. She rescues the cats, and they are put down. Cats adopted from a cat shelter will be housed in Gato cafes and sold as pets. They won’t be put down.
Nick Woodman says that many television shows feature cats and that a popular video on YouTube shows a fireman saving a cat. Daymond John acts like a cat in a video people watch on YouTube. A cat saved a child from being mauled by a dog.
California has two cat cafes in their town. Adriana states she has experience with cats but does not intend to open a cat cafe. Mark Cuban said he hopes she is successful beyond what she could imagine, but he is out.
Daymond John said she is very close to where you want to go, and I would love to work with you to get you there. He is gone.
Kevin O’Leary believes if someone were willing to open a window high up, there would not be a problem with cats in Florida. Kevin O’Leary, who doesn’t even like cats, quits the deal.
Lori Greiner found it impressive that someone was trying to rescue cats. Lori advised her to proceed; however, she won’t be able to invest. Nick Woodman believed it would work, and anyone in their town could find someone to do it. But he’s out.
Adriana Montano left the Shark Tank stage without securing any deal from the Sharks for Gato Cafe.
Final Deal: No Deal between Sharks and Gato Cafe.
What Happened To Gato Cafe After Shark Tank?
The appearance of Gato Cafe on Shark Tank resulted in significant media coverage for Adriana and Gato Café following the show. She chose to launch another crowdfunding campaign as a result.
Adriana is more confident that the second crowdfunding campaign will enable her to achieve her goal of opening Florida’s first cat café, given the media attention the concept of Gato Café has received.
Gato Café aired an episode of Shark Tank on Oct. 26, and since then, several people have expressed support for the concept on social media, but not many people have donated to Gato Café.
After two months, the second crowd fundraising campaign, with only twelve people supporting the idea and giving. Adriana’s campaign, unfortunately, wasn’t as successful as she had hoped.
Gato Café may never have developed beyond a notion. There is no doubt that cat cafes are gaining popularity throughout the world. The Gato Café may open in Florida in a few years, but Adriana’s dream has not come true.
Gato Cafe Shark Tank Update
Gato Cafe never progressed beyond the concept stage, and the cafe was never opened. The concept has been gaining traction in Europe and Asia but has had a rocky start in the United States.

A customer scratched by a cat recently sued a Denver cat café. She must also convince the State of Florida that the Gato Café deserves a permit, regardless of whether Montano successfully raises funds. Also, a license for liquor!
Montano said she intends to serve beer and wine to meet her fundraising target. There are no cat cafes in the Sunshine State at the moment.
Is Gato Cafe Still In Business?
While specific details about the Gato Cafe’s progress after the Shark Tank episode are limited, it appears that Adriana Montano did not manage to open her cat cafe as initially envisioned.
Despite not receiving an investment from the sharks, Montano’s appearance on the show undoubtedly raised awareness about the cat cafe concept in the United States.
Since the airing of the episode, cat cafes have continued to gain popularity across the country, with numerous successful establishments opening their doors.
These cafes provide a space for people to enjoy food and beverages while interacting with cats, often resulting in increased adoption rates for local shelters.
The concept of Gato Café has been well received, but the crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful. Although Gato Cafe did not come to fruition as planned, Montano’s efforts contributed to the growing interest in and popularity of cat cafes in the United States and beyond.
The Shark Tank episode garnered additional media attention for Brown Cat, resulting in a second unsuccessful crowdsourcing campaign. Gato Café was never opened after Adriana’s appearance on Shark Tank.
What Is the Net Worth of Gato Cafe?
The valuation of Gato Cafe was $500,000 when it appeared on Shark Tank. The net worth of Gato Cafe is unavailable as of 2023 since the business never started.