Opening a club

[Norwaydude74]

I have recently been thinking of opening a club of my own. I am in my mid 40’s and have the means to do so, but I need help on a lot of things. Where I am from in Europe no male strip club exists and even though I have visited quite a few around the globe I thought this was a good place to start and ask for help, I know that you guys who read this are true fans.

 

Location

 

I have been thinking about Florida, firstly because the US as I know the language and way of life. I also like the climate, but I am open to other areas as well. The club should be in a metropolitan area, where people travel to both for work and pleasure. I also want it to be in line with laws and regulations, and it seems to me that Florida offers the possibility to operate, please let me know if I am in any way wrong here. (I need to sort out age requirements as I intend to sell alcohol, nudity rules, contact rules if offering private or lap dances and licensing).

 

Staff

 

I need to look for a good bar manager. I want someone with experience in running bars (also with some light meal serving) but also someone who understand the patrons of a place like this. Let me know if you know something about the business.

 

Dancers

 

I need a solid base of regular local guys (variety of age, appearance and ethnicity). I was thinking maybe it should be not too far from some colleges maybe? And what is the usual deal for strippers? Do they get paid per night in addition to tips? How much is regular? I would also like to offer special guest appearances by porn stars and so on but that is an easier thing to figure out.

 

If you have any thoughts on any of this please let me know in a PM or here.

 

Thank you so much in advance for your contribution, I will keep you all posted on the progress.

[BluDay]

Swinging Richards in Atlanta opened a branch in the Miami area - technically Ft. Lauderdale, I think. I never visited it, but if Florida is your proposed location, you may want to look at how SR was treated in the area. As I recall, the authorities had some difficulties with the local government: they were fine with naked girls in clubs, not so much with naked guys.

 

It was a strain on the SR organization: they had management for one club, not two. They did have the advantage of sending experienced dancers from Atlanta down.

[+ pdxleo]

Local governments in Florida have chased every male full nude strip club out of business, with either zoning changes or liquor license challenges. Swinging Richards has Atlanta sewn up, as does Secrets in the Washington, DC area. Most states won't let you have full nudity and liquor both, but you might consider investigating Chicago- Illinois has already issued a full nude male liquor license to Boxers 'n Briefs in Belleville, IL (outside St Louis), but it costs the operator a rumored $250,000 yearly.

[+ pdxleo]

And you need to investigate the legal settlement that Swinging Richards has incurred concerning the "independent contractor" provisions of their dancers- the whole scope of their operations model has been altered by labor law rulings.

[Aardvark]

The city of Chicago doesn't allow nudity and liquor in the same facility for women, let alone men

[gallahadesquire]

The city of Chicago doesn't allow nudity and liquor in the same facility for women, let alone men

Besides, if he likes Florida, Chicago is out of the running.

[+ poolboy48220]

Not to be debbie downer, but the manager at a local club resigned because he was (among other things) tired of spending his time in court; the owner delegated all that to him.

[gersonides]

Head north where the laws are more gay friendly and the guys have money. A bunch of spring breaker and local yokels isn’t going to be a success. SF or Boston or perhaps Providence?

[+ Charlie]

Oh...I thought from the title that this was going to be about bidding in Bridge.

[+ tassojunior]

DC's Secrets will probably not be around much longer and it or another location in DC is good. However, no new nude club can open in DC and lapdances are very risky. If you get a "cut" of the lapdances then there's money in that type club. Otherwise you're just providing dancers a place to make bank because lapdance clubs don't have a lot of customers usually. So far, Johnsons is an exception. Secrets makes a lot of money because even with nude dancers, it's mostly a huge weekend dance club.

 

Dick's Caberet in Phoenix makes money with super good looking nude lapdancers but no alcohol. Few customers but huge spenders on lapdances.

 

Ft Lauderdale has 3 big lapdance clubs now. Key West has one. Miami has zero. Tampa has zero. No place in FL has a nude one. The last was Floppy Rooster outside Miami. Every town around FLL and MIA has different rules. A nude club might get a draw from the others there.

The dancers are easy to find in S. Florida. Most places you just go to a gym.

[Norwaydude74]

Hi all

 

Thank you all for the responses, they are really appreciated. This is a bit trickier than I hoped, but I will not give up quite yet at least. I do understand that FL is tricky, and maybe the combo with alcohol as well. If this happens I will of course inform on this forum, and I may also contact some of you on PM's and ask for some further assistance.

[Aardvark]

I think you need to be focused on the specific municipality rather than the state. You will be dealing with local laws and regulations.

[66dewey66]

It may be easier to buy an existing female full nudity club that has an existing liquor license and convert it to nude male.

[LaffingBear]

In the spirit of market observations, trends, etc., I'd advise against opening such a club. Anywhere in the US .

 

I think its a business model whose time is fading. Gaiety's long gone. NobHill is closing in SF. Campus closed so long ago, most cant remember it. Adonis didn't succeed in Vegas. And the other Adonis' are more of a roaming event, or perhaps semi-permanent, as compared to a club.

 

Younger gay guys dont seek venues for titillation. Gay bars are also struggling. In an odd contradiction, the US is becoming more conservative and puritanical, and yet gays are more mainstream. Gays and straights socialize together. Apps and streaming video are the mechanisms for hookups.

 

Unless theres something new and unique, I dont believe theres an ongoing market demand for live dancers.

[+ tassojunior]

In the spirit of market observations, trends, etc., I'd advise against opening such a club. Anywhere in the US .

 

I think its a business model whose time is fading. Gaiety's long gone. NobHill is closing in SF. Campus closed so long ago, most cant remember it. Adonis didn't succeed in Vegas. And the other Adonis' are more of a roaming event, or perhaps semi-permanent, as compared to a club.

 

Younger gay guys dont seek venues for titillation. Gay bars are also struggling. In an odd contradiction, the US is becoming more conservative and puritanical, and yet gays are more mainstream. Gays and straights socialize together. Apps and streaming video are the mechanisms for hookups.

 

Unless theres something new and unique, I dont believe theres an ongoing market demand for live dancers.

 

Johnsons as well as the two other clubs in Wilton Manors with 30-40 dancers each night would say otherwise. Ditto the three huge Montreal clubs and Secrets DC which has 40 dancers and almost 700 customers on Saturday nights, almost as many as Pirannha in Las Vegas. Bourbon Pub in Key West is crowded and so are Oz and Bourbon Parade in NOLA, Fairytale Lounge, Monster and a half dozen others in NYC. My friend at Secrets makes $500/night tips and my friend at Johnsons makes $1000/night for lapdances.

 

There is a bigger market now because it's trendy for girls to also go in these clubs except for the ones with private rooms. Naked men gyrating to music for tips instead of women is very p.c.

 

Some clubs end up in high-rent areas eventually and can't afford to stay. Others are terribly managed. But the market's there for male strip clubs even if gay bars are dying.

[Txpaytoplay]

I concur with tassojunior. The key is location, good management, and programming (talent). Build it off these principals and they will cum....err come.

[J-Man]

I think with the Nob Hill closing, San Francisco (or somewhere less pricey in the Bay Area) might be an option. But no alcohol -- anywhere in California. You might also think about Palm Springs or the Los Angeles area. (But again - no alcohol with full nudity.)

[+ Snbrd]

While most cities, including Boston, don't allow full nudity Providence, Rhode Island does. It's only 50 miles south. The straight stripper bars continue to do well. They book bachelor parties and are close to Gillette Stadium and get a post-Patriots game crowd. On the other hand, despite allowing full nudity, lap dances and a backroom the gay strip clubs have closed. After changing hands a few times, the last operator of Hush couldn't find a taker for the Allens Ave. license. The gay bar scene in Providence, like many cities, has shrunk. It's a big change from when Tramps (in the 90"s) ran a shuttle service from Boston to Providence. The place was packed, and would occasionally feature popular porn models of the time. Even though I would patronize such an establishment Norwaydude74 or any other potential club investor had better study the market carefully.

[Delvalboy]

I am curious how you came to think of Florida and it is a HUGE state so what part were you thinking of? it is a VERY conservative red state where many people voted for Donald Trump and Fox News is the go-to channel. Even in places like Jacksonville that have a good sized gay community there are only 2 gay clubs and Drag is the main attraction. sadly the 1 club, Metro, has such amazing potential for a renovation. They also have a bath house but it is dingy and decreped and you are not allowed to be nude inside (you must wear a towel at all times unless you are in the steam room/pool and there is no public sex at all - in a bath house!). They have 2 universities plus a naval base so if you can navigate the local conservative government that could work. Orlando does have a fabulous bath house but I'm not aware of any strip clubs.

 

I know Philadelphia PA is lacking a strip club and there aren't any places to get a lapdance without going 3 hours to DC or just under 2 to NYC. there are definitely dancers available as most of them are often shuttled up to NYC for Adonis or Buffdaddy's shows. In the right location it is an untapped market. The few that "tried" well they didn't try very hard.

[CHIberia]

What you need is a good lawyer. Municipalities are the issue more than states. Chicago is terrible for strip clubs but had them in the past. Indianapolis had some of the strictest rules on the books but a club got away with it because they were private "membership clubs" (you had to buy a membership at the door and fill out a form, etc." So you need to know legal loopholes and which politician's palm to grease... a plugged-in lawyer is the very first step.

[bnm73]

What you need is a good lawyer. Municipalities are the issue more than states. Chicago is terrible for strip clubs but had them in the past. Indianapolis had some of the strictest rules on the books but a club got away with it because they were private "membership clubs" (you had to buy a membership at the door and fill out a form, etc." So you need to know legal loopholes and which politician's palm to grease... a plugged-in lawyer is the very first step.

+1

 

Good legal advice is always a good idea when starting any risky venture (and opening a club/bar often is, even if it's not catering to gay clientele).