Ricks Dallas TX Now BYOB

[mysteryman]

I just did a post to my blog on this but thought I would share the story link here. Ricks made a huge mistake buying a club of this size that had a very good chance of losing its liquor licnese.

So if you want to go work in a 25,000sqft all nude BYOB, this is your chance.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.4bb0d13.html

[saphire123456]

ricks = epic fail

[Tony Batman]

My traveling DJ friend is there for the grand opening which is tomorrow,
I have been to a few BYOB clubs that have done really well, but then again there have been others that have turned ghetto quickly.

We will see how this one goes, If its good I will go and hang for a few weeks. Ill give you the eye witness account if that happens.

[short skirts]

I once worked in a BYOB club in Nashville, it was terrible.
The guys come in drinking their own beer, getting drunk and don't spend hardly anything on the girls- to my experience.

[Stripper Hacks]

Yeah it seems to me that the more expensive the cocktails dictates the type of client a club attracts. Same with the dances. When stuff starts hitting 'rock bottom prices' either no one goes or people that don't spend money show up.

Strip clubs are a mainstream luxury item. There are clubs that encourage customers to sit and gawk and there are clubs that want their girls to do well because that is more money for them.

To me Rick's Cab is another chain and they are more about expansion and being in the public eye because they get essentially free money from investors. Hopefully not from the Gov. that would suck. I don't know to put your business in the same category as an unethical bank or lender, hee hee yeah its a strip club, but come on.

[mysteryman]

At times I would agree that drink prices can dictate what kind of client you get. Yet in certain markets I have experienced no matter what the prices are you still get the gawkers, and cheap skates who flood the club on certain nights.

Also you can have high end expensive drinks, but what drives of the high end customers off is the service. Watch how fast a customer closes his tab is he gets a crappy waitress or an annoying entertainer who does not understand this guy is not interested in her. Now a days its becoming a common theme in many clubs a customer walks in gets a drink and either gets crappy service from a waitress who has a bad attitude because she is not making any money, or an entertainer who comes up before he even sits down and is asked "you want a dance?", or she asks him "buy me a drink!" and begins the sob story about how she does not have the money to pay rent, or the car.... well you get the picture.

Back to Ricks. The problem with Ricks in Dallas is total mismanagement of the situation from day one.

*Over paid for a club that was still in litigation over its right to have a liquor license in a dry county.

*Bad management team, not willing to change the way the club had been ran in the past.

*No marketing, nor an attempt to market a new image in the club market.

*No Grand Opening under the Ricks name.

*No attempt to bring in dancers from other clubs to increase the quality of dancers at that location.

[stripperMBA]

That club used to be Illusions, then was Penthouse, and then Rick's. But now it has been renamed again I think it's xtc cabaret. The club has been cursed with having the worst management lead by the worst owners.

[ScarletPhoenix]

Has no one on this board checked it out yet? I thought about dropping in, but I don't want to walk into the lion's den . . .

[J.D.]

At times I would agree that drink prices can dictate what kind of client you get. Yet in certain markets I have experienced no matter what the prices are you still get the gawkers, and cheap skates who flood the club on certain nights.

Also you can have high end expensive drinks, but what drives of the high end customers off is the service. Watch how fast a customer closes his tab is he gets a crappy waitress or an annoying entertainer who does not understand this guy is not interested in her. Now a days its becoming a common theme in many clubs a customer walks in gets a drink and either gets crappy service from a waitress who has a bad attitude because she is not making any money, or an entertainer who comes up before he even sits down and is asked "you want a dance?", or she asks him "buy me a drink!" and begins the sob story about how she does not have the money to pay rent, or the car.... well you get the picture.

Back to Ricks. The problem with Ricks in Dallas is total mismanagement of the situation from day one.

*Over paid for a club that was still in litigation over its right to have a liquor license in a dry county.

*Bad management team, not willing to change the way the club had been ran in the past.

*No marketing, nor an attempt to market a new image in the club market.

*No Grand Opening under the Ricks name.

*No attempt to bring in dancers from other clubs to increase the quality of dancers at that location.

I have been working at this club since it opened (as club XTC), and I have to say it might be the BEST club I have ever worked at, IMO, and I have worked in Vegas, New York, etc. While I agree with the first part of your post, this club does have a unique dynamic. It is actually very upscale, decor and atmosphere wise, maybe the most upscale in Dallas or at least rivals the Lodge.

In response to your post, Dallas is NOT a dry county, and this club is in Dallas county. I'm sure any new club has problems getting a liquor license, however I think this club is intentionally marketing themselves as "the largest BYOB all nude club in Texas" That is the theme towards which they are aiming. As far as how much they paid for it, they are well on their way to making huge profits, as this location is busier than it has EVER been.

The management, well I have yet to have any negative issues with them. In fact, they offered me 500$ in free house fees the day I got hired, so I just pay a tip out every night.

I already addressed how this club is marketing themselves. They are actually turning into somewhat of an afterhours spot, minus the drugged out "raver" types that you would see at Jaguars, Eden, Insomnia or some of the others, due to the fact that they close at 5 a.m. instead of staying open till the sun is up. Also, they don't have that conversion to a regular "techno" d.j. and clear out the floor like the others. This keeps a certain atmosphere and clientele which benefits the dancers, IMO

They had a grand opening under the new name, XTC, and it was packed! I didn't work that night, but I drive by the building every day and I have never seen it so packed.

I am in no way affiliated with the club except for the fact that I am an entertainer there. I just wanted to give my two cents, especially since this is one of the few all nude byob clubs at which I would ever work. This is the type of club that no matter how many dancers are working, EVERYBODY makes $$$$. There are just so many customers, and I end up dancing the whole night. There is no competition between dancers for customers here, it is way too busy! I would recommend this club to someone new in the biz or someone like me, who has been dancing for a while.

[mysteryman]

DJ

I have been following this ordeal since it was Illusions and was fighting along with Silver City to stay open after the fact the city/county decided to elect to go dry.

Here is the court case link:

http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-...82/299/497164/

Please read paragraphs 2 and 3.

2 The Clubs are private membership adult cabarets located in non-residential areas of Dallas, Texas. The Clubs feature sexually oriented dancing and are regulated as sexually oriented businesses ("SOBs") under Texas law and Dallas ordinances. Texas law allows political subdivisions to determine whether they will permit the sale of alcoholic beverages within their borders. See TEX. ALCO. BEV.CODE § 251.01.1 The Clubs are located in political subdivisions that have elected to be dry. As such, the Clubs cannot sell alcoholic beverages unless they obtain a Private Club Registration Permit ("club permit") in accordance with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. The Clubs currently have club permits and serve alcohol while offering sexually oriented dancing as entertainment.

3 Section 32.03(k) of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code was enacted by the state legislature in October 2003 as House Bill 7. It prohibits the issuance of club permits to SOBs operated in dry political subdivisions and prohibits the renewal of existing club permits.2 Section 32.03(k) thus denies the Clubs, as SOBs operating in dry political subdivisions, the ability to serve alcohol.


You have to look at what was pruchased verses what now exists. A club that sells liquor and is topless in Dallas Texas is far more profitable then a BYOB. Yes even paying 14% liquor tax to the state of Texas. When you purchase a club with a liquor license then months later you do not get the license renewed, it is a major problem and you have no choice but to convert it to a BYOB. So my point is that Eric, CEO of Ricks Inc., over paid big time, like well over 9.5 million. If I still owned stock in this company I would be raising some hell about this purchase.

Yes its true XTC, not Ricks, did have a Grand Opening. My point was that Ricks did not do the right thing with this location.
Hopefully Ricks Inc. will keep the momentum from the Grand Opening of XTC.

Addressing the After hours its something that previous owners tried and failed to get working, maybe XTC will pull it off. Keeping out the ravers will be a challenge since they are majority of the people who frequent all the other clubs you listed.

[lildreamer316]

^^^Why, exactly, are ravers a problem? Just wondering..says the wife of a progressive house & gentleman's club dj (who has worked in Dallas before).

[J.D.]

not so much the ravers, but all the drugs that float around the clubs they frequent, coincidentally. Constant police, vice, shutting down of venues, etc.

[J.D.]

Mystery man, do you work at silver city?

[mysteryman]

No I do not work at Silver City. I do not work for any of the clubs in Dallas. I broker deals for clubs.

[StevieStar7]

Haven't they changed the name to XTC? and I read that it is only 17,500 sq ft?
http://www.dfwnites.com/discthread.asp?p=11096

[mysteryman]

Yes Steviestar7 this place has changed names once again, and is now XTC, which Ricks chain owns a few through out Texas. I wrote about this name change on my blog. Sorry thought it was mentioned in this thread already.

[J.D.]

mystery man, I worked at Silver City last night and tabc came in and took ALL the alcohol!!!!! It was insane, they raided the place like the cops or something! Have you heard about this?

[StevieStar7]

I just read about it here!!! WTF???
http://dfwnites.com/discthread.asp?p=11297

http://dfwnites.com/discthread.asp?p=10926


"There are TOO MANY ALL NUDE BYOB's as it is!!! YUK, not another one =( BOOOOOOO TABC!!!"
comment I left on dfwnites

[mysteryman]

Yes I got the call at 7AM from someone who was there also watching it happen.

Here is the thread I started at 7AM:
http://forum.stripperweb.com/showthread.php?t=130537

[thedarling77]

I once worked in a BYOB club in Nashville, it was terrible.
The guys come in drinking their own beer, getting drunk and don't spend hardly anything on the girls- to my experience.

I went to my first BYOB club last night and was embarrassed by my group. They paid 300 for a booth and then nothing else came out of their pocket. As far as they were concerned they bought a place to chill. Being the only dancer, I was outraged. When I tried to buy a LD for a friend, a girl in our group jumped on the guys lap and said "No- I'm giving him a lap dance". Dallas club girls want to be dancers...?

It sucks that money was spent on a limo, bottle service at a night club, tipping go-go dancers, etc. and the girls that work the hardest get nada. Rawr.

[J.D.]

I officially hate that club. It is now up to Silver City to set a high standard for the byob all nude clubs.