What would you do if you owned a club?

other questions I guess you could consider
1. what part of town would the club be in? big city has a lot of people but the smaller ones can have the bigger spenders. Columbus has about 700k people and Dayton has 150k people but dayton is the better strip club city.
2. should you charge the girls a high house fee but let them keep a higher percentage of the dance money (perhaps even all of it) or charge them a low house fee but keep a higher percentage of the money for the club.
3. Should you charge a high cover charge but lower dance prices or low cover charge and higher dance prices?

@samsung1---

1)The area in which I live is pretty strict about where clubs can locate. I'd be more likely to buy an existing club.

2)I wouldn't charge any house fee, but I'd take a higher percentage of the dance income. House fees are BS and punish dancers for slow nights.

3)Seven dollars is the sweet spot for cover, I think. This ares is saturated with clubs, so the dance fee is pretty much gonna have to stay in the $25-$40 range. Money's gonna get made on drinks, anyway.

1) Nude downstairs (juice only, no BYOB), topless upstairs (booze).

2) Couch rooms on left side of floor, booths on right side

3) No d.j. is great idea. Stage side computer programmed with songs ( no hip hop)

4) Front lobby, main floor, parking lot cameras covering every angle with overlap-with signs that security taken seriously. Armed guard in lobby and another in parking lot.

5) Club involved in public service projects (highway clean up, meals on wheels)

6) Updated web site. Some dancers are sensitive about having their pics posted, so their stage names would be listed as "presently on duty".

7) Bi annual raffles. Club buys carribean cruises and Hawaii vacation-raffled off with proceeds going to charities.

8) Annual stripper talent show in conjunction with holiday (Halloween ???)

I would pay the dancers a wage, and not charge them a "house fee." Then I would require them to keep a schedule, and enforce a no-tolerance drug policy.

I want to discuss the issue of DJ's. THe Platinum Plus has some very obnoxious ones. But if you eliminate them, who is going to announce the dancers and make sure that the stage(s)are filled. Who would keep keep track of the rotations. I can see how this might work in a small club with only 5 or 6 dancers working at a time. But when you have 12-50 at a time, some body has got to do it. At PP the dancers pay the DJ $5.00 per shift. I would do away with this and pay them a salary. Just like bouncers.

1) Recognize that it is the responsibility of the club to put butts in the chairs. Baby Dolls in Dallas knows how to do this by adjusting cover charges for slow times, offering lunch buffets, and special events on slow nights.
2) Help the dancers maximize gross revenue by establishing a lapdance price that keeps customers spending. Hip Huggers and Silver Bullet have quality $10 lappers. I end up spending more at these places.
3) There is always a need for new young dancers, so I would do everything I can to create a female friendly environment. We need a bridge to get the Hooters waitresses to take the next step. The Lumberyard chain understands this with discounted admission for women, amateur nights, mardi gras nights, and encouragement of female customers to flash.
4) Strip clubs become boring with girls going through the same motions over and over. I would establish theme nights and/or events: Lesbian shows (where legal), Beach Theme night (girl where flip-flops, discounts if you're wearing an hawaiian shirt, specials on rum punch), Naughty Cheerleader night, Swinger Night, Catholic School Uniform night. PT's chain understands this, but they fuck it up by not starting on time or cancelling at the last minute.

1--low or no cover charge
2--no tip outs/ house fees for dancers (let them keep all they earn)
3--lower vip room charges
4--dj that has minimal input (announce dancers and promo specials)
5--have feature dancers on regular basis
6--cheap, cold beer
7--no hip-hop
8--dancers would have only minimal tattoos and piercings

Lots of good ideas here, but let me offer a new one: teach dancers about sales and customer service. Any sales coach will tell a salesperson to listen more and talk less. For strip clubs, dancers should be trained to be upbeat and fun, and not talk about kids, bad boyfriends, car problems, debts, bitchy co-workers, etc.

Approach customers from the front, so they can see what they are getting. When a gal approaches me from behind, puts her face next to mine while standing behind my chairs and says, "Want a dance?" the answer is always No. Let me see your figure and your smile before you say a word.

Finally, effort results in money. Too often I've seen dancers sitting with other dancers instead of working the room meeting customers. Related to that, there should always be a dancer on stage. I like the club where one dancer cannot leave until the next one is on the stage.

Too many club owners where I live, think their only obligation is to open a bar with a cabaret license, and charge the girls and customers both. They obviously don't recognize that all three partners are in a symbiotic relationship.
The truth is, if there are a number of quality dancers, the customers will come. If the customers come, they will spend money on both drinks and dances. If they spend money, the dancers and the bar will both make money, which is why they both exist.
The other thing is, if the traffic is slow, they seem to raise the price of the dances, drinks, door, etc.. But if the dance prices are more inline with the demand, the dancers will both be busy, and profitable, which will benefit all involved.

Next question: what do you do once the club you own is making no money because of giving away all the free beer, not charging cover, and the strippers quit because of all the harrassment over piercings and everything else.

tanning beds? if i owned club, last thing I'd do. The lawsuits over cancer,etc, will be starting soon. NO THANKS!

Artcollege has it right. Dancing is sales, and dancers need to be taught good sales techniques.

Dancers cannot smoke while in uniform. gum chewing strongly discouraged.

I would model it after the St James in Houston. I would offer more healthy food options at reduced prices for the dancers to help them maintain their weight.

Raincoat,
I like the Naughty Cheerleader night idea, just not sure I could survive it (financially or physically), lol.

I like hip-hop in a club. It's that country music that attracts a bad crowd.

I don't know if it's possible, but my club would emphasize large breasts on fit, attractive women. Gotta be some way of making that work...

@Slothrop----are you kidding? I don't know where you live, but the hip-hop heavy SCs here attract drug dealers and thugs. I've had to abandon two clubs because the became gangsta central.

lol, steve229, let me know where you go to find the Cheerleader types, I'll join you. As far as what I'd do, I agree with teaching them sales. Too many are the type that will walk up and assume you are going to buy them.

I'm with gator. People forget that your personal preference in dancers isn't everyone's personal preference. I go after girls other guys wouldn't try once, and other guys go after girls I ignore. I'm all for having standards but other than an obese girl, I'd personally allow a try-out for anyone that "checks out" (no obvious drug/pimp/attitude/LE problems), including black/white/asian/hispanic, big/small, tan/pasty white. The customers will let you know if you should keep her by if she's getting business.

I'm a huge fan of letting your dancer pick her music. If they like what they dance to, I would think her dances would be better. If her dances are better, the customers will come back.

That said, I don't agree that hip hop music attracts a bad crowd. That's an unfounded stereotype. The owner/management (in this hypothetical, that would be you) controls the crowd in a club. The high-end places I go (PP/HB) have dress codes. They also have the right to refuse entrance to anyone for any reason. In the past few years I've seen plenty of guys get turned around at the door. If you want to keep out certain types, institute a dress code. If someone gets inside and starts acting a way you don't like, have the bouncer speak to them and if it continues you kick them out. Word will spread quickly enough about what kind of ship management runs.

I heard that the movie/book Twlight made the pasty look more popular and decreased some visits to the tanning salon at the height of its popularity.

like others have said before, it is all pink on the inside so skin color or tan does not matter.

Hell, I'd even go after an obese girl on some nights. More cushion for the pushing and all I need is a crease!

I'd love it if hip-hop was outlawed, but the club I go to, the dancer's pick the music the DJ plays, and almost all of them go with hip-hop. I think they think the lyrics, with the references to sex and such, are somehow more "sexy". on the subject of DJ's, I'd cheerfully execute the one in the club I like, he announces the dancers, feeds the CD play and makes the occasional smart-assed remark over the sound system. beyond that, I can't see one damned thing he does that needs him there to do it. piercing are another matter. some dancers take them a bit too far, but at the same time, one of my more favored ones has a ring through her hood which she insists makes a dance a lot more "interesting" for her. so, do we just ban them out of hand?

I'd have some extra land to expand the club if it became so packed at times that customers were standing around due to a lack of seats. I might even think about having an exercise room for the girls to work out topless with seats for watching and a club card that charges 50 cents a minute while in the room. Club charges may increase if the room became routinely crowded but signs would clearly post what the going rate was. It's just an idea, I'd have to think about that one. I think I would have a decent side restaurant for hungry patrons and dancers. I would have a decent size restroom for the guys that are maintained. Some of the better clubs in the carolinas have real big clubs looking all glitzy everywhere except when it comes to the restroom which resembles a worn down hole in the wall at best. I really would not want to manage a club though.

- Free parking with security camera and security guard
- Good safe location (preferably near interstate and on main rode)
- Put suggestion box
- Encourage girls to keep moving in club rather than sitting with regulars, so they are easily approachable
- Age and weight restrictions for dancers
- Ensure dancer don't ask for rediculous price for VIP and lap dance
- Reduce VIP dance cost so that VIP experience is more affordable.
- Up to date website with dancer's schedule and online availability status

What would I do if I owned a club? Sell it, and go enjoy myself at somebody else' club.

If you are willing to spend $50 to do some research here are some sites to help broker buying a strip club
http://www.stripclubproperties.com/
http://www.stripclubs4sale.com/

A lot of good ideas put forth. Here are some more.

1) Emphasis on hospitality to make the customer feel welcome and special as opposed to just providing "service", with training to make it happen.
2) Realistic (instead of exorbitant) pricing of dances, private areas and VIP rooms. This would discourage lazy dancers waiting for Mr. Big aand encourage repeat volume business.
3) If you're a regular, my club would make you a VIP. No special fee or hoops to jump through. VIPs get one free dance and other perks that would evolve over time.
4) I would require every new dancer to develop a career plan that envisions how long they will be in the industry (regardless of where they work), what else they want to do and encourages them to make plans for a transition. This would help somewhat to attract smarter dancers and discourage druggies and other undesirables.
5)Dancers would pick their own music.
6) No DJ. An MC, master of ceremonies, would announce dancers, play their music, recognize VIP customers and provide background trivia about the entertainers. He/she would not be a dancer supervisor and would not be obnoxious.
7) I would keep my "enforcers" behind the scenes to be visible only when needed in case of lawlessness, physical abuse or extreme unrulely behavior. (And I mean extreme, it would be OK to have fun.)
8) There would be theme nights to attract different types of crowds.
9) There would be theme private dance areas to cater to customer preferences.
10) Routine shower shows, jacuzzi room, massage service.
11) A nude section and a topless section.
12) I would keep things non-smoking but would provide a separate and ventilated smoking room so my customers who smoked would not have to go outside.
13) Dancers would not be allowed to wear perfume, other than scented soap products.
14) If you needed to freshen up before going home, courtesy supplies of mouthwash, men's cologne and other grooming products would be available in a special customer lounge.

I've seen this come up a few times. How would a free dance work? Assuming each dancer makes their own money by the number of dances/price of dances they give, how would you determine how a VIP customer gets their one free dance? You can just pick a random dancer and say this is my freebie? Would the club pay that dancer for your free dance? If not, isn't that taking away from their ability to grab another paying customer at the time you want her?

Really curious, how would you make it work?

gk has a great idea, to give something special for regulars. Call it the Frequent Lapper Program. The more mileage you buy, the more mileage you get!

It's funny I've thought about what I'd do if I had a club also. I would try to run a club that supported dancers to go to college and develop good careers after the entertainment days are over. I would pay them a minimum wage and then they could still make a ton of money on non-reported tips but have workers compensation insurance while on the job. I'd award them college tuition payments based on hours worked, reliability, and their completion of college credit. With the girls I would emphasize great customer service--making the rounds to chat a bit with everyone and making sure each patron has a good time.

I think if you took care of a great group of motivated, smart college girls who were doing something with their lives it would make for a fabulous club.

I have seen the free dance marketing. The club was Dreamgirls (old mgmt - not current mgmt) would charge a $10 cover on Mondays plus a one drink minimum (drinks were $6-10). That gave you a "ticket" and you could use that for a free lap dance. I guess the stripper could turn in the tickets at the end of the night and get maybe $5-10 for her effort. I guess they could just give free cover on Monday nights instead but advertising a free lap dance sounded better.

Also I was reading a really old review in Centerfolds and the guy mentioned he brought a free table dance coupon in from The Other Paper (it is a newspaper for adult entertainment around columbus). I guess the club would let the dancers redeem the coupons and eat the loss or make it up by charging cover charges.

It is not new to see businesses lose money to get a customer into the door. some grocery stores offer free antibiotics (with valid prescription). If a customer simply came in and filled the antibiotic then yes they would lose money, but if the majority come in and do a shopping trip while waiting for their prescription then the store comes out head. Publix and Meijer's and Kroger's (at least the kroger's in columbus) are the grocery store examples I know of that do this.

"some grocery stores offer free antibiotics (with valid prescription)"

So, Sam, just what were those antibiotics for anyway?

Sell it for a lot of cash and retire!