Sunday was not Bonkers
Was driving up to Green Bay for an interview. Since GB seems to only have The Oval Office as an option, which doesn't have glowing reviews here, I decided to stop somewhere along the way. A pit stop in Manitowoc was the best fit based on my drive times.
Bonkers is about 2 miles off of I-43. Exit the interstate, then follow the road about a mile until a roundabout, taking the third exit off of it. It's a small downtown but there's a restaurant across the street and you have your choice of street parking, a lot across from the restaurant/next to Bonkers, or behind the club. I don't recommend behind the club as it was narrow and seemed to be against some other residents' garages. There's a front door street side, or a back door from the lot. Either is fine to use.
I entered through the back and found a longer off-white hallway, with a counter just past the door. A slightly older but attractive woman came up from the back to check my ID but did not charge any cover - but don't worry, this isn't going to be one of those "and the hottest girl was the bartender but she wouldn't dance" stories. She followed me down the rest of the length of the hallway into the bar and stage area. In doing so, we passed a shorter hallway to the left which seemed to have four or five private dance rooms, with just curtains on the door frame.
It was pretty much what I expected of a club in a town of 30,000 people and about 80 minutes from anything bigger. Big semi-circle bar in the front, which would have fit well in any sports bar, facing a bunch of TVs above the bar tuned into football, as well as the drinks and taps. There is also a neon dry erase board where the bartender lists who is dancing and the order. It was slim pickings that night, with six names on the board and only two visible in the club.
There was a video poker/gaming area to the right as I entered, a room that looked like a pool table in it just past that, and several darts and hunting games on the edges. A large stage was in the middle, and to the left was a series of booths sitting low.
A slightly older black dancer, skinny with small breasts, was on the corner of the bar as I sat down. I ordered a Coke since I was still driving - $3 - as she ate a sandwich and chips. Told me her name and then apologized, saying "really only five girls here and two are taking naps in the dance booths", pointing past the stage. She then started talking football with the guy to her right. A second dancer, tall, skinny, with big blonde hair, came out of the video poker area about that time and sat down next to me, striking up conversation. We chatted for a bit about the club, my trip, and how she always wanted to be a NFL cheerleader but didn't have strong enough hips for the high kicks. A third dancer came from the back and did some shots with an incredibly old farmer guy at the center of the bar, then just sat with him for awhile as he bought her drinks. After about 30 minutes, a pizza guy delivered food and the first dancer I spoke with went and woke up one of the nappers.
At no point did a dancer get on stage the hour-plus I was there. I cannot confirm if nude or topless on stage, but given the alcohol I'd assume topless.
The blonde had continued to chat with me but never once pushed dances. I had to ask her what the deal was here for prices, rules, etc before she told me, but first she asked if I was going to come through again in the future. Weird but okay?
Details:
* $120 for three lap dances off to the side of the stage. It looked like the area was pretty communal, so other people could be near you and the dancer, but it was also set pretty low so, for example, I could not watch from the bar. Sounded like these were just topless.
* VIP Dances were done in the rooms up front I had seen. Those varied by dancer but in general she said $150 for 15 minutes, $200 for 30, $300 for 60. It was not explicit as to whether these were full nude or topless, but were "a lot more personal" hung in the air.
* She did ask me where I was staying, but I took that to be more conversational than an offer to meet OTC.
I bought her an $6 mixed drink - Diet and something brown, but I did not hear exactly what - and we chatted some more. She was not my type for a VIP investment, so I chose to get back on the road and promised to see her in the future if I got the job. I did not get it.
The club does also post a picture of their line up on the dry erase board up on the Instagram page nightly. But it looks like it is pretty reflective and no care is taken, as you can often see the reflections of patrons at the center of the bar in the posts, so be aware.
It certainly seemed like a decent hang out bar. It was so dead, though, I cannot rate it highly as a strip club.
