Houston Strip Club Allowed to Reopen As a Restaurant Without Dancers | Eater Houston

"A Galleria-area strip club that bills itself as the nation’s number one hip-hop strip club has been locked in a legal fight with the City of Houston over whether it qualifies as a restaurant, bar, or sexually oriented business. After attempting to reopen at midnight on May 1 following COVID-19 closures, the club was raided minutes later and its president, Eric Langan, sued the city on May 2. Management argues that because less than half of its revenue comes from liquor and the venue serves food staples such as pasta, burgers, wings and breakfast items, it should be treated as a restaurant and allowed to operate at reduced capacity; a federal judge initially issued a temporary injunction permitting reopening but later clarified that it may only operate as a restaurant with no entertainers. Prior to the clarification the club had implemented distancing measures, banned lap dances, required masks, ceased nude performances so dancers wore bathing suits and performed at a distance, and reported heavy customer demand—turning away about 300 patrons the first weekend while customers tipped dancers well. Under the court order, dancers are now prohibited from performing at all, even if fully clothed." - Brittanie Shey