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Hooters rival latest to be hit by falling sales as US restaurant crisis deepens
Another so-called ‘breastaurant’ chain has suffered a sharp drop in takings.
News of problems for Bombshells comes after it emerged two weeks ago that bigger rival Hooters had shut around 40 restaurants.
Bombshells is a chain of military-themed restaurants founded in Texas where waitresses wear crop tops and bullet belts.
Sales at Bombshells dropped 16.2 percent in the April to June quarter compared with the same time a year ago.
The hit for parent company RCI Hospitality was mitigated by a 1.7 percent rise in takings at its second business, a series of strip clubs under various names.
Sales at Bombshells - a Texas-based rival to Hooters - dropped 16.2 percent
Bombshells said sales had fallen by around a sixth - cutting takings by more than $2million over three months
RCI brought forward its earnings report after it emerged that rival Hooters had shut around 40 locations across four states this year as customers stayed away.
There are eight Bombshells open in Houston, two in Dallas, and one each in Austin, San Antonio, Stafford and Lubbock - 13 in total.
Bombshells has not grown as quickly as planned. In 2016, bosses said they were hoping to open more than 100 new stores in the wake of Donald Trump's election win.
'I think overall the election is turning out to be very, very positive for us so far,' RCI boss Eric Langan said at the time.
Pictures of staff at Bombshells show them wearing skimpy military green tops and short black skirts, as well as knee-high black boots and a gun belt around their waist.
In a number of photographs taken in 2016, the young servers posed next to mock-bombs, in the back of military trucks, next to the American flag, and - bizarrely - standing in bins.
Hooters two weeks ago announced the abrupt closure of 40 locations across the US.
They included locations in Florida, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.
Hooters will have about 300 restaurants globally after the closures. That is down from 333 in 2018, according to Techonomic.
The first Hooters opened in Clearwater, Florida in 1983. The eatery - dubbed 'breastauraunt' in the '90s - was initially dreamed up as a joke.
Conceived by the now-famous 'Hooters Six,' who had no restaurant experience between them and were even arrested for impersonating restaurateurs, Hooters has seen significant changes and achieved magnificent success.
Hooters has recently shut around 40 restaurants
The first Hooters opened in Clearwater, Florida in 1983
Conceived by the now-famous 'Hooters Six,' who had no restaurant experience between them and were even arrested for impersonating restaurateurs, Hooters has seen significant changes
The sports-style bar, which was founded in Clearwater in 1983 (pictured), celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023 - but the eatery was initially dreamed up as a joke
The founders included L.D. Stewart, a painting contractor; Gil DiGiannantonio, a liquor salesman; Ranieri, known as Uncle Billy, a retired service station owner; Ed Droste, a real estate executive; Dennis Johnson, a brick mason by trade; and Ken Wimmer, a partner in the painting business with L.D. Strange group.
And, although excited about their venture, the six didn't expect the eatery to last.
When Hooters exploded in popularity, it spawned an entire entity - putting its name to calendars, casinos, airlines, NASCAR races and even products in grocery stores.
But the chain's success hasn't been without controversies, including gender discrimination in the 1990s, studies into the mental health of servers and complaints about skimpy uniforms.