RCI Hospitality’s goal is to open six corporate stores annually in the next three years, and then ramp up franchising to the same pace. Eventually, Langan envisions operator-led growth to outpace corporate expansion.
Three company-operated restaurants are in various stages of development. A ninth Houston area store should start construction soon, and two more in Lubbock and Rowlett, Texas, are scheduled to begin in September and October, respectively. More corporate locations are being targeted for Dallas, Austin, Florida, and Arizona.
A second franchised outlet will begin construction in Huntsville, Alabama, in the late summer/early fall period as well. It will be the first Bombshells location outside of Texas, and one of three to open in the market in the next five years. Additionally, the San Antonio franchisees are looking for a second unit, and RCI Hospitality is in talks with three more franchisee groups.
Langan says the Huntsville restaurant is of particular interest because of its vicinity to Redstone Arsenal, which features NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
“I just don’t think that location can fail just because of where it’s at and it’s going to be the first of its kind in that marketplace, and with the military background and the Bombshells military theme, that city, I think it’s just going to be a fantastic location for us. Everybody we talked to in that market is very, very excited about the concept,” the CEO says.
The San Antonio restaurant boasts 12,200 square feet of space, including 9,000 inside the store and a 3,200-square-foot outdoor patio. The store will begin with a staff of 250 people to keep up with extra pent-up demand that comes with an opening, Langan says. After that, it will hover around 175. Between Bombshells’ recognition in Texas and its social media presence, the CEO says the company doesn’t have to spend much on marketing. The San Antonio location had close to 5,000 applicants.
The unit can sit more than 500 people and includes more than 100 HD television screens. The location is similar to Bombshells’ Spring, Texas, outlet, except it makes better use of dead space and turned what would’ve been a private room for events into an open space more conducive to family dining.