iStockphoto / allanswart
Dark times spark ingenuity. When the shroud of desperation blankets the world, people are forced to adapt and innovate to survive this difficult period. One company not taking this lying down is a strip club from Portland that has completely revamped their business to adjust to the shutdown affecting many cities right now.
The coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to many sectors of business as we attempt to flatten the curve of infections. On Monday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued a stay-at-home order. Coffee shops, bars, breweries, cafes, restaurants, and wine bars were forced to temporarily close, but they were allowed to offer delivery or pick-up orders.
The Lucky Devil Lounge is a strip club in Portland, which was looking at financial ruin as they had to shutter their doors. With the threat of the strip club going out of business and the strippers losing their jobs through no fault of their own, the Lucky Devil Lounge devised a plan to stay open. The Lucky Devil Lounge started a delivery service and appropriately named their new business: “Boober Eats.” Necessity is the mother of invention.
Lucky Devil Lounge owner Shon Boulden contrived a plan to keep their employees working during the mandatory shutdown. The strip club would deliver food during the shutdown, and the strippers would deliver the food. The market provides.
Between the hours of 7 p.m. until 1 a.m., the Lucky Devil Lounge offers their full food menu at the same prices as usual. The strip club charges a starting delivery fee of $30, which is split between the establishment’s employees. Two dancers, who are accompanied by a driver/security guard, and are equipped with masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers. They wear provocative outfits and are sometimes topless, but are wearing nipple pasties. Mmmm… glitter on your buffalo wings.
The strippers arrive at the customer’s home and drop off the food at their doorstep while respecting the social distancing guidelines of six feet. The dancers will take off their sweaters and “bounce around.”
The kitchen staff is cooking the food, security guards are driving dancers to deliveries, and the bartenders are taking orders over the phone. The club employs 80 dancers and have used 25 dancers for Boober Eats, but the delivery service isn’t replacing the money that the strippers were making from dancing.
“Losing this job is devastating,” said Kiki, who started her first Boober shift Friday. “For the majority of us, it’s been an almost complete loss of income. I’m here supporting my community and trying to keep maintaining an income flow as best as we can.”
You can see Boober Eats in action here.