Rick’s Cabaret-Charlotte, the new gentlemen’s club at 5300 Old Pineville Rd. that has been the focal point for protests by a religious group, has retaliated – using live music, burgers and bikini-clad car washers as its weapons.
“The religious group has brought its show to our parking lot, so we thought we’d even the score by putting on our own show for our customers,” said Eric Langan, CEO of Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc., a publicly traded company that runs the club. The music started at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Since the club had its grand opening on Thursday night, a group led by Rev. Flip Benham of Operation Save America has been staging noisy protests and using a bullhorn to ask patrons not to enter the club.
“Their antics sure don't seem to be slowing business down with hundreds of patrons enjoying the party inside Rick's since early Thursday night, but they are creating a nuisance,” Langan said. “Everybody is entitled to their opinions and to put on legal entertainment of their choice, and so are we. We just think girls washing cars in bikinis and great live music are lots more entertaining than somebody haranguing you with their personal religious views.”
Langan even debated one of the religious group's leaders for an hour on WBT radio on Friday. Ricks' response received plenty of local TV coverage and some positive public feedback.
