(Note: This story appears in the July 2022 issue of ED Magazine)
ED Publications Publisher Dave Manack outlines how Uncle Buck’s Boobie Bungalow incorporated a food-based shenanigan to provide an experience for its customers.
I have a two-word phrase for you that you may not have ever seen as it relates to a strip club: Spaghetti wrestling.
Yes, I’m talking about that familiar Italian dish. And yes, I’m also talking about people — in this case, topless entertainers — throwing one another around in a kiddie pool filled with spaghetti (and the accompanying sauce, of course).
When I arrived in Huntsville, Alabama, for the recent EDI East contest, I saw that I’d be attending the “spaghetti wrestling” event at Uncle Buck’s Boobie Bungalow, one of the many strip clubs owned by Jerry Westlund in Huntsville (his others include Scores, Pony Too and Pony Bama, the three clubs that hosted the EDI East). I soon found out that “spaghetti wrestling” was not the club’s first foray into food-based shenanigans; previously, the club had hosted “biscuits and gravy wrestling” and “banana pudding wrestling” among other messy menageries.
I’ll be honest — I was more than a bit skeptical. It sounded a little gross, a little weird. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be around to see a girl get a face full of marinara sauce after being suplexed. And then I found out that customers could buy a bucket full of meatballs to throw at … well, whomever they wanted.
But I have to admit it: I was wrong. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much fun everyone in the club was having with this event, and that includes the wrestling contestants. Entertainers from each of Westlund’s clubs were represented in the contest, and staff from those clubs showed up to root for their favorites.
There were wild cheers and laughs, and people were throwing meatballs at “rival” club staffers and entertainers alike. The evening was filled with an entertaining, raucous vibe that I haven’t felt in a strip club in a very long time.
It was fun.
And isn’t that the point of all of this? At the end of the day, aren’t you all — club owners, operators, entertainers, club staff, DJs, industry pros —in this business to show your guests a good time and have fun in the process?
Of course, there isn’t just one way to accomplish that goal. For some customers, a “good time” might mean an upscale club where they can get the VIP treatment, maybe even experience fine dining. At other clubs, guests may want to be right in the middle of the action near the stage, where they and their buddies can be the center of attention while they “make it rain” and act like big spenders.
The question to ask yourself is, “How are we showing our guests a good time at our club?” If the answer is, “We have beer and boobs” or “Hey, we’ve got naked chicks,” I’m not quite sure that’s enough to compete with the myriad of entertainment options your potential guests have to choose from today.
Trust me, I like naked women as much as the next guy. But the most successful clubs will provide more than just naked or topless women for their guests, especially the easily bored Millennials. Naked women are free on the internet, and sites like OnlyFans allow them to have live interaction with these girls.
But you know what they aren’t going to get sitting at home on their laptops? Live entertainment! They won’t feel the energy of a lively club, even on a VR headset. They can’t watch a stunning feature entertainer perform acrobatics, or a fire show, or amazing aerials from just a few feet away.
And they can’t throw meatballs at a girl in a thong who’s covered with spaghetti sauce.
Your guests come to your club because they want an experience. Now, give them one.
