Strip Club Company Opens Military-Themed Bar with 'Pinup Model' Waitresses Downtown

Denver's sports-bar scene has a new addition: the military-themed Bombshells Restaurant and Bar, which is basically Hooters — but in red, white and blue.

Because what’s sexier than the military-industrial complex?

Located at 1400 Arapahoe Street in the former Oceanaire space, Bombshells has over forty televisions and plenty of so-called "Bombshell Girls” who “bring to life pinup models from World War II aircraft ‘nose art,’” according to a press release.

The establishment softly opened on January 24 with plans for a grand opening ahead of the Super Bowl on February 9. Bombshells, which also has eleven locations in Texas, is owned by parent company RCI Holdings, which owns five strip clubs in the Denver area, including the Diamond Cabaret Denver and La Boheme Gentlemen’s Cabaret, which are both located near the new downtown Bombshells. (It seems horny men are not among those who are worried about random acts of violence in the area.)

RCI paid $4.5 million for the building where Bombshells now sits. The space totals 8,500 square feet and has a 400-person occupancy; housing for the Auraria Campus is located in the same block.

Bombshells has a full kitchen and bar, where beers are poured through a “missile tap.” Menu items have classy names like the Double D’s Burger and the Pin Up Girl Salad, along with weaponry-themed monikers such as the Locked and Loaded Cheese Fries and “Fat Man” This Pizza is the Bomb! The burger lineup includes a Pearl Harbor offering complete with pineapple.

But don’t worry, the establishment takes military service seriously, offering a 20 percent discount for veterans and active service members of the United States armed forces.

The Denver location is the only branch outside the Lone Star State, which is interesting because RCI hasn’t exactly had smooth sailing in Colorado.
In November, RCI closed its Cherry Creek Food Hall in Greenwood Village (yes, we know Cherry Creek isn’t in Greenwood Village). The business included a Bombshells outpost along with a microbrewery, arcade and other food spots. At the time, RCI said the food hall wasn’t making a return on investment. The company purchased the space in 2022 for $5.2 million from local restaurateur Troy Guard, who originally opened the former C.B. & Potts as Grange Hall in 2021.

That closure came just days after the Denver Auditor’s Office fined Diamond Cabaret nearly $15,000 for wage theft.

In September 2024, the Auditor’s Office issued subpoenas for three RCI strip clubs: Diamond Cabaret, PT’s Showclub and PT’s Centerfold. The subpoenas sought information related to wages for dancers at the clubs. Though RCI challenged the legality of the subpoenas, a Denver hearing officer determined the records sought by the auditor’s officewere within the office’s purview, and the subpoenas moved forward.

As part of the investigation, the Auditor’s Office found credible a charge that a Diamond Cabaret manager illegally stole $525 in tips from a server in December 2023 by requiring her to share the tips with himself and other managers.

In a liability and penalty determination, the Auditor’s Office determined that Diamond Cabaret management also retaliated against the employee last February by removing her from the server schedule and switching her to an inferior position with fewer hours. Further, Diamond Cabaret refused to pay unemployment for her when she could no longer work due to the new schedule.

Diamond Cabaret was ordered to pay lost wages plus damages and interest to the employee, along with fines for retaliation and wage theft to the city. The club also had to reinstate the employee to her rightful position.

Though the Auditor’s Office says it can’t share more about whether it is investigating additional violations at RCI clubs, the Diamond Cabaret incident isn't the first time the company ran into trouble with the City of Denver. PT’s Showclub closed for two weeks in January 2024 after reaching a settlement with the city over alleged prostitution and public indecency at the club.

PT’s admitted to three violations of city and state law related to soliciting or engaging in prostitution, according to a settlement order issued in November 2023 by Molly Duplechian, executive director of the Denver Department of Excise & Licenses. The enforcement action was prompted by a Denver Police Department sting operation during which an officer was offered sexual favors at the club.

In the Colorado mountain town of Central City, RCI has filed a lawsuit over the city’s refusal to issue a permit to the company. In 2022, RCI bought a building in Central City for $2.4 million from the city with plans to open a location of its steakhouse and cabaret brand, Rick’s Cabaret.

However, Central City doesn’t allow sexually oriented businesses within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, homes, parks and daycares. RCI argues that because Central City is only 43,560 square feet, such a provision constitutes a complete ban on those businesses, claiming that city law violates the First Amendment’s provisions for freedom of expression.

Whatever the outcome of the lawsuit in Central City, Bombshells is moving forward in Denver, where the bar is now open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.