RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:RICK) Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Eric Langan: I think so. I mean, we look at some properties that are more expensive than Texas, in that market. But there’s still a lot of vacant restaurant space out there. Unlike, Texas which opened pretty quickly, they were closed for a much pro-longer period of time. So a lot of what I would call better operators still walked their locations out there. So there’s still a lot of land, I think tied up in courts and leases and stuff issues. So we’re sorting through all that trying to find the right locations. Obviously, I have seven on my plate right now, so I’m not in a hurry. We are lined up for 2024. I think one of the problems — I think what people don’t realize for like 2023 is, the only growth — we have to grow through acquisitions in this year, because we weren’t doing any — we weren’t lining up these things in 2021 and 2022 like — I’m sorry, 2020 and 2021, like we normally would have because of COVID.

And so, the Bombshells, has taken a pause here. But now that we’re coming back online and I think some of that has — not having new growth kind of dulls the excitement for the brand a little bit as well. So that could have some effect on us, as we move forward. But I think as we start — as we get to the end of this year. And we start opening up new locations again. And we energize our management teams with upward mobility I think we’re going to see some great things out of the Bombshells brand again. And for brand, we don’t have another kind of COVID shutdown or anything like that ever again, I think that brand will be very, very well over the next three years as part of our plan to get us to that 30-plus units and get us to $50 million-plus EBITDA out of our restaurant division.

So I don’t think we’ll have any problem getting there.

Rob McGuire: I appreciate that. And then shifting — staying in Denver but shifting to the Nightclubs. You talked about the substantial improvement in operations from the, 11 Nightclub Acquisition you made, but can you talk about potential for lock them to continue to improve here? And just give us the backdrop on that?

Eric Langan: Sure. So the plan is to convert that location into Rick’s Cabaret Denver. I know the name has been there for a long time. But with the convention business there and the people that travel from out of the country Chicago, New York and other and Miami other major markets where RCI operates, we think that the Rick’s brand will do very, very well there. We’ve been waiting for approvals for permits in the outside remodel and signed permits on that, which are all starting to come in and we hopefully will have that location converted by April.

Rob McGuire: Well, that’s it for me. Thank you so much and congratulations on the quarter.

Eric Langan: Yes. Thank you, Rob.

Bradley Chhay: Hey. Brad just one clarifying point. The Bombshells San Antonio franchise location. I know Eric said $1.2 million down, $2 million note, five-year and but two-year balloon 7%? Just wanted to put that all out there. Thanks.

Mark Moran: Thanks, so much, Bradley and good thing you’re not referring to these five balloon that was recently hovering over. Rob, thank you so much for the question. And I want to encourage everyone to also check out Rob’s recent video on misconceptions of the adult entertainment industry. Now before we move into our open Q&A session. I would like to encourage people to raise their hand to be called out, to be able to ask questions. We’re going to bring in Joe Gomes as our final equity research analyst up to ask questions. Joe, take it away.

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