Strippers Shift To Food Delivery Service As Coronavirus Closes Clubs

Strippers in Portland, Oregon, continue to work hard for the money amid coronavirus restrictions.

As strip joints and other non-essential services are shutting down, some strip club dancers are shifting to food delivery service to keep the business running.

Lucky Devil Lounge in Powell Blvd launched Boober Eats PDX, a food delivery service composed of the strip club dancers and the club's kitchen staff. The service offers its usual pub fares, brought to the customers' address by the dancers underclothed.

Owner Shon Boulden said that the decision to "rebrand" their service came after Oregon Governor Kate Brown instructed all businesses to follow the national's guidance to slow down the coronavirus spread. Under this directive, restaurants and bars may continue trading, provided that it's for delivery and takeout only.

Boulden told The Oregonian that the idea to have the strippers do deliveries began as social media joke. Pretty soon, however, he received questions from the club's patrons on when they would begin their service.

"All the calls, people are just giddy and fun,” the owner said. “Sometimes it’s a surprise for someone, sometimes it’s a birthday, sometimes it’s people that are really stoned.”

Boober Eats PDX takes orders from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. They offer the full menu at regular prices with food choices like steak bites, chicken fingers, and corn dogs. The delivery also covers alcoholic drinks, Red Bull, and ginger beer.

Orders incur a $30 delivery charge or more, depending on the customer's location. This rate doesn't include tips.

Two strippers will be escorted by bouncers during the deliveries, and they may do a dance or jig for tips. As a precautionary measure, the women are encouraged to wear gloves and face masks or bring sanitary wipes since they will be hand-delivering the food. Customers, however, are strongly advised not to touch the strippers.

Boulden said that he plans to keep many of his staff employed. Lucky Devil Lounge has 25 dancers on the delivery call. His bartenders are taking the calls and keeping tabs of their social media pages.

In the United States, strip club dancers are considered independent contractors and not employees. For this reason, they are not eligible to claim unemployment benefits during the coronavirus restrictions.