Cabaret gets Latino flavor ... in food, dance

Now that pasties and thongs are a thing of the past at JB the Cabaret, the only spice patrons will get is in the new $1 tacos.

General Manager Gary Osman said Tuesday all six of the club's female exotic dancers were fired last week, and the Hot Springs Road establishment was changed into a Latino dance club, simply titled "JB."

He said the change was necessary to stay open.

"It had a lot to do with the problems with the city," Osman said. "This place has been a nightclub so many times; we're going back to our roots."

From now on, he said, the only live entertainment at JB's will be weekend disc jockeys, starting this Friday night at 8, with tacos for $1 and beer specials.

The club closed Aug. 14 after city officials sent two letters to owner Brad Herndon warning him the activities at the cabaret - scantily-clad dancers giving lap dances - was in violation of zoning laws for North Carson City.

The cabaret, at 1510 Hot Springs Road, did not fall into adult-entertainment zoning, said Carson City Community Development Director Walt Sullivan.

He said a small area east of Deer Run Road is the only place in Carson City where nudity or adult entertainment is allowed.

"The ladies had pasties and were wearing thongs," Sullivan said. "That doesn't meet code."

The new club had only been open nine days when it shut down. Before it was a cabaret, it was Joe Bob's Roadhouse, a chicken restaurant that closed in March.

Joe Bob's Roadhouse received notoriety in November 2001 when an advertisement billboard in Washoe Valley showed the restaurant's mascot chicken with enhanced human breasts.

Sullivan said a city employee who inspected the cabaret two weeks ago reported that business there was extremely slow.

"(The inspector) was the only customer, and the employees were playing pool with each other," Sullivan said.

He said further inspection of JB's is possible to ensure activities are up to code.

Sullivan said a third warning letter to Herndon would have constituted a citation against the club, which could have resulted in a $1,000 fine or six months in jail for Herndon.

Herndon did not return phone calls Tuesday.

Sullivan said he wishes Herndon "the best of luck" with the club's new theme.

"I hope he has a profitable business," Sullivan said.

Osman said he hired new, bilingual bartenders and cocktail servers for the club's Latin focus. He said he will play salsa, cumbia and merengue music and serve Mexican food.

As for the out-of-work exotic dancers, "There are plenty of clubs in Reno where they can go," Osman said.

The club will be open 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Osman said the club will not be open during the week, but that may change.

Contact Robyn Moormeister at rmoormeister@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.