Cafe Risque — Restaurant in Gainesville

We stopped here again on 6-11-2021 to talk to a manager or owner about the previous incident, and we're happy to find out that the lady was fired soon after. Jersey, Cherry, Cheryl, Dawn, and most of the rest of the ladies here are awesome and friendly! We will continue to make Cafe Risque a stop on our way through as often as we can. Thank you ladies!

We've been driving up and down 75 for awhile and the wife and I finally decided to stop in and see what this place was about...

The parking lot is big and full of trash like every other truck stop, couple of abandoned cars in the corner should have been red flag #1, but we were hungry, curious and needed a shower.

Tip toed inside where a friendly guy greeted us and informed me about the $6 cover.. wait what? At lunch on a Thursday? Whatevs. Stepped inside the next door and it's like every strip club I've ever been to ever. Too loud of music and a plethora of dark corners to hide in and negotiate business.

We'll skip the free showers, but Thank you.

Waitress comes over with a couldn't-care-less attitude, we order a burger and some 🐔 strips.. "You want fries or chips with that?" Fries pls. Bottle of water and a coke wrap up the deal, apparently in Florida the sight of pubic hair will make you lose your mind so they can't serve alcohol. Ugh.

Food came out quickly and was decent, maybe better than I expected. We wrapped up our lunch, grabed the check and headed for the door where the same guy told me it was $41. What? Fries are extra and the drinks almost $4 each? Wowza. Add on some generous credit card fees, sales tax and the aforementioned cover charge, now I'm into this place for 50 bucks and still have to tip the moody waitress?? Ouch.

To be fair they do have a menu posted at the door and it's my fault for not looking at it first, I was trying to get past the $6 cover..

I guess it depends on the experience you are looking for.. some things are better left to the imagination I guess... maybe put your drawers on ladies and grab me a beer, the place is 24/7 so there's plenty of free time, grab a trash bag and head on out into the sunlight, wave at some truckers and you'll probably see a big uptake in business. Might even see us...

Alright this is the condensed review

Facilities - A little run down I'll be honest. The place is probably 5-6 years overdue for a renovation. Some chipped panneling on the main stage, worn seats, but overall not too bad. Private dance booths are relatively spacious, though some have fans and some don't, a couple are right next to floor speakers making them prohibitively loud, and there are cameras which while yes they're there for the entertainers' safety does feel a little invasive. Bathroom is a little beat up but at least kept mostly clean and I've never run out of handsoap or towels.

Food - Honestly it's pretty decent. I might have just gotten lucky with great cooks but I've never had a bad experience. I'm always passing through when I visit so I can't comment on the drink selection.

Entertainers - A good spread of body types and ethnicities represented. Some of the girls are nice and chatty, most don't make any effort to hide the fact that this is just their 9-5. I've never had any bad experiences with them being outright rude or nasty or pushy. Full nudity allowed on the stage only. My biggest gripe is the panties over thong policy for private dances. It's very outdated and cringe. There are no full nude lap dances of any kind allowed whatsoever and no touching is allowed. A tremendous step down from odyssey in tampa for example.

Every time I've gone there's been a shortstaffing issue and they're about 2-3 entertainers short for the evening so it may take a while for you to be seen to.

Overall as far as clubs go it's a strong 6 to a light 7. You'd have a much better experience if you view it as a diner first and a club second. It's definitely more suited to shorter lower...