Redneck Heaven was a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

of sports bars and restaurants based in

Lewisville, Texas Lewisville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, predominantly within Denton County with a small part lying within Dallas County. As a suburban community within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the 2020 census tabulated a population of 111 ...

, and with locations in several other

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

cities. The chain was known for its controversial promotions, Southern theme and scantily-clad waitresses. It was the subject of an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

reality show and it was frequently categorized as a

breastaurant A breastaurant is a restaurant that requires female waiting staff to be skimpily-dressed. The term dates from the early 1990s, after restaurant chain Hooters opened in the United States. The format has since been adopted by other restaurants, in ...

History and concept

Opening in 2008 in Lewisville, Texas, Redneck Heaven marketed itself as a rowdier, more sexually provocative version of the typical breastaurant like

Hooters Hooters is the registered trademark used by two American restaurant chains: Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, and Hooters of America, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the private investment firm Nord Bay Capital (with ...

Tilted Kilt Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery is a modern Scottish-Irish-themed sports pub and franchisor-type restaurant chain in the United States. History The first Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery was opened in the Las Vegas Rio Hotel and Casino in 2003, "wearing ...

, or

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

. Restaurants featured Southern and

Redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, '' ...

-themed interior elements such as car doors from the

General Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of North ...

(from ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television series ...

'') and other automotive and sports memorabilia. They also featured scantily clad servers who engaged in what the chain terms as "mischief" (including

line dancing A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.Knight ...

hula hooping A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. It can also be wheeled along the ground like a wheel, with careful execution. They have been used by children and adults since at least 500 BC. The modern hula hoop ...

and

spanking Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...

). The typical uniform consisted of skimpy cut-off shorts (resembling those of ''Dukes of Hazzard'' character

Daisy Duke Daisy Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. She is the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, and the three live on a farm on the outskirts of ...

) with

crop top A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...

bikini top A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back cover ...

s or

bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...

s. Redneck Heaven had many special events, however, where the typical attire was bikinis,

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

or other themes. The chain also held "Anything But Clothes" events where servers wore only

panties Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genita ...

and

body paint Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks (in the case of mehndi or ...

. Some reviewers characterized Redneck Heaven as bridging the gap between tamer breastaurants and

strip club A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other Erotic dancing, erotic or exotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or Bar (establishment), bar style, and can also ...

s, though the owner said the experience had become less extreme since the early days of the restaurant. The ''Dallas Observer'' listed it as being one of the best bars in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

''Big Tips Texas''

During 2013,

ran a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series called ''

Big Tips Texas ''Big Tips Texas'' is an American documentary-style series that premiered October 9, 2013, on MTV. Over 14 episodes, it follows two groups of four old and six new employees at Redneck Heaven, a breastaurant in Lewisville, Texas. Concept The ...

''. The show followed a number of Redneck Heaven waitresses from the Lewisville, Texas location and ran for 14 episodes (one season).

Controversial promotions

Anything But Clothes

Redneck Heaven ran periodic "Anything But Clothes" events where waitresses were

topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

except for

covering their breasts. In response to this, at least three different municipalities in Texas changed their laws about what constitutes nudity, preventing body paint from being considered an "opaque covering". Classifying the waitresses as partially nude would have required that Redneck Heaven be regulated as a

sexually oriented business In United States law, a sexually oriented business (S.O.B.) is a business that is part of the sex industry, such as sites of erotic performance and erotic paraphernalia stores. Often regulations of SOBs enter law as part of zoning regulations by jur ...

Minnow Bombs

In addition to the regular menu, Redneck Heaven featured two unusual items which could be considered food challenges. One was a burger weighing called the "Bubba's 'Tower in an Hour' Burger Challenge". The other, more controversial, item was a drink called the "Minnow Bomb". This drink consisted of a

shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 f ...

of liquor containing a live

minnow Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...

. This item drew protests from the

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have ...

(PeTA) who argued that it was both unsafe and inhumane to consume these live fish.

References

{{reflist Regional restaurant chains in the United States Theme restaurants Companies based in Dallas 2008 establishments in Texas Restaurants established in 2008 Drinking establishments in Texas Defunct restaurant chains in the United States