CRU Lounge, owned by Atlanta-based entrepreneur Dennis McKinley, already the largest black-owned nightlife chain and largest hookah lounge chain in the United States is now open in Austin, Texas.
Austin makes location 20 which also includes locations in Georgia (Morrow, Albany, Decaur, Douglasville, Edgewood, Peters Street, Warner Robins , Columbus, Alpharetta and Midtown Atlanta); Texas (Austin,Houston, Jersey Village, Dallas-Forth Worth); Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, DC;Memphis, TN; West Palm Beach, FL, two in Alabama (Birmingham and Huntsville) and throughout 2023 & 2024, CRU plans on opening more locations in Georgia (in Old National, Marietta, Statesboro, Augusta, and Savannah ); Tennessee (Nashville); Texas (San Antonio & Austin); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Alabama (Tuscaloosa & Montgomery); Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay); Phoenix, Arizona; North Carolina (Raleigh, Fayetteville & Greensboro); South Carolina (Columbia & Myrtle Beach); Missouri (St Louis & Kansas City); and New Orleans, Louisiana.
“CRU, which was created over 10 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, is a fast-casual hookah-hemp lounge offering unique hookah flavors, small plates and specialty craft cocktails,” says owner, Dennis McKinley in a statement. “We have grown exponentially over the past couple of years, and we are excited to be the largest hookah lounge in the United States.”
By combining the hookah element in a casual dining, lounge atmosphere, the restaurant has become a hot spot.
“CRU Lounge isn’t your standard bar or nightclub,” he adds. “It is a lifestyle lounge that is catching the eye of not only the patrons but franchise developers alike.”
Menu items at CRU include hookahs (such as: their HOUSE MIX, which includes mint, orange, peach, banana, watermelon, strawberry, cherry, coconut and vanilla, and CRU MIX, which includes white gummy bear, red gummy bear, kiwi, orange mint, mango, exotic berry, winter fresh mint and blueberry), hemp pre-rolls, hemp/CBD products, craft cocktails (including their CRU RITA, which includes Avion Tequila, agave, lime juice, with a salt rim, and CRU LEMONADE (which is spiked house lemonade infused with peach, strawberry or mango puree).
Food items include: traditional wings, burgers, quesadillas, crab mac and cheese, lollipop lamb chops, crab cakes and more.
