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Tempe, Ariz.
What happened in Vegas didn't stay there once Ron Lynch caught wind of it.
The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, the Celtictheme brainchild of restaurateur Mark DiMartino that debuted at the Rio Hotel there in 2003, has been the focus of a nationwide franchise push since Lynch encountered it.
From early on, Lynch, a veteran of restaurant franchising, found himself infatuated with the concept, which specializes in European-style comfort food and features shapely female servers dressed in mini kilts and low-cut, midriff-baring tops.
"There is very little new under the sun these days, but this was fun and different, and the service at the table was great," he says.
Lynch, who already had experience opening 106 Schlotzsky's Delis for Schlotzky's Franchise LLC in the 1990s, met with DiMartino in early 2005 about the possibility of turning The Tilted Kilt into a franchise vehicle.
Within a year, The Tilted Kilt franchise system was in place with Lynch as president. Today nine locations are open in five states and six more are under construction.
The eclectic decor is designed to create a fun atmosphere and features dark-mahogany wood, stained-glass doors, giant plasmascreen TVs, pool tables, bagpipes, kilts, dart boards, posters and...