April 7, 2022
CRU Lounge, a fast casual, hookah-hemp lounge offering hookah flavors, hemp oil extracts, small plates and specialty craft cocktails, is betting on Las Vegas, opening a location there this summer.
Owned by Atlanta-based entrepreneur Dennis McKinley, CRU is the largest black-owned nightlife chain and largest hookah lounge chain in the United States and has locations in Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and Alabama. By combining hookah with a CBD element in a casual dining, lounge atmosphere, the restaurants have become celebrity hot spots, according to McKinley, who said, "CRU Hemp Lounge isn't your standard bar or nightclub. It is a lifestyle lounge that is catching the eye of not only the patrons but franchise developers alike."
CRU Lounge is entering several markets this summer, including Missouri, Philadelphia, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.