Grand Opening of Rick's Cabaret Luxurious New York City Club Scheduled September 21-24; CEO Owes It All To His Baseball Card Collection

NEW YORK CITY--(September 19, 2005)-- Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. the publicly traded [RICK:NASDAQ] gentlemen’s club operator, stages a four-day Grand Opening party for its first nightclub in New York September 21st through September 24th (8 pm to 4 am, each night). If it weren’t for baseball cards the hot new club at 50 West 33rd Street just down from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, and across from the Empire State Building, probably wouldn’t exist.

Rick's Cabaret’s debut in Manhattan marks the 10th in the chain of upscale clubs owned by the publicly traded company headed by CEO Eric Langan, now 37 years old. The boyish Langan says he owes his career to his collection of baseball cards, which he sold at the age of 21 to get $40,000 for the down payment to buy a topless club near Dallas.

It was the start of a classic American success story that culminates in the New York City location, a luxurious three-story gentlemen’s club with a first class restaurant (chef Daniel Cohn is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America) and state of the art amenities.

Rick’s Cabaret-NYC is also Langan’s biggest investment so far, but he is confident it is also the safest bet he’s ever made. “The value of the club has already increased substantially since we bought it in January for of $7.6 million plus $3 million in improvements,” Langan says. “

The company has projected that the New York City location will significantly increase gross, which in 2004 was $16 million, and contribute commensurate new net income.

More than 500 young women have already applied to work at the midtown cabaret, and Langan and his crew have chosen the most beautiful and most friendly of them to staff the club. They have also hired as chef Daniel Cohn, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and former executive chef at New York City’s Playwright Tavern and the famous Junior’s Restaurant and Bakery in Brooklyn. Cohn will serve steak and lobster dinners ‘til 4 a.m. daily.

“During a ‘sneak peek’ soft launch over the past two weeks we’ve received nothing but compliments about our entertainment, bar service and restaurant,” says Langan. “What’s particularly gratifying is that lots of our customers are Wall Street guys who appreciate having a first class establishment in midtown. Once they see us in action they feel more comfortable with our stock, which is a nice bonus.”

About Rick's Cabaret
Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK, www.ricks.com) operates upscale adult nightclubs serving primarily businessmen and professionals that offer live adult entertainment, restaurant and bar operations. The company owns, operates or licenses adult nightclubs in New York City, New Orleans, Houston, Minneapolis and other cities under the names "Rick's Cabaret," "XTC," “Club Onyx” and “Hummers.” No sexual contact is permitted at any of these locations. Rick’s Cabaret also owns the adult Internet membership Web site, www.couplestouch.com, and a network of nine online auction sites for adult products under the flagship URL www.naughtybids.com. Rick’s Cabaret common stock is traded on the NASDAQ SmallCap market under the symbol RICK. For further information contact ir@ricks.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involves significant risks and uncertainties, and is subject to the safe harbors created by this section. Important factors that could cause actual results for Rick's Cabaret to differ materially from those indicated in this press release include the risks and uncertainties as to the future operational and financial results of our Web sites, conditions relevant to real estate transactions, the future operational performance of our partners, the laws governing the operation of adult entertainment businesses, competitive and economic factors, dependence on key personnel and the ability to manage operations. Rick's Cabaret has no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of future events or circumstances. Please refer to the documents Rick’s Cabaret files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in particular the most recent quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB and annual report on Form 10-KSB, which are available at the Company’s website, www.ricks.com.

Contact for further information: Allan Priaulx, 212-338-0050, ir@ricks.com

Note to Editors: For press invitations to Rick’s Cabaret-NYC Grand Opening contact Dana at ir@ricks.com or call 212-338-0050.