Serve and Protect: Meet The Gun-Toting Waitresses

By Dan Howeltt @DanHowlett85

A RESTAURANT owner insists that all her waitresses openly carry fully-loaded guns after a man was killed at her restaurant

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Videographer / Director: Nathan W. Armes

Producer: Liam Miller

Editor: Joshua Douglas

Bang and Mash: Waitress Brooke Shackelford armed during her shift at Shooters Grill

Waitresses at the grill carry heat along with plates of delicious food to their hungry diners

Waitress Jessie Spaulding works a shift - with a gun in a holster at her waist

Owners of Shooters Grill Lauren and Jayson Boebert in Rifle, Colorado

Serve and deliver: the restaurateurs claim to be responsible gun owners and ensure all of their waitresses take a concealed weapon training class

Replica copies of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence are displayed along with plaques and trophies for award winning food

Armed and ready: the Boebert's encourage their wait staff to clock-in while armed

Regina Booth, Jessie Spaulding, Lauren Boebert and Dusty Sheets show off their fire-arms

Though not a job requirement, the staff openly carry a wide variety of handguns

Owner Lauren Boebert thanks God for the success of her restaurant business and displays many Christian symbols including these crosses

All of the waitresses at Shooters Grill carry heat along with plates of delicious food to their hungry diners

All of the waitresses at Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, carry heat – along with plates of delicious food to their hungry diners.

Entrepreneurs Lauren and Jayson Boebert, 34, opened the gun-themed restaurant in May 2013.

But only a month after launching, a man was killed outside the eatery, leading Lauren to start looking into getting a permit for a concealed weapon – only to discover that she could already openly carry guns in her own restaurant.

Lauren, 28 said: “There was an altercation in our back alley that ended with a man losing his life so I began to look into getting a concealed weapon permit so I could start carrying.

Gun-toting waitress Brooke Shackelford works her shift at Shooters Grill

“I learned that in Colorado you do not need a permit to open carry so I took my gun to work the next day.

“Now all of the waitresses openly wear guns and carry dangerous hollow-point bullets – which are designed to cause maximum damage to a potential attacker by expanding on impact."

She added: “People from all over the country come into Rifle to eat at Shooters Grill.

“We’ve had people from Alaska, we’ve had people from Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, we’ve had customers drive all the way from Utah just to eat dinner.”

But the restaurateurs claim to be responsible gun owners and ensure all of their waitresses take a concealed weapon training class.

Waitress Jessie Spaulding prepares a drink - with a gun in a holster at her waist

Shooters Grill cook, Joshua Boyington, works hard to complete orders during a lunch rush

“The firearms that are carried by my staff are real and all of the waitresses are required to carry defense ammo,” added Lauren.

“In other words they carry hollow-points.”

Despite the obvious lethal dangers, even junior staff members are allowed to pack heat.

Broke Shackleford, 17 said: “Well because of my age I actually can’t carry everywhere but I can carry when I hunt.

“My mom carries everywhere, my dad carries everywhere and I can carry at the restaurant because it’s Lauren’s private property and she allows me to do so.”

Customers at Rifles can enjoy aptly titled dishes such as ‘Guac 9 – Guacamole’ and ‘Bull’s Eye Grilled Chicken’ – and if they’re happy with the service they can even leave fitting tips.

Broke added: “I know some of the waitresses have been tipped in ammo but it has never happened to me.

“It was just nice and actually quite funny - it was a good tip.”

Lauren said: “We’ve seen people rewrite their vacation trips - they were going to go the southern route and decided to go the northern route so they could come into Rifle, Colorado and see us.”

Jayson added: “We’ve even had a pilot reschedule his flights to come in and have lunch with us, which was cool.”