KEY WEST - Minutes after the bartender peeled off her top, Rodney Whiddon took off his shorts and underwear. Tearing a bite out of his chicken sandwich, the 56-year-old tourist from Destin announced that he'd found paradise.
The former engineer, a retiree and nudist, was perched at the bar of Naked Lunch, Key West's -- and perhaps the country's -- first stand-alone clothing-optional restaurant. ''If you come here, you've got to experience everything,'' he said.
Naked Lunch was opened two weeks ago by the owners of Garden of Eden, a six-year-old clothing-optional bar that fills the rooftop of the Bull and the Whistle bars on Duval Street.
The Garden of Eden grew so popular that managers regularly turned would-be nude revelers away. People were also ordering in burgers and pizzas, so the owners leased a patio around the corner, hired a chef -- who's always dressed -- and, in a nod to author William Burroughs, no stranger to hedonism, christened the place Naked Lunch.
Key West is famous, of course, for allowing its visiting masses to let it all hang out. Body painting is a staple of Fantasy Fest, the annual pre-Halloween masquerade street party, and clothing-optional gay resorts have been here for decades. But the debut of Naked Lunch highlights the growing demand for spots that cater to nude heterosexuals. Garden of Eden is well known for it. Atlantic Shores, once an exclusively gay resort, now welcomes straight clothes-shedders to its clothing-optional pool and grill, albeit with mixed aesthetic results.
''We're getting a lot of swingers,'' said Seth Knarr, Atlantic Shores' front desk manager. ``And mostly people you don't want to see naked. But it's a real nice atmosphere overall.''
But Naked Lunch might claim bragging rights as the country's first stand-alone clothing-optional restaurant. Many nudist resorts have restaurants where people can take it all off, but neither the International Naturists Association nor the American Association for Nude Recreation knows of another clothing-optional restaurant smack dab in the middle of a city.
''I've honestly never heard of such a thing,'' said Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the Kissimmee-based AANR. ``I'll definitely have to come down to check it out.''
Naked Lunch sits on a side street, half a block from the madness of Duval, announcing itself with a simple sign that hangs above a wooden fence. The only clue for passersby as to what lies within comes from three warnings posted outside: No Dogs. No Glass. No Photography.
Inside sits a sprawling patio, two bars and sometimes a topless Marla Trudine, a 26-year-old waitress.
'Sometimes I wear sweat pants and flip flops, and customers get confused and ask, `Why isn't your shirt off?' '' Trudine said. ``But it's about the acceptance of doing whatever you want to do, and not worrying about what people think.''
There are limits. At least once per shift, Trudine has to stop a gawking man from snapping photographs. A sign inside the women's bathroom reads ''No Sex.'' (Its twin in the men's room was stolen.) And ''people aren't allowed to touch each other,'' said Denny Hrabec, the general manager. ``Or themselves.''
Only women serve food or drinks. ''People feel more comfortable in the presence of women,'' Trudine said.
Business has been sporadic. The place was packed during Fantasy Fest, and this weekend throngs of free-spirited Parrotheads, or Jimmy Buffett fans, are in town. But Tuesday night, the only customers were two dressed men and a white-haired guy wrapped in an American flag. Thursday, the place was empty. But, Hrabec noted, Garden of Eden was slow at first, too.
Hawkins says Hrabec and his partners are on the right track. She says her organization has 50,000 members and that nudism generates $400 million a year nationwide.
And, as Trudine has noticed, many of the nudists drawn to Key West are in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
''That's how long it takes many people to learn to accept their bodies,'' she said. ``And to make enough money to afford vacationing in Key West.''
Mark Ohly, who works at Big Ruby's, a gay and lesbian clothing-optional guesthouse, said that if there's any place where the naked are welcome, it's Key West.
''It's one of the reasons why I moved here,'' Ohly said. ``I'm from Atlanta and threw my bathing suit out the window when I came down.''
