• April 2, 2007

"Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis is planning to capitalize on the brand name by opening a chain of restaurants and selling a line of women's apparel.

The clothing will be in stores by April 30. The first two restaurants are to open mid-summer in Mexican beach towns Cabo San Lucas and Cancun. Francis foresees franchises in college towns in the U.S. and around the world.

Mantra Films produces roughly 80 "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs a year, and is expanding to the United Kingdom, Australia and France.

--Nina M. Lentini