Now that's a beer belly

Stealth drinking: The best gadgets to help you hide your habit

No, that's not our social media editor Fayza Elmostehi. But it IS a bra that canhide a full bottle of wine!
The flask concealed inside these Reef sandals could come in handy, if you don'tmind the sand and toe jam.
This stadium cushion will guard your butt and your buzz.

Some people say one of the signs of alcoholism is the compulsion to hide your drinking from others.

I say they’ve never known the total boredom of a dry wedding (nothing a bottle of wine in your over-sized purse can’t fix), the benefit of adding Jim Beam to your soft drink at a college football game (stick a flask in your boot and suddenly the score doesn’t matter so much), or the warmth a sip of Franzia can provide at the top of a ski slope (carry a Franzia pouch in your hip sack and you're sure to stay nice and "toasty").

I'm sure there have been times when you, too, have justifiably hidden your booze ... or wished you had. The common flask has always been the go-to device for stealth sippage, but we found some innovative alternatives for squirreling away your spirit of choice.

The Beer Belly
So what if you show up to your next event with a spare tire around your waist? Holidays present a perfect excuse for the extra pounds (even if it's President's Day) — I'm milking that excuse for all it's worth.

The Beer Belly holds up to 80 ounces; that’s more than a six-pack of beer. Drink the whole thing and that gut will go from faux to bonafide.

Sneaky Shorts
Two separate 10-ounce bladders, customized to maintain their flat shape even while full, hang from a belt in front of your thighs. Just keep your fingers crossed you don’t spring a leak and end up looking like you should be wearing Depends. A hose running the length of your leg empties at your ankle via a clamp valve. Lift your leg and pour.

Cell Phone Flask
Stressed at work? “Sorry, I have to take this call,” takes on a whole new meaning with the cell phone flask. Fill it with three ounces of nerve-calming liquid, screw off the antenna and sip away.

Wine Rack Flask Bra
Fill with your beverage of choice and go from a size “A” to a size “DD.” Stay busty even after you get your drink on by simply blowing into the device. It's cheaper than plastic surgery, and as a bonus, you will float effortlessly in the pool.

Reef Sandals
Walk this way! Each heel holds three ounces. Fill one with liquor, the other with a mixer and you're all set. That's if you can get past the toe jam and sweaty feet.

Undetectable Stadium Seat Cushion Flask
The internal flask holds up to 36 ounces, equal to three cans of beer or a bottle of wine. With the exception of the multiple bathroom breaks this device is sure to instigate, there is no need to ever leave your seat.

Starbucks Trenta
Starbucks' new Trenta size does more than feed your iced-coffee addiction, it can also hold a full bottle of wine. Drinking at your desk just got a lot less dicey.

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Restaurant business

Comfort food chain Cotton Patch Cafe acquired by Dallas restaurant group

Chicken fried steak, CFS, Cotton Patch Cafe

Facebook/Cotton Patch Cafe

Chicken fried steak at Cotton Patch Cafe.

The Southlake-based Cotton Patch Cafe restaurant chain, known for its Texas-style comfort food, is finding comfort in the form of a new owner from Dallas.

According to a release, Dallas-based Local Favorite Restaurants group purchased Cotton Patch Cafe from Altamont Capital Partners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Local Favorite's growing restaurant portfolio includes 99 restaurants spanning 10 brands, including well-known names like El Fenix Mexican Restaurant, Snuffer’s Restaurant & Bar, Meso Maya, Taqueria La Ventana, Wok Star Chinese, Twisted Root Burger Company, Campuzano Mexican Food, and Village Burger Bar.

The Cotton Patch acquisition “is an important step for Local Favorite Restaurants and a natural fit for the kind of brands we want under our roof,” Local Favorite founder Mike Karns says in the release. “Cotton Patch Cafe has loyal guests, a proven track record, and a Texas identity that gives it meaningful room to grow.”

Founded in 1989 in Nacogdoches, Cotton Patch operates 46 restaurants in Texas and New Mexico. The only Houston-area location is in Spring.

The deal also brings changes to the leadership team.

Karns will remain with the company in the role of founder and "Free-Range Creative," overseeing its creative direction and growth strategy. Cotton Patch Cafe CEO Brandon Coleman III will become CEO of Local Favorite Restaurants.

Local Favorite also owns and operates Sunrise Mexican Foods, which produces chips, tortillas, and other Mexican food products for retail and foodservice operators.

Cotton Patch Cafe is known for scratch-made, comfort classics like hand-breaded chicken fried steak, along with $9.99 Texas Value Meals.

Coleman says the acquisition won’t result in changes to the “heart” of Cotton Patch.

“We will continue to bring the small-town spirit, big Texas value, and quality scratch-made food guests count on, with the same focus on hospitality and community that has always made Cotton Patch feel like home,” says Coleman.

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