this is "nightline." tonight -- buns and guns. how about a side of firearms with your fries? the controversial, new trend that's got this joint jumping. and the waitresses packing heat. >> i wanted to start carrying just for my protection. this is my establishment. >> but how family-friendly is it? plus, buyer beware. aggressive real estate flipping. that newly renovated house may not be all it seems. what to watch out for when buying that seemingly dreamy home. and twice lucky. meet a man who escaped not only one plane disaster but two. the incredible twists of fate that kept this professional athlete off those malaysia airlines flights. but first, the "nightline" 5. >> when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think

salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else, as well. jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety and technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than 250,000 jobs. when we set up operations in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not coincidence. it's part of our commitment to america. >> number one, just 60 seconds.

good evening. you're about to enter a restaurant where you probably want to make sure you tip well. at shooters grill, open carry has nothing to do with take-out. almost all of the waitresses pack heat. publicly and proudly. they say it makes them safer.

and that's apparently been good for business. and probably bad for anyone thinking about dining and dashing. abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: every morning, lauren bobert starts the day with some blush, fixing her near-perfect hair and putting on her sparkley belt. but she's not fully dressed without her bullets and her 9 millimeter semiautomatic. this is a way of life for lauren. a mother of four. >> back up. green's got a gun. >> green got missed. >> go slower. ready? green's got a gun. pull it out, find the front sight. >> reporter: are you a good shot? >> generally. >> reporter: when she and her husband opened this restaurant a year ago in their hometown. >> how was your meal? >> reporter: the gun theme seemed natural. lauren took it one step further. >> i wanted to start carrying just for my protection. this is my establishment.

i didn't see anything wrong with that. i began to open carry. and my girls started to approach me and ask if they could open carry, as well. >> reporter: they call the place the shooters grill. where else would you expect to find a place call the shooters grill than right off the highway here in rifle, colorado. >> it is a very common theme here. we see people open carrying all the time. we live in rifle, colorado. it's a small town. it's a rancher's community. it is like the old west out here. >> reporter: "nightline" ventured to colorado's western slope to check it out. inside, the place is packed. and the waitresses, packing. what is this? >> it's a lugar .357 blackhawk. >> reporter: good kick? >> it has a pretty hard kick. but nothing that i can't handle. >> reporter: and they are fully loaded. does anybody dare leave a small tip? >> they tip like normal people. you know? it's not like we're going to shoot them or anything if they leave us a small tip. >> reporter: what's happening at the shooters grill is an

offshoot of a controversial movement started in texas, to legally and openly carry guns in stores and restaurants. >> this is probably the safest corner in san antonio right now. >> reporter: but a growing number of national chains like target, starbucks, chipotle, chili's and jack in the box, have asked their customers to leave their guns at home. but here, the concept is turned up side-down. instead of the customers, it's the employees. or most of them. you're not carrying. why not? >> i don't own a gun. >> reporter: are you the only person in here that doesn't own a gun? >> no. >> reporter: you're the two holdouts? >> yep. we're getting there. we haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet. >> i'm 17. >> reporter: the grill is so popular. >> we're from nashville, tennessee. >> reporter: food sometimes sells out. but most people we met didn't come hundreds of miles for the

burgers. >> we're from nebraska. >> reporter: featuring names like the guac 9 or the swiss and wesson. what made you want to come in? >> the guns. >> the guns. >> i firmly believe that education and safe and responsible use of a firearm is perfectly fine in today's society. >> reporter: but is it all just a gimmick? >> my firearms have nothing to do with the amazing hamburgers we cook. the food is what started all this. >> reporter: over the past few weeks, lauren's restaurant has gotten so much attention, that a u.s. marine supposedly called in with an offer to buy a gun for any waitress that didn't have one. >> he called in from california and asked our owner if there was a girl that he could buy a gun that did not have one yet. so, i got it three days ago, maybe. >> reporter: three days ago. >> yeah. it's a kimber .45. >> reporter: not everyone is thrilled. from facebook and social media posts, wishing harm to lauren and her employees. random phone calls at the

restaurant. >> shame on you. >> reporter: to actual hate mail. >> hope god punishes you for what you are doing. hope that you and all your patrons will kill yourself. >> reporter: pretty harsh. >> that is pretty harsh. >> reporter: then, there's colorado itself, which, after all is a state that's seen its share of gun violence. the massacre at columbine high school. >> that was the weekend before he was killed. >> reporter: and two years ago, dave hoover lost his nephew at this aurora movie theater. >> she calls, screaming on the phone. i picked it up, what's going on? what's wrong? she says, i don't know where a.j. is. he's at the movies. he said, turn on the tv. get up, turn on the tv. that's when it hit me. i went, oh. my god. >> reporter: a.j. was 1 of the 12 people killed that night. hoover argues the shooters grill is glorifying gun culture. >> this is america. they're allowed to do it. but you can't glamorize the gun. the gun will never be a glamorous thing. it's just an object. >> reporter: hoover has been in

law enforcement for three decades. he worries that when shots ring out, more guns equals more confusion for police. >> i don't know which one's the bad guy and which one's the good guy. i know i'm going to engage the one that's closest to me. and i hope to god that's the bad guy. you never know. >> reporter: people in colorado, for example, like aurora families, like columbine families who think this is a normalization of guns in america, which has this violent undertone to it. >> what's violent about it? what's violent about law-abiding citizens carrying a gun? >> reporter: a lot of people don't want to be around firea s firearms. don't want their families around it. this is not necessarily normal everywhere. >> i think it should be normal everywhere. i think it should be a common sight. i think we'll have a lot less violence if it was. >> reporter: lauren insists her employees and her customers are safe. >> i'm more worried about my cooks getting burnt in the kitchen than a firearm going off in the restaurant. >> reporter: most businesses nearby don't seem worried about

all the guns. but one shopkeeper across the street hopes the staff knows how to react if the worst happens. >> i know they've been through training. i know they're legally able to carry the guns. >> reporter: yeah. >> just hope that if somebody happens to come in there and tests them, that they'll be able to take care of things. other than that, i feel great. i went there and ordered lunch today. >> reporter: lauren says all of her employees have to take classes and know how to handle their weapons. even the local police chief says, in rifle, things are different. >> i understand why some people from the outside may see this as a little bit odd. but for here, it's really quite normal. it really stress to classes, no alcohol is served. this business model fits in with the community. >> reporter: and the burgers are good. >> the burgers are great. >> reporter: all the national attention and nonstop business, not only for the restaurant, but for rifle, has lauren considering a possible franchise. >> it sounds exciting.

maybe we would get a couple more restaurants going before anything. but there's been a lot of talk of it. a lot of people calling. a lot of people even demanding it. and it's actually kind of honoring that somebody wants a piece of what we have. >> reporter: lauren and her shooters grill plan to keep on serving seconds, right along with the second amendment. >> people call in all the time and tell me that this is not normal where they are. and they would never patronize a restaurant like this. i say, thank you for your opinion, god bless you. >> reporter: i'm clayton sandell, for "nightline," in rifle, colorado. next, flipping real estate has become a national obsession. but are those renovations really all they appear to be? coming up, we show you how to protect yourself. celebrate your love of crab with gthis year's largest variety!. 'cause it's crabfest at red lobster! dig into a succulent selection of crab entrées. like new crab lover's trio! with sweet snow crab legs, split king crab,

and jumbo lump crab over savory shrimp. crab three ways! all on one plate. or try new jumbo lump crab over wood-grilled salmon. experience crabfest at red lobster today. only for a limited time. come in and sea food differently!

if you suffer from constipation, you will likely also suffer from gas. introducing new dulcogas, which starts working to eliminate gas bubbles in minutes for effective relief. dulcogas, from the makers of dulcolax- nothing relieves gas faster.

many these days are making big bucks flipping homes. but in some cases those new renovations can leave a lot to be desired. how do you know what costly problems would be lurking beneath the shiny surfaces? here's abc's rebecca jarvis for our series, "reality check." when ericka doolittle bought this house, she thought it was the perfect home for her. you see a lot of nice stuff. >> on the surface, it looked good. >> reporter: she was dazzled by the location, the fresh coats of paint and the new kitchen appliances. >> it was a little scary to take

that step forward on my own. >> reporter: the seller, a house flipper, who had purchased the property just eight weeks prior. ericka paid $302,000, her life savings, even though an inspector told her there might be problems. she decided to buy it as-is. >> the problem was deeper than i anticipated. >> reporter: among the problems, loose, hazardous electrical wires, leaks in her sewer, and on top of it all -- >> the house wasn't attached to the foundation. pretty big concerns. >> reporter: and a year later, she found two feet of water under debris in the basement. >> when the workers got down there, there was a lake. there was a lot of flooding issues. under the house. >> reporter: water. >> water under the house. >> reporter: back then, ericka was told the damage would cost $15,000 to fix. but now, five years later, she's sunk $50,000 into the home. >> buyer beware. do your homework. and just make sure, you know,

all the "is" are dotted, all the "ts" are crossed, and you know what you're getting into. >> reporter: real estate guru, barbara corcoran says buyers need to be cautious when buying homes. >> flippers are good at doing surface repairs. you would be crazy to buy a house from a flipper without having a full inspection of the house and making a contract contingent on the house passing that inspection. >> reporter: and these days, more and more homes are flipped or bought and resold quickly than ever before. up 16% last year. and up a staggering 114% from the year before. so, how do you know if you're getting the most for your money? enter jennifer and steve clark, a professional husband and wife real estate marketing and design team. they've been helping ericka with herr renovations and say half their jobs are bad flips. >> we do because a lot of people

out there don't know what they're doing. >> we're flipping. >> all this needs to be replaced. >> reporter: the popularity of reality tv shows about flipping homes make it look easy and glamorous. >> that's 170k profit. >> do visit a shrink, it ain't easy. >> we have supports. >> reporter: jennifer says it's important for buyers to beware. as more people get into flipping, you have to be more and more careful as a buyer. >> right. exactly. often times people buy what they see. but it's the things you don't see that cost so much money that can be so easily hidden. >> reporter: they say there are insider secrets to spotting a potentially bad flip. and they showed us them in various homes. >> there's no vent line for this laundry. >> reporter: in your utility rooms, make sure the drier and heater are vented out of the

house. >> instead of taking the step and venting the drier outside, they take an easy step and drill a hole in the floor. >> reporter: measure the height of the electrical sockets. >> i know this is old electrical and it was done improperly. >> reporter: because it's next to the base boards? >> yeah. >> reporter: they should be 12 inches off the ground. any higher or lower can be a mix of old electrical wiring, which jennifer and steve say can be a wire hazard. your switches should be on the wall, not in the molding. >> the electrical switch should have been moved out this way. >> reporter: an afterthought. >> a complete afterthought. >> reporter: if the owner says the house comes with new appliances, ask to see the manuals. >> just because they appear brand-new, doesn't mean they are. >> reporter: and in the bathrooms, separate hot and cold knobs in the shower may mean the old fixtures were replaced but not the old plumbing, which could have cracks and leaks. while not all flips are flops,

the clarks say, always get a thorough inspection before buying. and remember -- >> if it sounds too good to be true, absolutely. it is. >> reporter: it's too good to be true. >> yeah. >> reporter: for "nightline," rebecca jarvis, oakland, california. next, he was supposed to be a passenger on a doomed malaysia airlines flight. and then, on the other. how he escaped a date with destiny twice. his remarkable story, coming up next. you've reached the age where you've learned a thing or two. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain...

it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to you doctor. if you suffer from constipation, you will likely also suffer from gas. introducing new dulcogas, which starts working to eliminate gas bubbles in minutes for effective relief. dulcogas, from the makers of dulcolax- nothing relieves gas faster.

just hours ago, a commander of separatist forces in ukraine handed over the two black boxes from malaysia airlines flight 17. the result of an agreement between rebel leaders and malaysian officials. the malaysian prime minister has promised that inspect investigators will be given safe access to the debris site. while they're searching for clues about exactly what happened, one man is looking back on how lucky he was to have stayed off the flight, the second doomed malaysia airlines flight he narrowly avoided. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: a wise man once said luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster. 298 souls this past week, that wire suddenly snapped, at 33,000 feet. >> i came all the way from holland. >> reporter: 29-year-old maarten de jonge would have easily been one of them. >> a lot of people died in the

crash. and i feel very sorry for the passengers and their families. but i'm very lucky to be alive. >> reporter: flying back from holland, where he was born, to malaysia, where he lives now, and competes as a professional cyclist, de jonge had a ticket on malaysian air flight 17. but it was expensive. more than $1,300. >> and i saw another flight on sunday. it was one place left. so, yeah, i decided to buy another ticket. >> reporter: so, that decision to save a little money, saved your life. >> yes. unbelievable. >> reporter: even more unbelievable is the fact that he has been through this before. so, you have been twice lucky? >> yes. a couple of months ago, with flight 370, it was the same story. >> reporter: that's right. he was supposed to be on malaysian flight 370. the boeing 777 that disappeared with 239 people onboard.

last march, he and his teammates were flying off to compete in the tour de taiwan. they decided not to take mh-370 to avoid a lengthy layover. instead, they took a different flight a half an hour later, arriving safely the night that mh-370 vanished without a trace. how do you fathom that? i mean, it's a remarkable story. >> yeah. just luck, yeah. >> reporter: flying home today, he took malaysian airlines. he heard some of the other passengers talking about what had happened but didn't share his story with them. he's tired and shaken. and just wants to get on with his life. >> very lucky. very lucky. very, very lucky. >> reporter: a stroke of luck. that thin wire between survival and disaster. martin de jonge, it came down to saving 300 euros. >> it was a good decision to take the cheaper flight. >> reporter: do you believe in fate? in god? >> i believe in god, yeah.

yeah. >> reporter: somebody's watching out for you. >> yeah. must be. >> reporter: i'm david wright for "nightline," in malaysia. >> amazing story. tomorrow night, hooray ram most goes to the border to see the dangers that migrants face every day. >> they use tunnels like this. that make the river to the sea. they can make it, they're safe. in the united states. >> the full special, "edge of a crisis," airs tomorrow night on fusion, at 10:00 p.m. eastern. thanks for watching abc news. "world news now" is coming up soon with overnight breaking news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're online at abcnews.c abcnews.com. good night. okay, it's last call for breakfast.

me already have breakfast. hey, hey, no "monster" in the kitchen. all right, everybody, take five. remember where we were. robe: oh, cereal. okay, i'm just going to go hit a bucket of balls. i'll see you later. hey, hey, hey, before you kick up your heels and skip to the car, just at least pour the kids some juice, all right? all right. oh, we're out of orange juic

whwhy is that in there? i put it back in to remind you that we're out of orange juice. i'll get orange juice. no, that's okay, robert. no, no, that's okay. it's not a problem. mom is fully stocked. can i go with you? i'll be back in a second, sweetie. now eat your breakfast, okay? he's great, isn't he? yeah, yeah, he's gre. he's my hero. all right, i'll see you later. you won't see the kids later. no? you found a buyer? robert is taking them to the zoo. oh, yeah? oh, well, that's great. he's great. yeah. that's great. okay, i'll see you guys later.