Hooters Chairman Found Dead

July 17, 2006 8:59 AM

"Good food, cold beer and pretty girls never go out of style." Robert H. Brooks, the 69-year-old Chairman of the 425-restaurant chain Hooters, has gone tits up has passed away.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow (68 comments total)

(.)(.)
posted by bashos_frog at 9:01 AM on July 17, 2006

(o)(o)
posted by keswick at 9:02 AM on July 17, 2006

Good food
posted by sonofsamiam at 9:03 AM on July 17, 2006

not to speak ill of the dead, but I didn't eat at a Hooters till I was about 29. I was disappointed. It in Miami in the summer, and the waitresses exposed less skin than the average girl walking down the sidewalk and one of them had a black eye, which kinda ruins the ambience. The food was OK, though.

.
posted by jonmc at 9:03 AM on July 17, 2006

Surprisingly, I have never been to a Hooters.

I do have a Hooters tshirt though. It's fun to wear.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:06 AM on July 17, 2006

Driving back from a camping trip earlier this summer, I was surprised to see Hooters Magazine on sale at a gas station in northern MN. It's by far the highest-quality publication I've ever bought... Well-written, witty, insightful, and dedicated to tackling all of the tough questions that come along with the Hooters lifestyle.
posted by COBRA! at 9:08 AM on July 17, 2006

I went into one a few years ago in Paramus, NJ. Ditto the non-exposure of the girls, but the food was terrible.
posted by wfc123 at 9:10 AM on July 17, 2006

When I see a Hooters all I can think of now is that South Park episode. "Welcome to Raisins!"
posted by mrbill at 9:11 AM on July 17, 2006

And how embarrassing would it be to be seen debarkng a Hooters Air plane?
posted by wfc123 at 9:15 AM on July 17, 2006

I like my strip bars with some actual stripping, thanks.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:16 AM on July 17, 2006

posted by pyramid termite at 9:20 AM on July 17, 2006

I ate at a Hooters once.
Once.
It’s kinda like being Caligula except on the Pax network (now i network).
posted by Smedleyman at 9:20 AM on July 17, 2006

Surprisingly, I have never been to a Hooters.

I do have a Hooters tshirt though. It's fun to wear.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy

I smell a Toronto meetup... and it smells pretty bad.
posted by GuyZero at 9:20 AM on July 17, 2006

(*Y*)
posted by DragonBoy at 9:20 AM on July 17, 2006

The food isn't all that horrid. Around Atlanta, the sweet iced tea -- served in huge glasses -- is awesome.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:22 AM on July 17, 2006

I'll miss the Jalepeno Poppers.

Keswick's areolas win.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:22 AM on July 17, 2006

Hello, people ... he died at 69! Let the jokes commence.
posted by thekilgore at 9:23 AM on July 17, 2006

In Florida, Hooters was kinda pointless. Down there there was even a topless donut shop. I never went, I think I'd be too tempted to play 'ring toss.'
posted by jonmc at 9:25 AM on July 17, 2006 [1 favorite]

A few years ago, I was in Charlotte, N.C., visiting my father in the hospital. He was in bad shape, and I was feeling sad, lonely, and hungry after having spent the entire day next to his bed. I had no desire to go to a strip bar, but the, um, ambiance at Hooters was perfect. The girls were almost Geisha-like, serving food and drink, looking purty, and lending an ear for an hour or so. I haven’t been back since, but I thoroughly enjoyed that one visit.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:27 AM on July 17, 2006

Hooters Employee Handbook [thesmokinggun]-- worth a look.
posted by zek at 9:30 AM on July 17, 2006

And their airline is top notch, too. Shame they don't fly to Illinois any more.
posted by boo_radley at 9:42 AM on July 17, 2006

Breast of the web.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:43 AM on July 17, 2006

The Buffalo Chicken Strips are amazing. And they put bags of ice in your pitchers of beer. And that cutie Shavonda from the Real World Philadelphia works at the one by me. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
posted by afx114 at 9:45 AM on July 17, 2006

I don't understand the fetishization and sexualization of owls. What's up with that?
posted by craniac at 9:45 AM on July 17, 2006

A few years back, I went to the second Lilith Fair. One of the sensitive New Age men attending it was wearing a Hooter's t-shirt.

He got a lot of glares...
posted by QIbHom at 9:48 AM on July 17, 2006

I went once with my dad when I was 10. The food sucked.
posted by hoborg at 9:48 AM on July 17, 2006

Hooters = American Geisha?

I'll entertain that... idea.
posted by anthill at 9:52 AM on July 17, 2006

Objectification of women is a bad thing, sure. But Hooters gets way too much flak for what they do. They're at least honest.

The closest two restaurants to my place of work are Hooters and a place called Joey's. Hooters is Hooters. We could never go there for lunch, because it's Hooters. Joey's is a swanky upscale bar/restaurant with decent grub... oh, and all of its waitstaff just happen to be attractive women in little black cocktail dresses. It's Hooters in Black -- it's just as objectifying as Hooters, yet somehow it's ok to go there; hell, my last performance review was held there.

I guess my point is that Hooters is refreshing in its honesty.
posted by gurple at 9:55 AM on July 17, 2006

Objectification of women is a bad thing, sure.

Pshaw. Everybody likes to objectified once in a while. I'm kind of amazed nobody's done a Hooters for women/gay men and called it Peckers.
posted by jonmc at 9:57 AM on July 17, 2006

... Peckers.

Their signature dish could be pepper-crusted shoestring fries, and they could call it Pubes.
posted by gurple at 10:00 AM on July 17, 2006

Apparently the new casino sucks too.

Never been. To either.
posted by bardic at 10:06 AM on July 17, 2006

Pekars: I'll have a slice of life, please. Heavy on the irony.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:08 AM on July 17, 2006

Heh. Pekar's would have a great jukebox, wouldn't it, flo?
posted by jonmc at 10:10 AM on July 17, 2006

Seriously. It would be the kind of joint divorces are made of.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:12 AM on July 17, 2006

Their signature dish could be pepper-crusted shoestring fries, and they could call it Pubes.

Or a whole fried plantain with shavings of tasted coconut.
posted by jonmc at 10:14 AM on July 17, 2006

I've been to Hooter's a few times, it's not really a big deal. Do they objectify women? Yup. Are the women who work their shocked that Hooter's objectifies women? Nope. I've been to some really upscale restaurants that do what was alluded to earlier in the thread with itty bitty black dresses as well, they're just not as honest about their objectification.
posted by substrate at 10:20 AM on July 17, 2006

I considered going in once and walked up and looked in the window. The skanky looking lipstick lizards in spandex weren't very appetizing, but it was the greasy stench that sent me down the street.
posted by 2sheets at 10:38 AM on July 17, 2006

The food as always been "meh".

The eye-candy took a negative shot when they passed a rule restricting the display of bare mid-driffs.

With subpar food and subpar eye candy...what's the point?

I'll have to find my low-brow entertainment elsewhere.
posted by dsquid at 10:42 AM on July 17, 2006

No matter what business it was, I wouldn't want to work for an employer that was THAT particular about what I can and cannot wear (limits on the # of earings, the colour of bra / nail polish / pantyhose) and claiming that they can fire me for failing to adhere to any of it. If you take the handbook zek links to at face value, they will fire their employees for having a run in their mandatory pantyhose and not dropping everything to go replace them. Because surely a run in the panty hose is more important than taking the food to customer while it's still warm??

No, I couldn't work at a place like that, and it's not because of the boobie jokes.
posted by raedyn at 10:48 AM on July 17, 2006

The eye-candy aspect lessens somewhat when one is old enough to be the father of some of the wait staff. And the panty hose really don't quite make it with track shorts. I'd rather see bare skin, even if it's not quite a cocoa-butter tan. The food's OK if a little pricey, but then, my idea of a good sports bar is one that doesn't seem like it's part of a chain -- just a bar & grill where the TV has a local team's game on, and no gimmicks, even potentially schwing!-inducing ones.
posted by pax digita at 11:00 AM on July 17, 2006

Worst. Food. Evah.
posted by tadellin at 11:09 AM on July 17, 2006

Interesting freudian typo there, jonmc.
*scribbles notes
posted by boo_radley at 11:14 AM on July 17, 2006

Must be fun hangin' with Ken Lay on some Micronesian atoll. Snorting blow from a stripper's buttcrack and all.
posted by bardic at 11:15 AM on July 17, 2006

It's not all it's cracked up to be, bardic.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:18 AM on July 17, 2006

boo radley: what?
posted by jonmc at 11:18 AM on July 17, 2006

jonmc, I believe Boo is referring the ABC coconut you specified.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:21 AM on July 17, 2006

where's the typo? and what's freudian in there? I may be missing the obvious...
posted by jonmc at 11:22 AM on July 17, 2006

Tasted, Jon?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:23 AM on July 17, 2006

Oh, shit.... (the central irony being that I hate coconut ;))
posted by jonmc at 11:25 AM on July 17, 2006

Jeez, so jonmc likes his coconuts licked, so what? Who doesn't?
posted by gurple at 11:25 AM on July 17, 2006

Not my kind of place, but Hooters' "Washington, Get a Grip" ad campaign (against the EEOC's efforts to make them hire male waiters) was a hoot. Along with some other PR stunts, it worked, too:

For a distinctly different reason, Hooters ran into problems with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) in 1991. The agency brought forth a commissioner's charge against Hooters claiming its hiring practices discriminate against men. Following an intensive four-year investigation the EEOC determined what executives had told them all along, Hooters only hires women as Hooters Girls. On November 15, 1995, the chain took the EEOC's charge public with a 100 Hooters Girl march on Washington D.C. Hooters received support from the nation's media, calling the charge "another example of ridiculous government waste," and some 500,000 Hooters customers supported the chain by sending postcards to Congress.

Because of this action, 23 members of the 104th Congress, led by Rep. Charles Norwood (R- Ga.), wrote the EEOC requesting it drop this matter. On May 1, 1996, news reports announced that the federal agency would not pursue litigation. To date, Hooters has not received formal notification from the EEOC, however believes the matter is concluded.

posted by cenoxo at 12:05 PM on July 17, 2006

Driving back from a camping trip earlier this summer, I was surprised to see Hooters Magazine on sale at a gas station in northern MN.

I ran across that magazine for the first time earlier this year in North Carolina. I remember thinking, "that must be a special edition of Maxim or FHM or something, because you're can't possibly have a magazine dedicated just to Hooters."

Turns out you can.
posted by Cyrano at 12:06 PM on July 17, 2006

My only major problem with Hooters is that the girls sometimes wear glitter on their cleavage. This is difficult for me because I am distracted by shiny things. It takes tons of effort for me to look the girls in the eyes and place my order. It's hard to be the cool, sympathic, feminist when your gaping at the shiny boobs.
posted by teleri025 at 12:13 PM on July 17, 2006

cyrano: I thought the same thing, "you can't have an entire magazine dedicated to that", when I saw the magazine called Cans at my newsstand. Turns out reading it was a hoot.

...

Yes, I am totally avoiding work here.
posted by boo_radley at 12:14 PM on July 17, 2006

"you're"...god. It's hard to type intelligently when you're thinking about the shiny boobs.
posted by teleri025 at 12:22 PM on July 17, 2006

It's hard to be the cool, sympathic, feminist when your gaping at the shiny boobs.

This is what they call 'mixed signals.' Ladies, tell us, once and for all: are we supposed to look at 'em or not?
posted by jonmc at 12:25 PM on July 17, 2006

If you're in Hooters, you're supposed to look at 'em.
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:40 PM on July 17, 2006

what about other bars?
posted by jonmc at 12:41 PM on July 17, 2006

I don't know of a good rule of thumb, but I suggest this plan of action:

if there's glitter on 'em, gawk openly. If the glitter-wearer gets offended, take advantage of the rare opportunity to get loudly up on your high horse re: the glitter and boobs situation.

If your speech is popularly received, periodically attempt to bring the subject up over and over again (progressively drunker) until everyone is sick of it, as per standard drunk protocol.
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:46 PM on July 17, 2006

Aren't you only supposed to look at them if she finds you attractive?
posted by InfidelZombie at 1:04 PM on July 17, 2006

They all find me attractive.
posted by jonmc at 1:05 PM on July 17, 2006

but they don't leave him attractive! ahahahahhaha!

no, I don't know what that means either.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:16 PM on July 17, 2006

Their own magazine? Hell, they even tried their own airline. David Rakoff has a funny essay about it in his book "Don't Get Too Comfortable."
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:17 PM on July 17, 2006

surprised this hasn't been posted yet:
Beavers (youtube, moderately NSFW, depending)
posted by bashos_frog at 1:30 PM on July 17, 2006

gaping at the shiny boobs...are we supposed to look at 'em or not?
Well, I'm looking, not because they're boobs, but, ya know, shiny.
posted by hellbient at 2:13 PM on July 17, 2006

I am proud to say I have never been to a HOOTERS and I never will.

Though not because I'm offended by the "objectification" of HOOTERS staff.

No. That argument was lost years ago. Everybody objectifies everybody. A waiter is a Food Delivery Object. I am a Graphic Design Object. My wife is a Art Director Object. The only time people seem to get irate about "objectification" it is when naughty bits are involved. And the objectifier is not attractive to you. And then you'd think the world was ending. I think this is becaue of our puritanical double standards in this culture.

Nope. I will never go to HOOTERS because the staff are NOT topless. I find that kind of duplicitous false advertising to be of low integrity. Who can trust a place like that. Who knows what the buffalo wings REALLY are? I bet they are not buffalo.
posted by tkchrist at 4:38 PM on July 17, 2006

The ad campaign starrred Vince, who was the kitchen manager at Hooters number, like 3, in Tyrone Square, about 2 miles from my house. Vince, too, is a hoot -- that's why he did the ads.

Note that this guy was the chairman of Hooters of America, the coporporation formed to exploit the concept nationally; he was not one of the Hooters' Six, who retained ownership of, oh, about 12 of the first restaurants, which to this day are much more fun to hang out in, because their kitsch is come by honestly.
posted by baylink at 4:48 PM on July 17, 2006

I'm kind of amazed nobody's done a Hooters for ... gay men and called it Peckers.

Dotcha mean Packers?
posted by spock at 5:26 PM on July 17, 2006