Delightfully tacky, yet overvalued

February 24, 2010 11:14 AM

Rumor has it Hooters is for sale and could fetch up to $250 million. After the death of the chairman Robert H. Brooks about four years ago the company has been run by his son Coby who recently was on an episode of Undercover Boss. A legal battle erupted over Coby's widower step-mom claiming for a larger share of the inhertance under South Carolina's elective share law forcing the company to take on outside investors. Now the company looks to raise cash quick with a defunct airline, casino in default, and countless lawsuits plaguing its profitable salad dressing manufacturing, credit card, and franchise operations.
posted by wcfields (169 comments total)

I should note that the episode of Undercover Boss Coby Brooks appeared on probably was the worst PR move I have seen with the fat chauvinist store manager having the waitresses eat beans off a plate hands free in order to determine who got to go home first after the lunch rush.

After doing a little research Coby sounds like a Tommy Boy-esq figure that was given the company after daddy died.
posted by wcfields at 11:16 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Thank god it's not Hooters-branded salad dressing.

Wait, what?

The variety will initially include Hooters® Bleu Cheese and Ranch dressings

There is no God.
posted by GuyZero at 11:17 AM on February 24, 2010

I should note that the episode of Undercover Boss Coby Brooks appeared on probably was the worst PR move I have seen with the fat chauvinist store manager having the waitresses eat beans off a plate hands free in order to determine who got to go home first after the lunch rush.

You have some charmingly naive ideas about the sorts of things that the standard Hooters customer would find objectionable.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 11:21 AM on February 24, 2010 [16 favorites]

The "casino in default" link makes the relevant observation:

Hooter’s Las Vegas suffered problems fundamental to all bad real estate investments—a second-rate building in a crummy location.
posted by Joe Beese at 11:23 AM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.
posted by four panels at 11:23 AM on February 24, 2010

More importantly, I'd like to know if anyone here as been to Chili's, and why.
posted by found missing at 11:25 AM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

Thanks for keeping us abreast of this...
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 11:26 AM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I visited a Hooters once, in Boston. I was there to look at boobies.

Everything went as planned.
posted by Usher at 11:26 AM on February 24, 2010 [44 favorites]

I have been a couple of times to get wings and beer before hockey games (DC). The beer is cheap (for that neighborhood) and comes in giant mugs and the wings are perfectly acceptable (its hard to fuck up a fundamentally perfect food). So yes, I am a monster for having gone there, but I dont have any issues with the place, I wouldn't miss it if it suddenly vanished though.
posted by BobbyDigital at 11:29 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

Wings.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 11:29 AM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

I have been to the Hooters of Dusseldorf, Germany several years ago. It was the only place playing the Word Series.
posted by cell divide at 11:29 AM on February 24, 2010

More importantly, I'd like to know if anyone here as been to Chili's, and why.

Yes, family likes it. Can't really say the same thing about Hooters.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 11:32 AM on February 24, 2010

I went to a Hooters once. In Phoenix when the one at Arizona Center opened back in the stoneage. We went there to see the boobies then left and went to the margarita place next door.

Later I returned to the Valley of the Sun and met some friends at the "Owl's Nest" which was the bar upstairs from the Hooters that had a nice view for people watching on Mill Avenue.

When I lived in Austin there was a chain of restaurants -- one was called "Twin Peaks" and the other had another similar name -- that was a knock off of Hooters concept.
posted by birdherder at 11:32 AM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I've been to the Hooters in DC with friend of mine who goes at least once a week because he knows exactly what he'll get every time (no wait, warm service, cheap fried food and beer) and it's within walking distance from his favorite gay bar.
posted by peeedro at 11:33 AM on February 24, 2010

Yes, I've been. I like beer, wings, and voluptuous cleavage. If you know of another place that has all three, I'll probably go there too.
posted by rocket88 at 11:34 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yes, we have the Twin Peaks knockoff here in DFW area of TX.

Not crying for demise of Hooters, over here...
posted by emjaybee at 11:35 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

Shortly after the Spokane Hooters® opened, I had to go there to deliver a load of office supplied to the attached casino (Owl's Casino, for those curious). The (remarkably un-hooter-laden) young lady at the front counter assumed I was there for my lunch break and tried to seat me. The casino was one of the least fun placed I'd been to, with many wilted souls who had more an air of desperation to them than anything else. Few of the women working were ones which my queer eye would call "hawt woman" types, but I don't really go ping in that direction, so who am I to judge.

Over the next few months, I had to visit there regularly as part of my delivery route until the office supply account was evidentially sharked by a competing company. In all that time, I can only confess to seeing perhaps two women who really fit the mold of what I would assume a Hooters® waitress physical profile should be. I guess that's what non-discriminatory workplace practices mean in practice.
posted by hippybear at 11:35 AM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I went there for the articles.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 11:37 AM on February 24, 2010 [28 favorites]

I didn't think that their wings were that great; they're breaded, which is really not a good thing in hot wings, as the breading tends to disintegrate in the sauce and you're left with this mush. The service is reasonably fast, but it's not someplace I'd really want to hang around in; the one around here that I've been in is fairly close to my usual place, which doesn't serve food, so I've gone there a few times to fill up on something before hitting my usual. Also, it seems like I've usually gone there during cold weather, and it makes me cringe a little bit that they're wearing sleeveless tops and hot pants in a restaurant that has doors that open directly to the outside when the wind chill is in the negatives out there.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:37 AM on February 24, 2010

News Flash: I Didn't Like Hooters, a pretty amusing article about the opening of a Hooters casino near Seattle.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:38 AM on February 24, 2010

So... no comments yet on the first sentence of the NY Post article?
posted by brundlefly at 11:39 AM on February 24, 2010

birdherder: "When I lived in Austin there was a chain of restaurants -- one was called "Twin Peaks" and the other had another similar name -- that was a knock off of Hooters concept."

A gay ex-Mormon friend of my wife's who runs a coffee shop here in Salt Lake City has considered opening a place called "Dick's" to be staffed by cute boys in bikini briefs.
posted by Joe Beese at 11:40 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

MuddDude went to a Hooters with his friends when they were seniors in High School. He said that waitresses with big boobs don't make up for the terrible service and crappy food. Just like any chain restaurant I assume it has its ups and downs, but as a principle I won't eat anywhere that won't hire male wait staff.
posted by muddgirl at 11:40 AM on February 24, 2010

Oh, forgot to say that the reason they went to Hooters was because they it was literally the only restaurant open after 7 in some podunk town they were driving through.
posted by muddgirl at 11:41 AM on February 24, 2010

I have been to the Hooters of Dusseldorf, Germany several years ago. It was the only place playing the Word Series.

Germany Hooters must really love their Scrabble.
posted by inigo2 at 11:42 AM on February 24, 2010 [5 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

Oh, also, I have a friend from high school who picked up the first-part time job he was offered to make some money in college as a cook at a Hooters. It really lit a fire in him. He dropped out of his engineering program, he enrolled at the Culinary Institite of America, and now runs a catering business and teaches a class in the Johnson and Wales University culinary program. All because of Hooters.

I'm just saying that this conversation doesn't have to only be about boobies.
posted by peeedro at 11:42 AM on February 24, 2010 [7 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

(Straight) lady here. Was taken there by a couple of male friends for giggles, and to try my very first crab legs, which were great (and the ostensible reason these two gentlemen liked the place).

The waitress had the (modestly sized) twins pushed together and up to within an inch of their lives (I definitely respect that undergarment), and when she bent down low (at the waist) to take the order, even I couldn't help staring.
posted by availablelight at 11:44 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

there's a certain sense of "I dare say, that place is a might too blue collar for me, old boy" that I'm getting from this question. I can't tell what you're really asking here, but it definitely seems there's some kind of weird implication, there.
posted by shmegegge at 11:46 AM on February 24, 2010 [5 favorites]

I like the caption on the photo on the first link. Yes, that's an accurate description of part of what's going on.
posted by Artw at 11:46 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

...also, the cheerleader-self-tanner-orange semi-opaque panty hose with the white scrunch socks and big white athletic sneakers made the whole scene look like it was scripted by a creepy old man who never got over his high school class of '84
posted by availablelight at 11:47 AM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

I have been to a Hooters.

It was with an architect I was working for who was courting some of the administrators of a local small school district for work. True.

I had a great conversation with the server about the baseball game that was on that afternoon. At the time I was a vegetarian and she also had the kitchen make up some off-the-menu thing she liked that was veggie. So my service was great, the food was good and all my lecherous co-workers were jealous that the server actually paid attention to me since I was acting like a human being and not drooling like a Tex Avery wolf over her. I'll call it a good experience.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 11:48 AM on February 24, 2010

Hooters AND sex.com!? What luck!
posted by june made him a gemini at 11:49 AM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I went with a friend ages ago. Basically just for a beer and some eats. Neither of us had ever been to a Hooters. I felt very...bad...afterwards. Like the way you feel after sitting through your boss telling a hideously sexist joke in the middle of a staff meeting.

They could actually be an ok chain without the boobs. Honest.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:49 AM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

A few years ago I was in a Hooters in Brampton, north of Toronto. I was at a meeting with some IT techs from Canadian Tire's warehouses in the area (I am a contractor specialising in the label printers they use). There was some mild flirting from the older member of our party -- he mentioned several times that he had a wife and three daughters, and so the banter was never more than playful -- while the rest of the men at our table mostly kept their heads lowered. Some of them, like a number of men sitting at other tables, didn't even make eye contact with their server the whole evening.

I think visiting a Hooters is something worth doing once. After you get past the whole hot-chicks-in-skimpy-uniforms thing, and the overwhelmingly male clientele, there's really no difference between Hooters and a regular sports bar. The wings were average, in my opinion, and the cheap beer tasted watered down.

That branch of Hooters shut down a year and a half later, which has been the norm for Hooters franchsies in Toronto for a while now.
posted by spoobnooble at 11:49 AM on February 24, 2010

I'm still trying to figure out why anyone voluntarily eats wings -- they're 10 times worse than ribs when it comes to going through way too much work, goopy sauce, fat, skin, gristle, and napkins all for one mouthful of something edible.

What next? Honey-roasted turkey necks?
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:52 AM on February 24, 2010 [8 favorites]

Oops. Lost my last line: Good service can be provided by good servers, regardless of their awful costume or surroundings.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 11:53 AM on February 24, 2010

By the way, the guys in my office seem to prefer Buffalo Wild Wings as a Hooters substitute - decent wings, good beer specials, and fully-dressed waitstaff of both genders.

They're not real well distributed outside the Midwest, though.
posted by muddgirl at 11:53 AM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

Nice work on dropping the "Do I need a TV to know about this?" of the thread.
posted by graventy at 11:54 AM on February 24, 2010 [17 favorites]

I was drinking with a few guys at Hooters a couple of years ago: pitcher after pitcher, getting pretty lit up (I think we were on our way to a nearby hockey game). The waitress seemed like she might have been doing the same, but hell, she was actually doing a pretty decent job, for a change. She came over to check on us, motioned to another waitress--a black waitress--and began, "Let me tell you something about the nigs." I do not remember what she told us (it is possible that it was drowned out by the sound of our jaws hitting the table).

She later invited us out back to smoke a bowl. We declined.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:54 AM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

I've always wondered what market niche Hooters held on to that wasn't already filled by strip clubs.
posted by emilyd22222 at 11:55 AM on February 24, 2010

Oh Noes! What ever will happen to the annual Hooter Girl contest?

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters

I have never been to a Hooters, but Nerdy McNerdiston, an acquaintance of mine, liked to talk about "eating out" (his words) there. It sounded like a place where wings grew on trees, the Bud flowed forever, and sexy women talked to you.

I can neither confirm or deny this.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:56 AM on February 24, 2010

I have not been inside a Hooters but I have been between them.
posted by DU at 11:57 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've always wondered what market niche Hooters held on to that wasn't already filled by strip clubs.

Can't take your kids to a strip club, usually.
posted by muddgirl at 11:57 AM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

How does Hooters lose money?

I mean, just open one up outside of every large college campus in the country and you should be rolling in dough.
I'm often surprised my town doesn't have one.
posted by madajb at 11:58 AM on February 24, 2010

I think I remember that when Hooters was sued for not hiring men (or fat women or whatever it was), part of their defense was that their food was bad (i.e. boobies was a bona fide occupational qualification because the focus wasn't the food).
posted by Pax at 11:59 AM on February 24, 2010

Has nobody here ever frequented a sports bar? They're all full of the same mostly male clientele and hot waitresses/barmaids in skimpy clothing. Hell, Hooters is a convent compared to some of the Hightops I've been to. My local Shoeless Joe's is no different. Hooters is just more up-front about it.
posted by rocket88 at 12:02 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why

I'm in one right now, as it were. They have cold beer, friendly staff, a couple of menu items I'll eat, and free wifi, which I am using now to read about them. So I guess I really am here for the articles.

Also, the proper name for the counterpart to Hooters staffed with scantily clad men is not "Dicks", but "Peckers", with a suggestively drawn rooster logo (according to a female friend).
posted by TedW at 12:03 PM on February 24, 2010 [5 favorites]

Huh, I always thought the wait staff at Hooters went topless.
posted by serazin at 12:03 PM on February 24, 2010

I freelanced for Hooters magazine for a stretch, and received review copies of various things from PR folks, hoping to get some press. So, of course, all envelopes and packages arrived to me, with "Hooters Magazine" or "Hooters Corp" in my address. The FedEx guy would invariably try to see behind me when I answered the door, just in case I had waitresses back there, stapling and collating and, you know, engaging in slumber party pillow fights.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 12:04 PM on February 24, 2010 [11 favorites]

Hooters is just more up-front about it.

Heh.
posted by octobersurprise at 12:05 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Protip: "Tits up" is a bankrupt euphemism.
posted by xod at 12:05 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

To get drunk before seeing the movie Sleepers at the Mall of America. I got punched at the end of that movie. And then things got weird.

I did write Hooters a letter and asked what a guy had to do to get a lap dance, but they didn't write back.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:08 PM on February 24, 2010

I mean, just open one up outside of every large college campus in the country and you should be rolling in dough.

Mmm. Rolling in dough. I don't think they thought of that one.

There's a copycat "Roosters" restaurant near us, with the requisite double-o in the name. Was "Boobs" already taken?
posted by pracowity at 12:09 PM on February 24, 2010

I used to work at a Chili's and sometimes I'd go to a nearby Hooters for lunch, so, uh, I've been to both.

My father once saw an article about Hooters (probably in the Providence Journal, that bastion of journalism) in which someone was quoted as saying, "I like the wings but I go for the girls". He highlighted that quotation and sent it to me, I guess on the assumption that it sums up what I like about the place. In fairness, for whatever reason, I LOVE their wings and I make my husband take me to Hooters whenever we're visiting his parents.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:14 PM on February 24, 2010

Went to a hooters in Vancouver BC once with the whole family. I can't remember exactly why it was selected but I do know that it was chosen not by the males in the family but by the females.

I do recall that it was underwhelming for the naughtiness factor but that the waitress was memorably good at her job as a server.
posted by bz at 12:16 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've already told my Hooters story, but I don't think I've linked to pictures of my BYO-whatever backyard wedding reception.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:18 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

My boss took me on the day before I got married. Just me and him and nine or so other programmers in Hooters. I expected, since I was about to be married, that I would get a 'performance' of some sort from the Hooter girls, and I was not disappointed.

I was made to stand on a pair of stools with large, orange balloons taped to my chest while four Hooters girls danced around and lamented my passing out of the category of bachelor.

Fun times.
posted by Pragmatica at 12:18 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

As I work just a few miles from where Hooters was founded I have been to the original many many times. Up until recently I would meet one of my best friends there once a week or so for lunch. That is no longer the case, as we have been recently blessed by a new sports pub called the Tilted Kilt, which is now our first choice. Better food, better umm..... "talent".
posted by HappyHippo at 12:18 PM on February 24, 2010

Previously.
posted by Ratio at 12:19 PM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I used to live across the street from Hooters in Boston, and my boyfriend and I would go there because they served decent wings late at night, and I was working third shift. The first time we went in, the waitresses flirted a bit, then realized we were a gay couple, and then they were way more friendly and relaxed. We got wings there a lot.
posted by xingcat at 12:20 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Most of you know I work for a florist. When a guy is in trouble and is ordering flowers to get out of the doghouse, I jokingly term the bouquets I sell them "doghouse" flowers.

Hooters gets the highest percentage of doghouse flowers of any place we send to. Bar none.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 12:20 PM on February 24, 2010 [10 favorites]

To Hooters, the women’s rights movement is important because it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a Supreme Court Justice or Hooters Girl. -- hooters.com
posted by brain_drain at 12:21 PM on February 24, 2010

If you have the money, I have a great idea for you:

Hooters in Space!
posted by eyeballkid at 12:22 PM on February 24, 2010

Can't take your kids to a strip club, usually.

Well you COULD, it's just depending on age and breast-feeding status, they might get awfully confused.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 12:22 PM on February 24, 2010

To Hooters, the women’s rights movement is important because it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a Supreme Court Justice or Hooters Girl.

Men don't get the choice, though. They can only pick Burly Manly Man jobs. No Hooters Girl jobs for them, even if they wax all their body hair every day.
posted by muddgirl at 12:24 PM on February 24, 2010

I've been a few times. Once for an office going away thing, once for a bachelor party pre-drinking session, once because someone I was hanging out with really wanted to go. Meh. Not really my bag, but the wings aren't bad.
posted by electroboy at 12:25 PM on February 24, 2010

I guess the Hooters comic book never took off.
posted by kipmanley at 12:29 PM on February 24, 2010

Has nobody here ever frequented a sports bar? They're all full of the same mostly male clientele and hot waitresses/barmaids in skimpy clothing. Hell, Hooters is a convent compared to some of the Hightops I've been to. My local Shoeless Joe's is no different. Hooters is just more up-front about it.

Seriously. I went to the local one here a few months ago with some of the younger guys from the office, and they made it out like it was a big deal. I tried to get one of the guys my age to go with us, but he made some comment about "his wife finding out." It's not a strip club folks, it's a restaurant. With horrible food, and waitresses dressed in tight shirts and orange shorts.
posted by Big_B at 12:30 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a Supreme Court Justice or Hooters Girl.

I was banking on both, but okay.
posted by sallybrown at 12:30 PM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

Also, wearing pantyhose with old school gym shorts is weird.
posted by electroboy at 12:35 PM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I've been there for the same reason I've been to hundreds of other nearly identical sports bars: to have a beer and some lunch. Hooter's really isn't any different from anyplace else; they just market it differently. Your question implies ignorance.

OTOH - I've never gone to the Hooters Casino here in Vegas. It's more difficult to access than nearly any other casino in town (that's why its predecessor died).
posted by coolguymichael at 12:36 PM on February 24, 2010

I went to Hooters in Seattle with a group of about 20 men and women dressed in bridal gowns, drunk, after waltzing all over town being lunatics for several hours. Brides of March. So awesome.
posted by tristeza at 12:36 PM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why
With some friends (all female, including one lesbian friend) stuck at a hotel in the Midwest a few years ago. Bad weather, no car and little in the way of restaurants nearby, so we went to Hooters.
Service was friendly enough, beer was cheap, food was disappointing, particularly the fries.
posted by pointystick at 12:37 PM on February 24, 2010

Hooter's really isn't any different from anyplace else; they just market it differently. Your question implies ignorance.

They market it differently and refuse to hire male waitstaff. Unlike any other sports bar I've been in.

Maybe we don't go to the same sports bars...
posted by muddgirl at 12:37 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

I was banking on both, but okay.

You mean like the late Earl Warren?
posted by 1f2frfbf at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

They market it differently and refuse to hire male waitstaff. Unlike any other sports bar I've been in.

Maybe we don't go to the same sports bars...

We must - I've never seen a male waiter in a sports bar. Rarely have I even seen male bartenders.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:41 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I went once when I visited the Mall of America. It was really the only restaurant choice in my book. If you are at the Mall of America, you are pretty much compelled to go to Hooters to complete the experience of that particular brand of yucky Americana.
posted by msali at 12:42 PM on February 24, 2010

A gay ex-Mormon friend of my wife's who runs a coffee shop here in Salt Lake City has considered opening a place called "Dick's" to be staffed by cute boys in bikini briefs.

"Taters" surely?

There's a gay sports bar here in NYC called, of course, GYM, which I refuse to enter despite the beer blasts cause they took over my favorite cafe for drawing in and hold tight to my petty grudges
posted by The Whelk at 12:42 PM on February 24, 2010

Re: this anti-wing propaganda: I don't get why anyone would eat ribs when you can have cool, smooth ice cream instead. No bones, sweeter, and it doesn't get stuck in your teeth.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:42 PM on February 24, 2010

I'm still trying to figure out why anyone voluntarily eats wings -- they're 10 times worse than ribs when it comes to going through way too much work, goopy sauce, fat, skin, gristle, and napkins all for one mouthful of something edible.

If they're done wrong, sure, same as ribs. The thing about them is that they're really only suitable as a snack--some places charge as much for 10-12 of them as they would for a complete meal. The irony is that buffalo wings started as free happy hour bar food; the wings were incredibly cheap in bulk, really easy to prepare if you had a deep fryer, and the hot sauce encouraged your patrons to drink.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:46 PM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why

I was mistaken on the restaurant's theme. I asked my waitress if they would play "And We Danced" and she looked at me oddly.
posted by Dr-Baa at 12:48 PM on February 24, 2010 [6 favorites]

Ever since Hooters gave away a "toy Yoda" instead of a Toyota, their fortunes have been going downhill. Come to think of it, so have Toyota's.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 12:52 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Huh. And now GM's gonna stop making Hummers. Not sure why I'm tempted to put the two together like this. Hmm.
posted by kipmanley at 12:57 PM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I went in high school with some friends while we were on a road trip. During our meal, some off-duty waitresses came into the restaurant, talked briefly to their waitress friends, sat down at a table, and then started making out.

My male friends were very impressed by this. I was told this was not the typical Hooter's experience.
posted by mmmbacon at 12:58 PM on February 24, 2010

Coby Brooks really shouldn't be running anything larger or more important than a cash register and anyone who likes 'Undercover Boss' really ought to ashamed of themselves.

Hope this helps.
posted by hamida2242 at 12:59 PM on February 24, 2010

I was banking on both, but okay.

You mean like the late Earl Warren?

More like Bill Brennan--talk about appealing to prurient interest!
posted by sallybrown at 1:00 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.
posted by four panels at 11:23 AM on February 24

An ex and a friend both worked there during college. They got pretty good tips and the management would 86 anyone behaving inappropriately, which happened only once. Better money than the graveyard shift at the IHOP where you also have to deal with drunk Juggalos as well as teenage goths all excited about fucking, like, Rocky Horror or whatever.

I will agree that the food is fucking beyond terrible, though.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:02 PM on February 24, 2010

i agree that it's just like any other sports bar - in fact, the girls might even be more clothed than most sports bars.

weirdly, it gets the dr laura seal of approval.
posted by nadawi at 1:03 PM on February 24, 2010

Why even go to Hooters? If you want to overpay for subpar beer and bad food while watching economically disadvantaged women jiggle around and maybe a football game- why not go to a topless place where you can "see it all" and the women actually make more than they would at a Chili's?
posted by hamida2242 at 1:07 PM on February 24, 2010

You really don't want to eat the food at Hooters:
http://www.holytaco.com/why-you-should-never-eat-wings-hooters
posted by hamida2242 at 1:09 PM on February 24, 2010

I used to work at Hooters.

I was 19 (I'm now 26), and it seemed like the best way to become an actual restaurant server without having to clamber up the ranks. I worked there nine months before I had enough. And despite the way the it chafes at my beliefs, I don't regret working there.

What sucked:

I don't have big boobs. One of the most annoying things about working at Hooters was telling people where I worked, and having them stare pointedly at my small B-cup chest. Oh, thanks for catching that! I had no idea!

Having to buy a new $5 pair of suntan-colored nylons from the vending machine in back every time they ripped, which was about every other shift.

The days the managers ran pay-per-view wrestling, during which guys would order a $5.50 pitcher of beer, $5 worth of .25 cent wings, sit for three hours, and tip $1.50.

No trays were allowed, even when you had big parties, because it meant you'd have to ask other girls for help. The more girls, the better.

The meangirls.

Knowing you'd get in trouble if you didn't sit at every single one of your tables at least some point during the meal, even when you were slammed.

The pervs.

What was great:

I really did feel cute in my hideous circa-1983 uniform. Plus, suntan-colored leggings make everyone's legs look good, even if the color doesn't match the rest of your body.

Making birthday guys hula-hoop.

Free grilled cheese sandwiches (no, not THAT kind).

Best of all: In most places, you're in big trouble if you're not scampering around like a headless chicken at all times, even when things are slow. At Hooters, we could just pick the most creepster-free table, sit, and chat as long as we wanted. Which, when you're a server, is practically priceless.

When I worked at Hooters, I'd already changed my college major to writing. It might be some of the reason I stayed on so long -- every shift was a menagerie of characters. The Hooters Girl with a ninja turtle body who ate nothing but raw onions (like apples!); the bet-losers who had to throw back agonizing shots of 911 sauce; the 18-year-old Hooters Girls who were still in high school (imagine!); the mild-mannered old guy who came every day, ordered the same thing, and seemed harmless until you discovered he'd been visiting various Hooters for two decades and kept albums filled with Polaroids of Hooters girls.

Oh, and I'll never forget the guys I got kicked out. At least at the location where I worked, the managers always had our backs when someone crossed the line. The problem was -- and is, for girls working in a similar tip-based environment, or for young girls in general -- that the line was really hazy. Every shift, I'd deal with guys dancing around it, darting in and then "Oh, just kidding!"

Blaming the Hooters Girl comes with the territory. I worked there by choice! I saw the "Caution: Blondes Thinking" signs when I filled out my application.

Yeah, no. It still sucked. I mean, the majority of patrons were just fine -- maybe a little flirty, but respectful. There were families with children, couples on dates, nice people who just really liked wings with ranch. But there were also guys with way too much to say about my ass, and worse. Not to mention the guys who made "stupid" jokes, even though I was attending one of the better schools in the country.

So I quit.

But I don't regret it.

Polaroid guys is definitely going to show up in one of my books.
posted by changeling at 1:13 PM on February 24, 2010 [103 favorites]

have a friend - college educated, not at all the typical ditz - and she worked at twin peaks and buffalo wild wings while in school - she hated BWW because she made about 1/3 in tips as she made at twin peaks. she was in no way "economically disadvantaged" while working at twin peaks. also, it was her boss at BWW that sexually harassed her.
posted by nadawi at 1:14 PM on February 24, 2010

More importantly, I'd like to know if anyone here as been to Chili's, and why.

I love Chili's. I also liked "Undercover Boss" the time I watched it. ::hangs head in shame::
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:18 PM on February 24, 2010

FYI, order "all drums" if you're lazy (like me) when it comes eating wings.
posted by LordSludge at 1:20 PM on February 24, 2010

p.s. I will answer any questions
posted by changeling at 1:22 PM on February 24, 2010

Free grilled cheese sandwiches (no, not THAT kind).

What kind?!
posted by shmegegge at 1:25 PM on February 24, 2010

Free grilled cheese sandwiches (no, not THAT kind).

Wow, I learned something new today.

Though I'm not sure I wanted to...
posted by madajb at 1:26 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

shmegegge

Urban dictionary is your friend.
..or not.
posted by madajb at 1:27 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

oh - and if you find yourself in owasso oklahoma - chilis is one of the few places where a vegetarian can order an actual entree. the black bean burger is amazing.
posted by nadawi at 1:28 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

At Hooters, we could just pick the most creepster-free table, sit, and chat as long as we wanted. Which, when you're a server, is practically priceless.

Man, I used to think it was my effortless charm (or more likely, my tipping practices) that would have the girls sitting at my table.

Now I know it's just 'cause I was the least creepy dude in the place.
Which is good, I guess.
posted by madajb at 1:29 PM on February 24, 2010

Hooters enrages me, and I admit I don't really know why. I think it's the veneer of respectability. The fact that they have a kids menu. At least strip clubs are honest about what they are.

Side note: I once stayed in a hotel in Jersey City (or was it Newark?) with a Hooters knock-off in the building. It was called "Bazookas" with rifle sights as the "oo".
posted by JoanArkham at 1:34 PM on February 24, 2010

Where I grew up there was a Hooters knock off that was called "Toots". You know how Hooters has the owl? Toots' mascot was a CLAM.
posted by josher71 at 1:36 PM on February 24, 2010 [7 favorites]

How does Hooters lose money?

I mean, just open one up outside of every large college campus in the country and you should be rolling in dough.


Nope. At most colleges, you can see the same amount of flesh for free in your 8am intro lectures.
posted by availablelight at 1:37 PM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

I used to think it was my effortless charm (or more likely, my tipping practices) that would have the girls sitting at my table

oh, the tips certainly helped
posted by changeling at 1:38 PM on February 24, 2010

My dad once had a volleyball board meeting there because Denny's had a wait time of over 2 hours. He said it was quite difficult to keep everyone on task.

I've never been to one, but I remember passing by a knockoff (I assume) called 'Teasers' in Amsterdam. The girls were wearing the same sort of outfits, but they had these AMAZING furry white boots.
posted by sperose at 1:40 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I forgot to mention that back years ago when my husband managed a Waffle House, he had a couple of gorgeous, really nice waitresses who decided to quit and go work at Hooters. Before too much time went by they came back.

According to them they didn't enjoy being treated like "prostitutes."
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 1:40 PM on February 24, 2010

Ah, I forgot the rest of my creepy Hooters memories.

Once when I was talking to my brother (10 years old than me) about how I was having a hard time finding a decent job, he told me I should apply at Hooters. I gave him the 'I beg your motherfucking pardon' stare and he gestured at my chest and said I had the proper equipment.
posted by sperose at 1:47 PM on February 24, 2010

I've been twice, once with some guys from work about 15-20 years ago, and again about 8 years ago when a buddy got divorced and wanted to go there.

Plus, suntan-colored leggings make everyone's legs look good, even if the color doesn't match the rest of your body.

Oh, wow, I disagree. They make their legs look weirdly artificial, like Barbie dolls.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:51 PM on February 24, 2010

I went to a Hooters once with a group from the office. They forgot my food. So I reordered. When it came, it was immediately followed by my original order. And it wasn't very good. And their beer selection wasn't very good unless you like Bud or Coors Light. Good riddance.
posted by tommasz at 1:52 PM on February 24, 2010

She later invited us out back to smoke a bowl. We declined.

See that's where you went wrong right there.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:53 PM on February 24, 2010 [7 favorites]

I never understood the pantyhose under the gym short thing either. I guess it's pretty obvious that the founder was not a legs man.
posted by Ber at 1:57 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh, I forgot to add that it's closed, replaced by a Japanese steak house. This despite being on one of the busiest roads in the area near to colleges, hotels and a significant number of residences. It takes a particular kind of suck to fail in that location, but they did.
posted by tommasz at 2:00 PM on February 24, 2010

At least strip clubs are honest about what they are.

Should the Rainforest Cafe be honest and bill itself as a zoo? It's a restaurant with a stupid theme. Sometimes people go there for the food. (Sometimes it's the only place to get breaded wings in genuinely spicy sauce and a non-BMC beer.)
posted by uncleozzy at 2:02 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

>You really don't want to eat the food at Hooters

That article offends on several levels.
posted by ekroh at 2:31 PM on February 24, 2010

Hooters enrages me, and I admit I don't really know why. I think it's the veneer of respectability. The fact that they have a kids menu. At least strip clubs are honest about what they are.

No they're not. I don't want to derail, but one of my best friends is a stripper, and those places are far, far worse than most people realize. They are very close to pimping.
posted by DecemberBoy at 2:37 PM on February 24, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

Went there a few times in college, at first for the novelty of it, but mostly because it was right next to the local theater. They have a pretty decent New England clam chowder, and their pasta salad is tasty, too.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:43 PM on February 24, 2010

At least strip clubs are honest about what they are.

I think Hooters is pretty honest about what it is. I mean, it's called Hooters. Does the owl make it too subtle?
posted by shakespeherian at 2:53 PM on February 24, 2010 [8 favorites]

I saw the undercover Boss episode and concluded that the CEO was every bit just as out of touch by the end of the episode. He saw problems that he did the minimum to throw a tiny bit of money at. He sprung for a managers vacation? Donated money to charity under another managers name. Mildly told a third manager that what he does might be crossing a line and to maybe not do that so much with cameras running.

The show showed he was not effective, and a problem. He hadn't learned a damn thing. It looks like he had just done it for the pr and it was going to be business as usual the next day. I wasn't impressed.

I was dragged into a hooters once by a coworker doing the overly masculine thing. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I wouldn't miss it if it went away.
posted by agent of bad karma at 2:55 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

As I work just a few miles from where Hooters was founded I have been to the original many many times. Up until recently I would meet one of my best friends there once a week or so for lunch. That is no longer the case, as we have been recently blessed by a new sports pub called the Tilted Kilt, which is now our first choice. Better food, better umm..... "talent".

My turn.

I was in Green Bay for a month and had hit all the other chain restaurants in town. Swear, there wasn't a local place and people I was working with were not much help in finding one.

Moving on.

I was traveling alone and saw a Hooters. Not wanting to be the creepy guy eating alone at Hooters I opted for the place right behind it...The Tilted Kilt. I immediately regretted that decision. If you think the Hooters outfit is skimpy then you shouldn't go here (or maybe you should).

Each server was in a super mini skirt, thigh-high white shocks, Mary Jane shoes, and a bra. Yes, a bra. No more coverage than a bathing suit. I felt the avoidance of being creepy had completely failed and was in fact inflated.

The food was way worse than Hooters, but the servers were nice enough and prompt. My server, by the way, stood about 6'4" in her heels and a sight to be seen. Then again, I'm a leg man.

Anyway...Hooters. It is what it is. You can get wings and beer a lot of places. Hooters just makes sure your server is showing a little skin. The wings are okay, but I prefer Wingstop. If you do go to Hooters I would suggest getting them Daytona Style. It's a sweeter, less hot version of the sauce and is charred on the flat grill instead of breaded.

The end.
posted by damionbroadaway at 3:01 PM on February 24, 2010

The Tilted Kilt? And it's not a male version of hooters? Really?
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 3:04 PM on February 24, 2010 [12 favorites]

OK, I guess it's not too much of a derail to explain what the hell I'm talking about: first of all, each stripper has to pay a "floor fee" to even work. See, the clubs look at it like the girls are independent contractors to whom they're providing a service via a place to ply their trade, and not that they wouldn't exist without strippers. The stripper is also expected to tip the DJ, the bartender, and probably other people. This is not even to mention the fact that in many clubs the VIP room is essentially there for prostitution, with the full knowledge of the people operating the club, and any girls who go that route are expected to "tip" the club staff to look the other way. It's fucking pimping, and if you participate in that system you're condoning pimping.
posted by DecemberBoy at 3:13 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

I've stayed in the Hooters Casino in Las Vegas twice. My team goes regularly to take part in the Minor League Football Hall of Fame annual induction ceremonies and we all stay there because it's cheap. I wouldn't have said there's anything more tasteless or shocking in Hooters than can easily be found in the rest of the city.
posted by robertc at 3:23 PM on February 24, 2010

This is not even to mention the fact that in many clubs the VIP room is essentially there for prostitution

There is sex in the champagne room? My worldview is shattered!
posted by rifflesby at 3:25 PM on February 24, 2010

I hear they're going bust.
posted by applemeat at 3:30 PM on February 24, 2010 [4 favorites]

That "Undercover Boss" ep was so Meta. I mean, it was boyzone AND plate of beans!

The few times I've been to a Hooters, the clientele was mostly kids in sports uniforms. It's a favorite after-the-game destination for little league baseball and soccer teams, apparently.
posted by First Post at 4:01 PM on February 24, 2010

To me strip clubs are honest about selling sex. Hooters is also selling sex but dressing it up with a wink, and that it's OK for kids and families and people who just really like hotwings.

Like I said, it's a gut feeling. I'm not condemning anyone for going, and I can't really defend it beyond that. And yes, I do know people who have worked as strippers and on the edges of the sex industry, and I realize it's not some sort of sex-positive utopia.
posted by JoanArkham at 4:57 PM on February 24, 2010

Yeah, JoanArkham, the insidiousness of it is terrible to me. It's the casual objectification of women as bodies first that really bothers me.
posted by agregoli at 5:49 PM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

There is sex in the champagne room? My worldview is shattered!

Not in a place that would be high class enough to call it the "champagne room". This kind of thing generally only happens in the sleazy clubs that are near airports and in sketchy industrial neighborhoods, but that makes up about 90% of strip clubs. Ask any stripper, I don't care where you live, I bet they'll confirm it. It's a point of contention for the girls that actually have self-respect, because you can make a hell of a lot more money surreptitiously blowing guys in the VIP room.
posted by DecemberBoy at 6:54 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

And there is also the fact that in a lot of those seedy places the managers encourage drug use to help women cope with the massive amounts of dehumanizing treatment the young women receive.

Hooters is a convent compared to a strip club. It may not be all that fantastic in comparison to other places, but comparing Hooters to a strip club is way overstating the case. I can say that with authority, even though I am all about disliking objectification of my gender.

I have been to Hooters. They had decent wings, crab legs, and lots of beer. The waitresses were really nice and fun (we were a mixed group of patrons, so I assume we had a not-creepy vibe going on). We played tic tac toe with the young women as we grew ever more intoxicated, then left a massive tip. It wasn't any different than any other sports bar, except the young women who serve as the waitstaff have a somewhat-skimpy costume. They're not waltzing around in pasties and a cache-sexe.
posted by winna at 7:15 PM on February 24, 2010

as we have been recently blessed by a new sports pub called the Tilted Kilt

What damionbroadaway said about the food. I know shit that's been microwaved when I taste it. At least I can see Hooters wings hit fryer oil.

(Used to go to Hooters once every other month or so. A manager really liked it, I had a couple of friends who worked there and the company paid. And their off-menu, super hot wings aren't the best but they ain't bad.)
posted by Cyrano at 7:48 PM on February 24, 2010

Where I grew up there was a Hooters knock off that was called "Toots". You know how Hooters has the owl? Toots' mascot was a CLAM.


A "Toots" opened up in my town a couple of years ago, I think it lasted about 6 months. Never went but then again I don't try to eat at chain food bags if I can help it. I gotta say I think Toots is the worst name for a restaurant I've ever heard.
posted by nola at 7:50 PM on February 24, 2010

I've been to the Hooters in DC with friend of mine who goes at least once a week because he knows exactly what he'll get every time (no wait, warm service, cheap fried food and beer) and it's within walking distance from his favorite gay bar.

I smell a meetup.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:57 PM on February 24, 2010

And there is also the fact that in a lot of those seedy places the managers encourage drug use to help women cope with the massive amounts of dehumanizing treatment the young women receive.

This is also true. From what I know, and again this is just second hand knowledge from my friend and some of her friends, it's not so much that they directly encourage it as, again, they look the other way. Sometimes they have to be "tipped" to do that as well.

Don't get it fucked up about strippers, though: my friend is one of the most vital, intelligent ladies I've ever known. She's told me all about how she has to put on a bimbo face and tune out in order to cope, and I think that's fucking tragic. This girl could be anything in the world if she'd had the same opportunities we take for granted. When I hear the same guys that go to these clubs and keep this sick system running talking about how strippers are all gross lowlifes and oh I'd never date one, it makes me pretty-close-to-violently mad.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:19 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

I went there a couple of times back in college. Hooters wings are pretty damn good. Both spicy and vinegary as hell--a nice combo. I won't say I ignored the waitresses, but I honestly went for the cheap beer and the wings. No, really.
posted by zardoz at 11:29 PM on February 24, 2010

Where I grew up there was a Hooters knock off that was called "Toots".

Holy hell. There's more than the old one in Murfreesboro!? To double my shame, I've been there too. Nothing stands out in my memory about it, but some people at my parents church were somewhat scandalized that I went.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 5:37 AM on February 25, 2010

One time my wife and I were walking past a hooters with a outdoor patio. A woman with an infant was sitting with a group of people at one of the tables.

"What a horrible place to take a baby," said my wife. To which I replied:

"Actually, when you think about it, Hooters is a great place for a baby!"
posted by Brodiggitty at 5:58 AM on February 25, 2010 [7 favorites]

So, is the food good, or isn't it? I feel like I've read a dozen comments on both sides.
posted by box at 6:06 AM on February 25, 2010

The food is kind of like any other chain restaurant, box--though probably closer to the type of food you'd get a Friendly's than Friday's.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:34 AM on February 25, 2010

Holy hell. There's more than the old one in Murfreesboro!? To double my shame, I've been there too. Nothing stands out in my memory about it, but some people at my parents church were somewhat scandalized that I went.

I had a friend who was the manager at the Murfreesboro Toots. That's a hell of an item on your resume.
posted by josher71 at 8:35 AM on February 25, 2010

The Hooters by us fulfills the lawsuit requirements. We have pregnant and "people of size" waitresses at ours. Sorry but it just looks stupid in order to prove a point.
posted by stormpooper at 9:19 AM on February 25, 2010

Would love to hear if anyone here has been inside Hooters, and why.

I was at Hooter's once running sound for a gig for a friend's band. They played outside in the patio area, and it was pretty small-time, but illuminating being there. The appetizers were pretty good, but I didn't pay for anything ... Haven't been back since, and that must have been in the late '90s.
posted by krinklyfig at 11:29 AM on February 25, 2010

This kind of thing generally only happens in the sleazy clubs that are near airports and in sketchy industrial neighborhoods, but that makes up about 90% of strip clubs.

Are you claiming that 90% of strip clubs are near airports & industrial neighborhoods, or that 90% are sleazy, or that 90% have prostitution in the VIP room?

I mean, I know that number is just something you pulled out of your ass in any case. But while it's probably true that the majority of clubs are located in the types of neighborhoods you describe (doubt it's 90% though), and that many of them may meet somebody's definition of sleazy, to say you can get a blowjob (or any sort of unclothed touching of genitals) in a significant percentage of clubs is, well, bullshit in my experience.

I know of at least three pizza places where you can buy cocaine from the staff. This means nothing about pizza joints or about people who eat pizza in general.

(apologies for contributing to a derail...I like the grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches at Hooters, comes with fries for under $6 and is yumminess.)
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 12:54 PM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

I can't stand it when a waiter/waitress sits down at the table with me when I'm in a restaurant. It's annoying as hell. I'm not there to chat with them and listen to their tired comments, I'm there to eat and spend time with the people I walked in with.
posted by iconomy at 1:48 PM on February 25, 2010 [2 favorites]

There is at least one reason to go to Chili's. Their vegetarian black-bean burgers are decent. It's not much, but when you are eating out with a bunch of chain-loving meat-eating friends/family, You can suggest Chili's. You get a decent vegetarian meal and they get whatever heart disease precursor they want.
posted by oddman at 2:39 PM on February 25, 2010

Hooters. Sports bars. Mall of America. Chili's. Denny's. Gazoongas. Las Vegas. Hooters Casino. Chicken wings and watered-down beer. Paper napkins. Baseball games. This is so depressing. I've never been to the States, let alone Hooters, yet the very thought of these places just leaves me so unutterably depressed. Oh god.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:53 PM on February 25, 2010 [5 favorites]

You forgot J.P.McPickleshitters.
posted by applemeat at 3:56 PM on February 25, 2010 [3 favorites]

Who the fuck is depressed by paper napkins and baseball games?
posted by smackfu at 8:20 PM on February 25, 2010 [17 favorites]

Hooters. Sports bars. Mall of America. Chili's. Denny's. Gazoongas. Las Vegas. Hooters Casino. Chicken wings and watered-down beer. Paper napkins. Baseball games. This is so depressing. I've never been to the States, let alone Hooters, yet the very thought of these places just leaves me so unutterably depressed. Oh god.

Oh get over yourself and pry the back of your hand from your forehead. Baseball games are wonderful and if you think the rest of your list-of-lame defines America then that says more about your lack of understanding than anything else.
posted by Bonzai at 8:41 PM on February 25, 2010 [9 favorites]

If you really want a depressing America! moment I suggest you check out the full-page ad in AmNY about the "Open To the Public" Cash 4 Gold event in the Marriot Hotel with "On site Security", "Free Admission" and "Instant Cash On The SPOT!!!"
posted by The Whelk at 8:54 PM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

I was in Green Bay for a month and had hit all the other chain restaurants in town. Swear, there wasn't a local place and people I was working with were not much help in finding one.


That's just sad. Plenty of great places in Green Bay. Kroll's, Al's Hamburger Shop, Bilotis Pizza, Angelinas, Frank & Pat's Pizza(or Cranky Pats same place), plus some fancy places too. Here's a list
posted by Bonzai at 8:56 PM on February 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

OK, my local angle here is that when Hooters opened, there was much sturm und drang about the image of the city (such as it is). Some of the zoning approval meetings had statements from various community leaders, and the request was, I believe, ultimately handled by the city council. My fuzzy memory tells me that one of the objections came from the staff director of the local YWCA, probably speaking for herself as a citizen, but incorporating feminist themes.

So when Hooters opened, the first thing they did was hold a fundraiser -- for the YWCA. It was played half as cheeky tweak of their opposition, half as really-we're-feminists-how-could-you-infer-otherwise. The YW turned down the cash. So did two other NGOs in the city. Finally, the money went to a CF foundation state chapter based in the capital.
posted by dhartung at 9:46 PM on February 25, 2010

Also, the proper name for the counterpart to Hooters staffed with scantily clad men is not "Dicks", but "Peckers", with a suggestively drawn rooster logo (according to a female friend).

Traveling in Latin America, I came across a surprising number of gay bars named "El Gallo" -- The Rooster, or The Cock. In other words, I'd be surprised if your "Peckers" restaurant managed to attract a mostly female clientele.

I've eaten at Hooters, especially when traveling -- looking for "burger and a beer" options near chain motels doesn't always give you the most options. The food is adequate, the service was ok, and the costumes are appalling. They make me think of eighth grade gym class, and not in a sexy way.

But I do agree that Hooters is no worse than most sports bars, and probably better in that everyone involved knows the rules.
posted by Forktine at 3:34 AM on February 26, 2010

"The wise man cherishes the owl's wisdom, while the foolish man cherishes its wings"

The first "Undercover Boss" with the head of Waste Management was perfectly respectable, but entirely predictable (ha ha the boss sucks at picking up trash and cleaning port-a-potties) but it did appear he really gained some appreciation for the plight of his front-line workers. I was not compelled by the idea of the program enough to watch the Hooters episode, which sounds like it did not go as well. From the preview, I had expected the guy to fire the plate licking manager on the spot. I can't believe he didn't. That's astounding.

I had a very amusing experience at a Hooter's circa 1995. Best friend bachelor party, stop there for wings and beer. The waitresses make him stand on the table and they parade around him, big production. Literally the moment he steps down, the guy at a table behind us swings around and says "Hey buddy, congratulations, I hope everything works out. But if it doesn't, and you need a good divorce lawyer, I am one" and flicks his card out in one swift motion.

We laughed about that for weeks.
posted by discountfortunecookie at 8:33 AM on February 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hooters. Sports bars. Mall of America. Chili's. Denny's. Gazoongas. Las Vegas. Hooters Casino. Chicken wings and watered-down beer. Paper napkins. Baseball games. This is so depressing. I've never been to the States, let alone Hooters, yet the very thought of these places just leaves me so unutterably depressed. Oh god.

pfffftt.... whatevs dude. You can have my paper napkins when you pry 'em from my cold, dead, chicken wing covered hands.

USA! USA! USA!
posted by spilon at 3:04 PM on February 26, 2010 [3 favorites]

rocket88 wrote: "Has nobody here ever frequented a sports bar? They're all full of the same mostly male clientele and hot waitresses/barmaids in skimpy clothing."

That seems to go for most bars in the South, although I don't know about the rest of the country.
posted by wierdo at 11:46 PM on February 26, 2010

I can't believe no one has gone for the low hanging fruit:

Breast of the web.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:11 AM on February 27, 2010

by a creepy old man who never got over his high school class of '84

As someone who was well out of high school by 1984, thank you for this update on what is currently considered "old".
posted by jokeefe at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2010 [3 favorites]

open one up outside of every large college campus in the country

Haven't been to college lately, have you? Most of them have ~60% female enrollment...what would a guy need Hooters for? The beer?
posted by Jimmy Havok at 8:16 PM on February 27, 2010

At the time I was a vegetarian and she also had the kitchen make up some off-the-menu thing she liked that was veggie.

I grew up in a Clearwater and was a vegetarian. In a place where it is difficult to even get a salad without meat, Hooters is surprisingly relaxed for a chain about making things up off-menu.
posted by Cuppatea at 5:35 AM on March 1, 2010

to say you can get a blowjob (or any sort of unclothed touching of genitals) in a significant percentage of [strip] clubs is, well, bullshit in my experience.

I'm surprised it's that way in Texas, but it's certainly so in the Greater Toronto Area. You can walk in and get laid if you know where to go. It's part of the reason strip clubs are dying off - dancers don't want to compete with the ladies who have a 'menu'. And the ladies with a menu (who can make a lot of money very quickly) have no interest in simple $20 'lap dances'.
posted by stinkycheese at 4:27 PM on March 1, 2010

I can't stand it when a waiter/waitress sits down at the table with me when I'm in a restaurant. It's annoying as hell. I'm not there to chat with them and listen to their tired comments, I'm there to eat and spend time with the people I walked in with.

I didn't know that ever happened. It would surprise the hell out of me honestly.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:47 PM on March 3, 2010

And the ladies with a menu (who can make a lot of money very quickly) have no interest in simple $20 'lap dances'.
Dude, where are you getting $20 lap dances?
Just curious...
posted by fingerbang at 3:03 PM on March 5, 2010

In the GTA.

You can get $10 at certain places on certain nights, but $20 is de rigueur these days.
posted by stinkycheese at 4:53 PM on March 5, 2010

Went to Hooters once...
I asked my mom, who was 75 (?) at the time, where she wanted to go to dinner for her birthday and she replied, "Hooters !"

So I called Hooters and asked if it was a good idea... like they were going to say no?

We went and had a great time.
posted by Drasher at 4:32 PM on March 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Coming a little late to this party, but I'd just throw out there that there's a block in my current city which consists of a Hooters, a strip club, and a cash advance joint.

You stay classy, Fort Wayne.
posted by valkyryn at 11:22 AM on March 9, 2010

I was all hot and flushed when I went into Hooters expecting some kind of Atwoodian scene of late imperial debauchery. Then I found out it was a kinda ok restaurant with waitresses in dry "wet t-shirt" garb. Nylons do not do it for me, sorry.
posted by telstar at 2:33 AM on March 16, 2010

My husband went to the local Hooters with coworkers who were tired of eating at Wendy's. He said their server looked about fourteen and was clearly completely high. She would disappear for looong intervals.

He said the food was about what you expect from a chain and he found the experience depressing.
posted by pinky at 3:30 PM on March 19, 2010

Pervs. The downside of being a Hooters Waitress. Very sad story.
posted by stormpooper at 10:26 AM on March 22, 2010

Very sad story indeed. I don't understand what you mean by "pervs" though.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 12:10 PM on March 22, 2010