hooters

Hooters is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains: Hooters of America, Inc based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hooters, Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida. Between company owned locations and franchises, there are now over 425 Hooters restaurants in 46 U.S. states and 19 other countries,[1] including Canada, Mexico, Australia and Singapore — its first overseas location to open.

Hooters targets male customers with a female waitress staff, though men work at Hooters as cooks, hosts, bartenders, and managers. The menu includes hamburgers and other sandwiches, steak, seafood, and chicken. It also specializes in Buffalo wings. Almost all Hooters hold alcoholic beverage licenses and sell beer and wine.

History

Hooters began operations on October 4, 1983 with a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida, out of a building that was previously a walk-in dumpster. In 1984, Robert H. Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors bought expansion and franchise rights for the Hooters chain. Brooks eventually bought majority control and became chairman. Under Brooks' leadership, Hooters expanded from one restaurant to over 425 stores worldwide. Brooks died in July 2006.

Hooters Girl

A Hooters Girl is a female waitress employed by the Hooters restaurant chain. It is stereotypically thought that Hooters Girls are chosen for their breast size, but in fact they are usually chosen for all-around good looks. It is a popular and untrue rumor that, if small-chested, they may be asked to pad their bras. They are instantly recognizable by their uniform of a white tank top with the Hooters owl logo and the location name on the front paired with the famously short orange runner's shorts. Originally, the T-shirts were white cotton, pulled tight and knotted in the back to emphasize the breasts. For years, this knot tying was a Hooters ritual before opening. Later, Hooters changed to a tight white spandex top that eliminated the knot-tying and is also less transparent when wet. Waitresses also have a choice of shirts that are more suitable for cold weather. The company also began using other colors and designs for their tops such as a camouflage theme on Monday ("Military Mondays"), black on Friday ("Formal Fridays"), and the football uniforms of a local NFL team during the NFL season. The remainder of the Hooters Girl's uniform consists of glossy suntan pantyhose, white socks, and white athletic shoes. Men who work at Hooters wear shirts with long pants, Bermuda shorts, or attire more suitable for cooking.

Employee handbook requirements

The Smoking Gun website obtained a copy of the Hooters' Employee Handbook, which notes that:

Customers can go to many places for wings and beer, but it is our Hooters Girls who make our concept unique. Hooters offers its customers the look of the "All American Cheerleader, Surfer, Girl Next Door."

Female employees are required to sign that they "acknowledge and affirm" the following:

1. my job duties require I wear the designated Hooters Girl uniform.
2. my job duties require that I interact with and entertain the customers.
3. the Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and sexual innuendo based on female sex appeal is commonplace.
4. I do not find my job duties, uniform requirements, or work environment to be offensive, intimidating, hostile, or unwelcome.

Public perception

Controversy

The chain is controversial on two counts.

1. The uniform is considered by some to be objectification of women. The general environment of the restaurant is seen by many feminists as sexist and demeaning of women.
2. The restaurant hires only women as servers, and refers to them as "Hooters Girls." Several discrimination lawsuits brought against the chain have been settled out of court or dropped by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), some after an advertising campaign featuring a hirsute St Petersburg, Florida, Hooters kitchen manager Vince Gigliotti, dressed in a Hooters Girl serving uniform.

Men do find employment at Hooters as cooks and dishwashers, where most wear Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirts, and similar garb.

The company's website acknowledges that “many consider 'Hooters' a slang term for a portion of the female anatomy", but adds, "Hooters Girls have the same right to use their natural female sex appeal to earn a living as do supermodels Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell."

The chain sees itself this way: "Hooters characterizes itself as a neighborhood place, not a family restaurant. Seventy percent of all customers are male, most between the ages of 25-54. Hooters does not market itself to families."

Public relations

Hooters has an extensive public relations campaign and has actively supported charities through its Hooters Community Endowment Fund, also known as HooCEF, a pun on UNICEF. It has provided money and/or volunteers to charities such as Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics, and Muscular Dystrophy Association [2]. Local restaurants will often select their own local charities.

The Hooters musical group, UC3, performs at a variety of sporting events, promotional appearances, and charity shows.

Hooters also launched what it calls "Operation Let Freedom Wing", which involves sending its celebrities, like Hooters Calendar Girls, UC3, and singer Angela Lanza to visit troops overseas, including to Afghanistan.

Pop culture references

• Hooters has been parodied in South Park (Raisins), The Simpsons (Knockers), The Man Show (Beavers) and Roseanne (TV Show) (Bunz).
• An episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch portrayed a bachelor party in a Hooters of the "magic realm," in which the employees are giant owls that give "flap dances" instead of lap dances.
• Some famous former Hooters girls are Fox Sports Net's Leeann Tweeden, Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) diva Christy Hemme, Playboy Playmates Lynne Austin & Miriam Gonzalez, Naked News presenter Michelle Pantoliano, Co-host of Boston Bruins All-Access on NESN Jillian Nathan & Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Adams.
• The movie Big Daddy starring Adam Sandler references Hooters throughout, and the final scene takes place in a Hooters.
• The American version of hit UK television series The Office featured Hooters when Michael takes Jim to Hooters for lunch. The scene was filmed at a Hooters in Burbank, California. Several other episodes have featured the same premise. (There is no location for Hooters in Scranton, PA, where the sitcom is set.)
• A scene deleted from the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery features guys at a Hooters restaurant celebrating the birthday of 'Smitty", only to find out that he was "decapitated by ill-tempered mutated sea bass". The scene in which one of Dr. Evil's henchmen was decapitated by the fish as a result of Austin Powers did make the final cut in the movie.
• The film Monster-in-Law (2005) mentions Hooters as the workplace of Ruby's Daughter, the recipient of an unwanted bridesmaid dress.
• The film Cloud 9 (2006) mentions Hooters as a comparison to a situation in terms of exploiting female sexuality.
• A character in the film View from the Top (2003) has Hooters on her resume, below Sierra Airlines.
• In the film Old School (2003) two characters briefly discuss a visit to Hooters.
• In Miss Congeniality (2000), Gracie Hart resignedly remarks that it might be "time to apply at my local Hooters".
• The titular character in First Daughter (2004) threatens to "ditch the whole college thing and become a Hooters girl". In reply she is told that they have good benefits.
• In Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006), the "Larrymobile" had a "Follow me to Hooters" bumpersicker, Hooters beachtowel, and a "I Love Hooters" sticker inside his truck.

Similar Restaurants

• Houster: A restaurant located in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), using the similar cute girls waitresses "recipe" of the original Hooters restaurants, without using the logo and owl.

• Anna Miller's

• Ker's Winghouse

See also

• Hooters Air (ceased operations April 2006 except for charters)
• Hooters Casino Hotel
• Miami Hooters (a defunct Arena Football team)
• USAR Hooters Pro Cup - racing series
• NGA Hooters Tour - golf tour

External links

• About Hooters - the Atlanta-based chain's information page
• Original Hooters - the non-Atlanta-based founders sub-chain
• Hooters' UC3 Musical group
• Hooters Political Contributions
• Transfer of "Hooters" brand from Clearwater to Atlanta, a March 2001 article from Atlanta Business Chronicle
• So You Wanna Be A "Hooters" Girl?, from The Smoking Gun
• Sexual Harassment Retaliation Lawsuit, from The Smoking Gun
• Hooters manager sues over lewd comments, from The Auburn Plainsman