All About Hooters

[Fat Guy]

A perennial favorite supplier of news over the wire is Hooters. I thought I'd start this thread so we can keep tabs on what this company is doing with itself.

You're all aware, I'm sure, that Hooters has an airline.

You weren't aware of that? Okay, well, for example a recent event in Atlanta went something like this:

Hooters Air Announces Addition of its 3rd Aircraft and First B737-300

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., July 1 -- Hooters Air announced today it has expanded its fleet with the addition of its 3rd aircraft a Boeing 737-300. The aircraft is specially configured with 132 dark blue leather seats, extra leg room, and will be staffed by a crew of two pilots, three flight attendants, along with two Hooters Girls on every flight. The aircraft will be on display at Myrtle Beach International Airport Gate 1, this Wednesday, July 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. All media are invited to tour Hooters Air's newest wings, eat some of our World Famous Hooters Wings and meet with Hooters Air officials.

Also, I'm sure you will all wish to extend a big eGullet "congratulations!" to Tina Gabaldon from Irving, Texas, who was recently crowned the winner of the 7th Annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant.

Next eGullet event, maybe at Hooters?

[vengroff]

I saw one of their planes parked at BWI this past Sunday. The 737-300 is a relatively old model. I bet they got it dirt cheap.

You think they'll do a charter to the pig pickin'?

[Jinmyo]

And "Hooters" sells what other than seats on airplanes?

[MatthewB]

And "Hooters" sells what other than seats on airplanes?

Jin, trust me on this one. You don't want to know.

Edit: It isn't *what* they sell. It's *how* they sell it.

Edited July 17, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

[ballast_regime]

Jinmyo:

The "enjoyment" of two Hooters girls on every flight. There was a write-up on the airline in USA Today a few months back, and I learned one thing: Do not fly the buxom skies.

IML

b/r

[rdailey]

Recently a coffee shop in San Jose, CA opened called Sugars Coffee Cafe. Its the Hooters of coffee bars!

Waitresses delivering coffee in lingerie!?! This takes the Hooters model into a new and disturbing realm...

Here's a link to a review, if you dare...

[Stone]

Sorry, I thought this was about something else.

But while we're on the subject: Hunting for Bambi.

Edited July 17, 2003 by Stone (log)

[rdailey]

Sorry, I just came across a story about it and figured it wasn't worth a whole seperate thread for something so...

...um, that Bambi stuff is vile.

[Fat Guy]

More good news:

Hooters of San Francisco Scores Record Sales in Opening Week

ATLANTA, July 16 -- Hooters of America, Inc. today announces that the newly opened Hooters of San Francisco has posted a new record for sales in their first week of business. Total sales for the restaurant amounted to $202,883, which was $32,883 higher than the previous record for the Hooters system. $40,695 of the record $202,883 amount was sold in merchandise. The San Francisco location, which is located near the Fisherman's Warf area, is owned and operated by a new franchisee, John Traini of Hott Wings, Inc. It is the first Hooters Restaurant in the northern California area.

....

[MatthewB]

. . . the newly opened Hooters of San Francisco . . .

That explains why Stone has been so quiet lately.

[Jinmyo]

It turns out that there is a Hooters in Ottawa.

[Fat Guy]

Are customers allowed to take photos at Hooters? If so I'd really appreciate it if someone would post a dinner report.

[Rail Paul]

Hooters is also expanding its locations in northern NJ. A sign on the Wayne NJ location is currently advertsing for managers and staff for new area Hooters locations.

The financial report cited earlier in the thread identifies another aspect of the Hooters business model. As with many micro-breweries, the sale of merchandise is a significant revenue stream. Two hundred grand a week is good revenue for a bar, but 20% of that in merchandise is huge

[Wild Pegasus]

It turns out that there is a Hooters in Ottawa.

There are actually two in Ottawa (Market & Bells Corners) and there used to be a third (St Laurent & Industrial).

[beans]

I think there were two Hooters restaurants in Cleveland. One on the East Bank and another on the westside. Both are gone. If I remember correctly they inquired about a woman's bra size on their application, but that may be urban myth....

[mcdowell]

My problem with Hooter's is that I have no frame of reference to tell myself how to behave.

I've been to plenty of bars where women dance naked, and more than a few where they were simply topless and the $4.95 prime rib was good enough to get me through the day... I know what I'm supposed to do in these places, how to behave, how not to behave, and where to, er, leave the tip.

I've been to plenty of mid-range chain places with cute waitresses, and I know how I'm supposed to behave in these place, what's expected of me, etc.

Hooters is a strange cross-breed, the buxom women in short shorts and tight tops serving essentially bar quality food. It makes me, testosterone-filled as I can be sometimes, uncomfortable, because I'm not there for the food, and the women have on too much clothing for me to be there for them (in any sort of acceptable overt way).

*edited to fix a small grammer problem

Edited July 17, 2003 by mcdowell (log)

[Ron Johnson]

A gentleman here is opening a restaurant of the same ilk to compete with Hooters. Not being short on creativity he has decided to call it Juggs.

I kid you not.

[mcdowell]

Here in San Jose, someone just opened a coffee shop where the servers are all clad in lingerie. It's called Sugar's.

The city's apparently ticketing them for violations on very regular basis, trying to shut it down.

[beans]

All of the various city health codes come into play with the skimpy bairly dressed server. The Hooters in Cleveland they all wore natural coloured pantyhose stockings under their short shorts. An adult club in Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale that one of my male bartending coworkers went onto to work at during the winter months, the gals wear the lingerie with the bod mostly exposed and uncovered. These were servers and barstaff in contact with food and drink ingredients, not dancers!

[davidthomas8779]

Hooters has acceptable wings (the hotter wings have no more complexity of flavor, they're just hotter), standard american beer, lots of TVs, and astounding service. In addition to the eye candy aspect of the servers (not really my thing), they have been trained on customer service and do things like salt your coaster to keep your glass from sticking to it and bring a tied up bag of ice to put in your pitcher if for some reason you are not drinking beer quickly enough.

Hooters is a good place to watch a game but is not a place to go simply to eat.

[Andrew Fenton]

All of the various city health codes come into play with the skimpy bairly dressed server.  The Hooters in Cleveland they all wore natural coloured pantyhose stockings under their short shorts.  An adult club in Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale that one of my male bartending coworkers went onto to work at during the winter months, the gals wear the lingerie with the bod mostly exposed and uncovered. These were servers and barstaff in contact with food and drink ingredients, not dancers!

I wouldn't think that what a server wears or doesn't wear would have much effect on the cleanliness of the food. (That's assuming, of course, that they're just serving it. Now I'm told that in Thailand, they...)

[chasmartel]

I like the idea of the new SF Hooters scoring an opening week record. I live in the Bay Area & like SF alot, but sometimes the city seems to collectively get a little too full of itself. I remember turning on the television late one night on my first trip to Paris and finding mud wrestling.

[mcdowell]

I wouldn't think that what a server wears or doesn't wear would have much effect on the cleanliness of the food.

Then, of course, there's the practice of nyataimori, where sushi is served on the unclothed body of a woman. Is that in code?

Has anyone heard of that being done in the States? A quick google search showed a restaurant in Scotland, but otherwise not much in English on the subject.

[Stone]

I like the idea of the new SF Hooters scoring an opening week record.  I live in the Bay Area & like SF alot, but sometimes the city seems to collectively get a little too full of itself.  I remember turning on the television late one night on my first trip to Paris and finding mud wrestling.

Topless, Ice Skating Darts. Only in Great Britain.

[Stone]

. . . the newly opened Hooters of San Francisco . . .

That explains why Stone has been so quiet lately.

Hey!