Hooters-style restaurants experiencing a mini-boom

By Hum
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Hum

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NEW YORK (AP) ? The waitresses at Twin Peaks wear skimpy plaid tops that accentuate their chests. In case you didn't catch the joke, the chain's logo is an image of two pointy, snow-capped mountains. And the sports bar doesn't stop there: It promises "scenic views."

Twin Peaks owner Randy DeWitt downplays all of that and insists that the appeal of the restaurant goes beyond the obvious. Hearty meals and a focus on making customers feel special, he says, are what really keeps them coming back.

"We believe in feeding the ego before feeding the stomach," he says. Or as the website of the mountain lodge-themed restaurant states, "Twin Peaks is about you, 'cause you're the man!"

Twin Peaks is part of a booming niche in the beleaguered restaurant industry known as "breastaurants," or sports bars that feature scantily clad waitresses. These small chains operate in the tradition of Hooters, which pioneered the concept in the 1980s but has struggled in recent years to stay fresh.

Instead of relying on lust alone, the new crop of restaurants is growing by offering new themes (think: rustic lodges and Celtic pubs) and varied menus (think: pot roast and shepherd's pie instead of just burgers and wings). In other words, they're hoping maybe people really are coming in for the food.

The nation's top three "breastaurant" chains behind Hooters each had sales growth of 30 percent or more last year, according to Technomic, a food industry research firm. They still represent less than 1 percent of the nation's top restaurants, but the upstart chains are benefitting as other mid-priced options like Applebee's and Bennigan's have experienced declines during the economic downturn.

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Grand Master

ILikeTobacco

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As DeWitt stated, the overall experience and service brings people back, not just what the women wear. While I am sure some people go there purely for that, that's not enough to keep a chain like that growing. Otherwise, strip clubs would turn into chains on that scale. The reason I don't go to Hooters at all is because of the service at the local store is terrible. I like boobs as much as the next guy, but that's not going to get me into a place with crappy service. It's like going into a strip club where its hard to get a beer because the bar tender doesn't do their job.

Grand Master

remixedcat

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well to a guy these might be cool for a few weeks then they even get tired of it.... other then the boobs they are like any old pub chains....

we need some healthy places that are quick to eat at... like a buffet but with healthier items. I know chinese is good but you get tired of chinese all the time and on the road buffets are the quickest sit down option and fast food makes me sick... and most sit down places take 1 hour to get your food out to you and that looses a lot of time. i spend 1.5 hours at a buffet place tops but I spend 3-4 at a sit down place (inc waiting for seat,waiting for waitress to take order,and time for food).... and when I work that makes a huge difference because my work* is due at certain hours.

I sometimes get deli food from whatever grocery store I am assigned to audit if there's any decent sandwitches, wraps or salads if not I go to a sit down place. However, when I do stuff like drug stores or wal-mart I have to go to a sit down place to eat and also to do paperwork for my job and it's impossible to do at arbys or reg. fast food places because I get asked to leave all the time.

we need more quick casual sit downs like boston market or american buffets that offer more healthy choices. We do not need more hooters clones.

* ---> I am a retail data collector.... if store 1 wants to know store 2's prices they hire my company. we also do shelf audits occasionally as well to determine if the stores are complying with guidelines. some checks are open scan and some are undercover so it's really stressful and sometimes we have to scan whole stores. so having a good, quick place to eat is very important.

Grand Master

Charisma Veteran

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  On 26/06/2012 at 14:10, remixedcat said:

well too a guy these might be cool for a few weeks then they even get tired of it.... other then the boobs they are like any old pub chains....

we need some healthy places that are quick to eat at... like a buffet but with healthier items. I know chinese is good but you get tired of chinese all the time and on the road buffets are the quickest sit down option and fast food makes me sick... and most sit down places take 1 hour to get your food out to you and that looses a lot of time. i spend 1.5 hours at a buffet place tops but I spend 3-4 at a sit down place (inc waiting for seat,waiting for waitress to take order,and time for food).... and when I work that makes a huge difference because my work is due at certain hours.

I sometimes get deli food from whatever grocery store I am assigned to audit if there's any decent sandwitches, wraps or salads if not I go to a sit down place. However, when I do stuff like drug stores or wal-mart I have to go to a sit down place to eat and also to do paperwork for my job and it's impossible to do at arbys or reg. fast food places because I get asked to leave all the time.

we need more quick casual sit downs like boston market or american buffets that offer more healthy choices. We do not need more hooters clones.

What if it was a healthy Hooters clone? I'd go to a restaurant like this with the chicks dressed kind of like hippies, flowy skirts and bandana tops, flowers in their hair, and serving yummy fresh food, organic choices included.

(bonus points if there are a few shirtless guys around too... just saying... may as well bring in the other half of the population too, amirite?)

Grand Master

remixedcat

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  On 26/06/2012 at 14:14, 3 Charisma said:

What if it was a healthy Hooters clone? I'd go to a restaurant like this with the chicks dressed kind of like hippies, flowy skirts and bandana tops, flowers in their hair, and serving yummy fresh organic food.

(bonus points if there are a few shirtless guys around too... just saying... may as well bring in the other half of the population too, amirite?)

I'm a lady cat....

Grand Master

remixedcat

Posted
Posted
  On 26/06/2012 at 14:16, 3 Charisma said:

So am I, hence the parenthetical phrase. But we were comparing it to Hooters...

you're a cat too??? OMG!!! mew meow meow!

Grand Master

+jamesyfx Subscriber²

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Meh I'd feel embarrassed going to a restaurant with waitresses wandering around in skimpy outfits... I prefer the good old plain and simple polite and practically invisible servers.

Grand Master

Glassed Silver

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Posted
  On 26/06/2012 at 14:14, 3 Charisma said:

What if it was a healthy Hooters clone? I'd go to a restaurant like this with the chicks dressed kind of like hippies, flowy skirts and bandana tops, flowers in their hair, and serving yummy fresh food, organic choices included.

(bonus points if there are a few shirtless guys around too... just saying... may as well bring in the other half of the population too, amirite?)

I'm lesbian and I don't fancy any male naked skin, but whatever...

I'm engaged either way, so flip it...

  On 26/06/2012 at 14:23, Hum said:

I don't see how these types of restaurants get away with discriminating against hiring small breasted women.

This.

Small breasts can look just as good, it all depends on the person wearing them!

Glassed Silver:mac

Grand Master

ILikeTobacco

Posted
Posted
  On 26/06/2012 at 14:33, threetonesun said:

They discriminate against hiring large breasted men as well. :(

No they don't. Someones gotta cook. When I worked at a restaurant, most of the cooks were fat. They were all really amazing cooks though. Not talking gourmet obviously but still. Something about properly made chicken wings and fries. :)
Grand Master

threetonesun

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  On 26/06/2012 at 14:39, ILikeTobacco said:

No they don't. Someones gotta cook. When I worked at a restaurant, most of the cooks were fat. They were all really amazing cooks though. Not talking gourmet obviously but still. Something about properly made chicken wings and fries. :)

Oh sure, hide them in the back room where no one can see them, and keep them from getting tips. :/

But seriously, I've never understood the appeal of these places. Actually attractive women usually work at classy restaurants where they can make decent tips, instead of a place where Joe Brodude drops a $20 on some wings and beer and figures that the $1.27 left in change is "close enough".

The few times I've been, it was because they had no waiting line. :laugh:

Grand Master

Growled Member

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  On 26/06/2012 at 13:19, ILikeTobacco said:

As DeWitt stated, the overall experience and service brings people back, not just what the women wear. While I am sure some people go there purely for that, that's not enough to keep a chain like that growing. Otherwise, strip clubs would turn into chains on that scale. The reason I don't go to Hooters at all is because of the service at the local store is terrible. I like boobs as much as the next guy, but that's not going to get me into a place with crappy service. It's like going into a strip club where its hard to get a beer because the bar tender doesn't do their job.

Exactly. I would never go anywhere just to see boobs but it's nice to see boobs and get good food and good service too.

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