Hooters of America, Inc. is the Atlanta-based operator and franchiser
of over 425 Hooters locations in 46 states, Argentina, Aruba, Austria,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Greece,
Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and
Venezuela. The privately held corporation owns 119 units.
The first Hooters opened October 4, 1983, in Clearwater, Florida.
During its history, the Hooters concept has undergone very little
change. The current logo, uniform, menu and ambiance are all very
similar to what existed in the original store. This lack of change is
understandable given the tremendous success the Hooters concept has
enjoyed. Hooters has continued to rank high amongst the industry's
growth leaders. Hooters has proven successful in small-town America,
major metropolitan areas and internationally.
The casual beach-theme establishments feature “oldies” jukebox
music, sports on television, and a menu that includes seafood,
sandwiches, salads and spicy chicken wings. Hooters, system-wide,
generates and averages 72% of its sales from food, 5% from merchandise,
and 23% from beer and wine. Notably, most Hooters do not serve liquor.
The element of female sex appeal is prevalent in the restaurants,
and the company believes the Hooters Girl is as socially acceptable as
a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, or a
Radio City Rockette. The Hooters system employs over 25,000 people -
over 15,000 of which are Hooters Girls. The "nearly world famous"
Hooters Girls are the cornerstone of the Hooters concept, and as part
of their job, these all-American cheerleaders make promotional and
charitable appearances in their respective communities. Hooters hires
women who best fit the image of a Hooters Girl to work in this
capacity. The chain hires both males and females to work in management
and host, staff, service bar, and kitchen positions. The Hooters Girl
uniform consists of orange shorts and a white tank top, short-sleeve or
long-sleeve T-shirt. Pantyhose and bras are required.
Claims that Hooters exploits attractive women are as ridiculous as
saying the NFL exploits men who are big and fast. Hooters Girls have
the same right to use their natural female sex appeal to earn a living
as do super models Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. 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.
Women occupy management positions all the way from Assistant Manager
to Vice President of Training and Development, Kat Cole, who started
her career at Hooters as a Hooters Girl.
The chain acknowledges that many consider "Hooters" a slang term for
a portion of the female anatomy. Hooters does have an owl inside its
logo and uses an owl theme sufficiently to allow debate to occur over
the meaning's intent. The chain enjoys and benefits from this debate.
In the end, we hope Hooters means a great place to eat.
Hooters characterizes itself as a neighborhood place, not a typical
family restaurant. Sixty-eight percent of customers are male, most
between the ages of 25-54. Hooters does not market itself to families,
but they do patronize the restaurants. Ten percent of the parties we
serve have children in them. Hooters is in the hospitality business and
provides the best possible service to anyone coming through the door.
For this reason, the chain offers a children's menu.
According to ever-increasing sales figures, the Hooters concept must
be acceptable to a large majority of American consumers. Hooters
believes critics of the concept are a vocal minority of politically
correct minded individuals. This group sometimes states the concept
"constitutes a hostile work environment," but just the opposite is true.
Hooters of America, Inc. has taken a pro-active lead in the industry
addressing issues raised by individual acts of sexual harassment.
Hooters of America, Inc., like all responsible corporations, deplores
such acts and prohibits this behavior in the workplace. The company has
a long-standing non-harassment policy forbidding unwelcome physical or
verbal behavior, and specifically mentions sexual harassment. This
policy includes a confidential reporting system for complaints,
including a toll-free phone number. Since 1983, Hooters has employed
over 200,000 Hooters Girls, and while even one incident is too many,
this large number of employees, compared to the limited number of
sexual harassment lawsuits filed, indicates this policy works.
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.
But this was not the end of the legal issues surrounding the
Hooters Girl. A group of men in Chicago and a group in Maryland brought
forth class action lawsuits challenging the Hooters restaurant chain's
right to hire only women in front-of-house positions. On November 25,
1997, federal magistrate Morton Denlow in Chicago approved a settlement
of these class actions. Under the parties' agreement, Hooters will
continue to be allowed to hire only women for the job of Hooters Girl.
Most importantly, the settlement agreement acknowledged that "being
female is reasonably necessary" to the performance of the Hooters
Girl's job duties, forever preserving the integrity of the Hooters Girl
concept.
Sex appeal is legal and it sells. Newspapers, magazines, daytime
talk shows, and local television affiliates consistently emphasize a
variety of sexual topics to boost sales. Hooters marketing, emphasizing
the Hooters Girl and her sex appeal, along with its commitment to
quality operations continues to build and contributes to the chain's
success. Hooters' business motto sums it up, "You can sell the sizzle,
but you have to deliver the steak.”
The Hooters system uses television ads, the Hooters Magazine and
Hooters Girl billboards to advertise the concept. The chain even
introduced its own Hooters MasterCard Credit Card in 2005.
It also generates awareness through successful sports partnerships
with the National Golf Association Hooters Tour and the United Speed
Alliance Hooters Pro Cup racing series. These properties enjoy
extensive television coverage and fan support. Other sponsored sports
properties include Formula One powerboat racing and an AMA Motorcycle
Team.
In 2003 the Hooters Brand literally took to the skies when Hooters
Air Airline was launched. At its peak the airline served 15 cities
including Nassau and Las Vegas. While Industry problems grounded the
carrier in 2006, the venture will forever be a part of airline lore. In
2006, the Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas was opened at the site of
the former San Remo Hotel. The 200 room property provides a Hooters
experience with beautiful Hooters Girls and a comfortable, casual
atmosphere.
Hooters not only reaches the sports fan, but reaches out to the
communities in which it operates. The Hooters Community Endowment Fund
(HOO.C.E.F.) raises money for local and national charities such as the
Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the
U.S.O., Special Olympics, American Diabetes Association, Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association. Since 1992,
HOO.C.E.F. has raised more than $8 million for these and other
worthwhile organizations. A portion of this money comes from a VIP
grand opening party each location holds to benefit a local charity.
These openings generate thousands annually and prepare staff for the
hungry customers to come.
The first years have been a “Hoot” and the chain looks forward to a
bright future. The company has no plans to alter the concept and feels
doing so would be a tremendous disservice to its franchisees,
employees, and customers.
