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It has been suggested that Hooters, Inc. and Hooters of America be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Hooters
Type	Private
Founded	1983 in Clearwater, Florida
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, Clearwater, Florida
No. of locations	435
Industry	Food Service
Products	Burgers, Chicken Wings, Seafood, Alcohol
Parent	Hooters of America, Inc.
Slogan	Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined
Website	www.hooters.com

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 more than 435 Hooters restaurants in 46 U.S. states and 23 other countries,^[1] including Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Australia, Panama, Costa Rica, China, South Korea, Greece,Venezuela, Switzerland, and Singapore — its first overseas location to open.

Hooters plans to open its first branch in Dubai and Guam in 2007.^[2] A Hooters was opened in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in December 2007.

Hooters targets male customers with a serving staff comprising only waitresses, although Hooters does employ males as cooks, hosts (at some franchises), busboys, and managers. The menu includes hamburgers and other sandwiches, steaks, chicken wings, seafood entrees, and appetizers. It also specializes in Chicken Wings. Almost all Hooters hold alcoholic beverage licenses to sell beer and wine, and where local permits allow, many offer a full liquor bar. Ancillary offerings for sale include T-shirts and various souvenirs and curios.

Contents 1 History 2 Hooters Girls 3 Employee handbook requirements 4 Public perception 4.1 Controversy 4.2 Public relations 4.3 Athletics & promotions 5 References in popular culture 5.1 Former Hooters girls 5.2 Motion picture and television references 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Hooters, Inc. began operations on October 4, 1983 with a restaurant in Clearwater, Florida, out of a building that allegedly was previously a walk-in dumpster called Fernando's Dumpster, Inc.^{[citation needed]} (Although this reference appears in the Hooters menu, it is false. The Original Hooters took the place of a failed seafood restaurant. In fact, so many businesses had failed in that particular location that Hooters' founders built a small "graveyard" at the front door for each of the businesses that had come before them.)^{[citation needed]}

In 1984, Robert H. Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors (operators of Hooters of America, Inc.) bought expansion and franchise rights for the Hooters chain. Brooks eventually bought majority control and became chairman. Under Brooks's leadership, the collective Hooters brand expanded from one restaurant to more than 425 stores worldwide. Brooks died in July 2006 of a heart attack.

The Hooters Casino Hotel was opened February 2, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This hotel has 696 rooms with a 35,000 square foot casino. The hotel is owned and operated by 155 East Tropicana, LLC (Florida Hooters, LLC 66.67% & EW Common, LLC 33.33%). It is located off of the Las Vegas Strip next to the Tropicana and across the street from the MGM Grand Las Vegas.

On September 12, 2007, The Hooters of Beijing will host the grand opening celebration of its 4th in China, located at Chao Yang (District on the intersection of East & North Worker's Stadium Road (the Olympic Soccer Stadium)). Mike McNeil, Vice President of Marketing for Hooters of America, said that by the end of 2007, Hooters will be in 28 countries including the future additions of Israel, Colombia, Spain, and the Philippines (today there are over 440 locations).^[3]

A Hooters Girl is a waitress employed by the Hooters restaurant chain. 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 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 shirt that eliminated the knot-tying. 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 Girls' uniform consists of glossy ultra sheer 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.

The Smoking Gun website obtained a copy of the Hooters Employee Handbook^[4] 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.

The chain is controversial on two counts:

The uniform is considered by some to be an objectification of women. The general environment of the restaurant is seen by many people as sexist and demeaning to women. 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 St. Petersburg, Florida Hooters' kitchen manager Vince Gigliotti dressed in a Hooters Girl uniform. Men do find employment at Hooters as cooks, dishwashers, and managers 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 it 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."^[5] However, Hooters has a kids menu, and often gives out balloons to toddler visitors; indeed in Australia, Hooters promotes itself as having a "fun family atmosphere" and "Kids Eat Free Tuesday" on its radio advertisements. ^[1]

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.^[6] Local restaurants will often select their own local charities.

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

Hooters is very involved in the sports world. Previous sponsorships include the Miami Hooters, (a defunct Arena Football League team.) Hooters currently sponsors the USAR Hooters Pro Cup, an automobile racing series and the NGA Hooters Tour, a minor league golf tour.

Hooters has also licensed its name for the Hooters Road Trip PlayStation racing game.

Professional golfer John Daly is sponsored by Hooters on the PGA Tour. He also serves as a corporate spokesperson.

Since 1996, Hooters has held Miss Hooters International.

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• Hugh Hefner's number one girlfriend, Holly Madison
• Fox Sports Net's Leeann Tweeden
• Former WWE Diva Christy Hemme
• Playboy Playmates Lynne Austin, Kimberly Spicer, Sara Jean Underwood, Alison Waite, Shannon James & Miriam Gonzalez
• Kaitlin Lang - former Whitney Young dancer
• Adrianne Curry - Former winner - America's Next Top Model
• Amy Adams Oscar-nominated actress for her role in the film Junebug.
• Jessica Canseco, former wife of major leaguer Jose Canseco
• Jessica Benson, 3LW member, currently works at a Maryland Hooters
• Jesse Jane, Pornographic Actress
• Terri Summers, Model and Pornographic Actress

• The movie Big Daddy starring Adam Sandler references Hooters throughout, and the final scene takes place in the Hooters of Manhattan, at the northeast corner of West 56th St. and Broadway.
• The American version the television series The Office featured Hooters when Michael Scott takes Jim Halpert there for lunch. Michael says he likes Hooters for "the boobs and the hot wings." The scene was filmed at a Hooters in Burbank, California. Several other episodes have featured the same premise (There is no Hooters in Scranton, Pa., where the sitcom is set). In another episode, Michael says that he considers the Japanese steakhouse Benihana to be like "an Asian Hooters".
• A scene deleted from the movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery features guys at a Hooters restaurant celebrating the forthcoming wedding 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, whose motto is equally "Big hair, short skirts, and service with a smile".
• In the film Old School (2003), two characters briefly discuss a visit to Hooters.
• In Miss Congeniality, Gracie Hart resignedly remarks that it might be "time to apply at my local Hooters."
• The titular character in First Daughter 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, the "Larrymobile" has a "Follow me to Hooters" bumper sticker, a Hooters beachtowel, and an "I Love Hooters" sticker inside his truck.
• In Office Space (1999), during the credits, Jennifer Aniston's character claims she is now working at Hooters after being fired from Chotchkie’s.
• In Tank Girl, lead actress Lori Petty wears a Hooters tee-shirt through much of the film.
• In the opening scene of Center Stage, when Eva says she doesn't think she wants to go to the American Ballet Academy, and is asked what she would do instead says, "There is that new Hooters opening up I could work there". Her friend replies, "You do not have the rack." Eva responds with, "I can get implants".
• American Idol contestant Chris Richardson worked as a kitchen manager for Hooters before auditioning for the show's sixth season.
• American Idol contestant and sister of Sanjaya, Shyamali Malakar worked as a Hooters Girl in Tacoma, Washington, before landing a spot on the sixth season.
• In The Simpsons episode "Don't Fear the Roofer" the bar that Homer meets Ray Magini in is called "Knockers", the inside of the bar is decorated like a typical Hooters, and the waitress that serves Homer is dressed in Hooters-like attire.
• On the Simpsons, Nelson Muntz often says his mother works there.
• In the South Park episode "Raisins," the Hooters bar is parodied to a bar called Raisins where all of the employees (Raisins girls) are attractive, young pre-teen girls, who are all named after cars. South Park character Butters falls in love with one of the waitresses (Lexus), and obsesses over her throughout the episode, even though she obviously doesn't like him back.
• The Man Show featured a parody of "Hooters" called "Beavers"[2] where all the waitresses went bottomless.
• The Australian television show, The Chaser's War On Everything created a false advertisement for a restaurant named "Dongers" in which men with large penises are employed, as a parody of the Hooters restaurant chain.
• Blue Collar TV had 2 segments: "Wall Nuts" similar to "The Chaser's War On Everything" (also a possible play on "Wal-mart"; and "Knockers" where the restaurant only hires ugly women.
• Reno 911! had an episode where "Hotties", a takeoff of "Hooters", sponsored the police department, changed their uniforms to hot pink versions of Hooters' uniforms, and painted the police cars hot pink and white.
• In the 2005 remake film Bad News Bears, the coach of the titular children's baseball team takes the team to Hooters after their first victory.
• In Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, people can be briefly seen eating at Hooters.
• On the CBS reality show Big Brother 8, one of the Houseguests, Daniele, currently works as a Hooters waitress.

• 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
• Hooters Road Trip - PlayStation racing game based on the franchise

• Official website
• About Hooters - the Atlanta-based chain's information page
• Original Hooters - the non-Atlanta-based founders sub-chain
• 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
• Fortune Magazine feature on Hooters
• Blast Magazine reviews the Hooters Cookbook
• Video of Hooters opening in Beijing in 2007