Hooters Makes You Happy!

This photo shows the bar at the Hooters of Franklin, NJ.

By: Chris Valletta

Hooters is an American chain of restaurants that prides itself on three things: beer, girls, and sports. As I walked into the recently opened Hooters in Franklin, New Jersey on Friday night, I witnessed way more than I bargained for. The scene of a Hooters is very inviting upon walking into this single floor space in which all the furniture and even the walls of ceilings are made of stained wood, with bar stools as the chair of option even for taller tables. The ceilings also are of different levels, giving Hooters the iconic "man cave" appeal that brings many men to its doors. Along the walls are multiple pictures of Hooters staff, as well as all types of exotic and erotic signs with alcohol and sexual undertones. In addition, plasma televisions litter the walls displaying every sports channel imaginable. However, the biggest appeal that Hooters gives to any man is not just its safe haven for sports, beer, and good old fried American cuisine, but the waitresses themselves, who are known across the country for their beautiful physique and inviting uniforms.

A Hooters girl, as the waitresses are referred to as, all seem to have similar body types and they all wear the same uniform which consists of a small white t-shirt, small tight shorts, and black stockings over their legs. The waitresses also make flirtatious movements while catering to the needs of the customers, often times bending over the table while taking an order or choosing to sit down at the table while talking to them. This happened multiple times on the night I was there and I noticed it only was going on at all male tables. In response, the males would be laughing and joking with the girls, having a great time. I noticed that there were also women customers at the establishment, yet they were treated much differently by the waitresses. In essence, the women customers were treated in a regular manner, whereas the males received special attention and were thrown all types of flirty behavior.

The women in the establishment also all appeared to be dressed in the opposite fashion than the waitresses. For example, the women had on very baggy clothes and sweatshirts covering up their body. Perhaps this repression of their own body image was their way of showing self-consciousness about their bodies in regards to all the model-type waitresses in the vicinity. There were also men over the course of the night, mostly of middle-age, that came in alone to eat and drink. This was intriguing to me because normally you do not see people going to a restaurant to eat by themselves, but perhaps the Hooters environment is enough to draw these men to their place of pleasure and yearning for human interaction with beautiful women while having an ice cold beer and watching the game on the big screen. Needless to say, there is a high desire between the sexes at Hooters, where the whole scheme of the restaurant is catered to what the typical man wants.

Aside from the waitresses and environment of Hooters, the desire of the menu is also quite prevalent. For example, on "Big Mouthful Monday's" at Hooters, one can receive a cheeseburger platter with a 23 oz. Coors Light Draft for only $8.99. This was posted on a flier in the restaurant, with the background of a Hooters waitress holding the cheeseburger on a beach. The signs of pleasure and desire are so strong at Hooters it is inescapable. The sex appeal in addition to food and alcohol is a deadly combination that few are able to resist, but why is this? I myself am drawn to Hooters, which is the reason why I chose to go to Hooters to make observations on pleasure and desire. After all, after having one of Hooters famous wings with their special sauce, the wings anywhere else just don't cut it. Mix in some sexy waitresses and sports, then why would I want to go anywhere else to spend the night? Sometimes our pleasures and desires are just too hard to resist.