Hooters is quite a popular eatery with its franchises and locations all around the globe. It all started in 1983 on April Fool’s Day when the founders opened the first Hooters restaurant and had no expectations from this place. They even built a graveyard at the front door of their restaurant that was symbolic of all the failed ventures that once existed at that location. Turns out, Hooters broke that stream of failures and have over 400 branches today. However, there’s a lot that goes on inside those places that rarely comes to light. What’s the real experience of a Hooters girl? These former employees spilled out some jaw-dropping stories of Hooters that are hard to pass!
A Jump Start To The Shift
The staff members at the Hooters have a pre-shift that is known as “jump start” wherein the staff gathers and have to undergo a few checks with the manager. They all need to be well-dressed with hair down and styled flawlessly. It seems unusual for a restaurant, right? Even the nails need to be done and painted. A former staff member shared, “It’s not as weird as people make it sound.” Looks like they aim to serve more than just food to their customers.
No Quick Bucks
The staff at the restaurants, especially the servers experience a hard time earning a few bucks in the States. The tips left by the customers are their only hope to keep their income stable and enough to survive in the big cities. One of the former employees at Hooters revealed that the Hooters girls received $2/hour. That’s barely an income! But this staff member further added that the girls can earn better through promotions. “Once I was a promo girl for some golf tournament and basically we just drove golf carts around and got huge tips, she shared.”
A Sharp Mind, A Fit Body
Hooters is one of those brands that wants its staff to check particular boxes on their list of hiring essentials. Hooters doesn’t allow piercings or tattoos and want a “good-time girl” to be a part of their staff. The Hooters girl job advert states “Ability to Maintain Attractive Fit & Image” as one of the qualifications. They need a sharp-minded person to attend to the customers. A former employee shared that she was asked to tell fabricated stories related to college as a way to convey that she was a student. That says a lot!
Hula “Hoop-ers” As The Servers
There is nothing ordinary about the hiring that happens at the Hooters restaurants. It’s a complicated procedure with no fixed rules. One former employee revealed, “The men that interviewed me only asked me to do the hula hoop. After a few minutes I was hired, they asked me no questions.” No one applies for a job expecting such an interview but that’s why Hooters stands out – it executes weird and unimaginable ideas.
Secret Exam For The Staff
The concept of secret shoppers is going viral and many companies are following it to test their staff and to keep a track of their work. Hooters is following the same procedure to grade their servers. An undercover in the company turns into the “secret shopper” and graded the staff members. “I saw several good waitresses, who got oversat (meaning they had too many tables at once) and weren’t able to follow the procedure in a timely manner on the table with the ‘secret shopper,’ and poof! They were gone,” a former waitress revealed.
Sharing A Special Bond
Hooters may have an unconventional environment at their restaurants but it’s something that makes them unique and impressive at the same time. Many might assume that the wait staff doesn’t have time to make bonds with their co-workers but that’s not true. One waitress who worked there admitted, “I worked at Hooters from 1999–2005. It was some of the most fun times of my life and I made tons of friends who saw me through thick and thin. It was like a sorority I didn’t have to pay for.”
Huge Tips With Peel-And-Eat Shrimp
The former waitresses of Hooters have experienced quite a lot of bizarre events that transpire within those walls. While most of those occurrences never come to light, a few were spilled by the former employees. One ex-waitress of Hooters shared, “Once a week, a guy in his seventies would come to Hooters and order the peel-and-eat shrimp. Here’s the weird part — if you happened to be his waitress, he would offer you $100 just to PEEL the shrimp for him at the table. Sure it’s weird, but probably the easiest $100 you'd ever make!”
One Encouraging Aspect
While the Hooters staff have to keep their wit and personality at a balanced level, they may even have to pretend to be college students to look smart. But Hooters run a commendable policy for helping their staff members complete college and be really smart. You have to complete 6 months at the restaurant to be eligible for this scheme. “Hooters has a tuition reimbursement program that paid for most of my college. They award you money based on how many hours you work and your grades in each of your classes,” one ex-employee shared.
Album Featuring Hooters Staff
The people working at restaurants and pubs have many weird tales to share as the unpredictable experiences follow them regularly. Now, Hooters is famous for being a place where everything happens uniquely and unexpectedly. A waitress who once had a relationship with Hooters spilled, “We had a regular who came in and had an entire photo album of pictures with him and Hooters girls around the country.” Is that unconditional love for Hooters and for their girls? This fan seems to capture a lot of Hooters' memories.
Welcome With A Hint Of Spice
Hooters has only followed one way to welcome their customers and every staff member is trained according to that system. A former employee revealed, “Everyone gets the same training and every hooters girl must greet your table the same way.‘Hi I’m ____ I’ll be your hooters girl today (Write your name on a napkin) can I get you started with some hooterade ( lemonade vodka ) or ( insert greasy appetizer)?’” Every Hooters restaurant has the same greeting approach. Also, the greasy Hooters appetizers are Lots-A-Tots, Chicken Chips, and Bacon Wrapped Wings.
Anything For Those Eye-Catching Looks
Since Hooters rely a lot on the appearances of their waitresses, they can never allow anything that would cause an undesirable change in them. Even though they offer a free meal to their staff, this one particular branch altered the free menu. “Because of these girls’ weight gain, they changed the food options that we could order for our free lunch. We were no longer able to get wings — instead it was just salads and wraps,” one ex-staff member spilled the beans.
Dodging The Musical Wishes
It seems like singing for the customers to wish them on their special days is sort of a restaurant tradition in America. Hooters girls are expected to jump in this musical celebration too and sing “Happy Birthday” or dance to the “Hokey Pokey” or “The Chicken Dance.” One ex-Hooters girl admitted that many hated this whole tradition. She added, “If you were willing to do it, you could make extra tips because girls would literally pay you to do it for them so they didn’t have to!”
A Warm Welcome To All
One might think that this place is definitely not for a family who is looking to spend some time with their kids. Apparently, Hooters has no such restrictions when it comes to bringing kids to the restaurant for a scrumptious meal. A former Hooters employee revealed, “We took pictures with people a lot. And babies for some reason.” This might sound strange initially but those who have experienced the service at Hooters would know the aura of the place quite well. It’s unarguably charming.
Uniform Alert For The Girls
The highlight of the Hooters is the way their wait staff appears to the customers. Apart from the chicken wings, they need to serve special looks too. This is why the uniform of the Hooters girls is a treasure. One former staff member shared her experience around this rule and spilled, “You were only allowed to be seen in your uniform at the restaurant — no arriving in uniform, no leaving in uniform, and definitely no lending the uniform to friends for Halloween/costume parties. Girls actually got fired for this.”
A Creepy Talent Snuck In
The customers that walk inside the doors of Hooters carry a lot of surprises in their pockets. There is always an extraordinary aspect to the visitor who grabs a bite at Hooters. According to this true tale, this one person who was a regular at the restaurant searched for the Hooters girls on Instagram and draw their portraits right there at the place. Sounds weird, right? This person might hand the portrait to that girl at the end but the entire routine is slightly bewildering.
A Battle Of Sports
Although Hooters is one of the favorite spots for many to hang out with their friends, the place is packed whenever there’s an important sports event being telecast live. That’s when the Hooters girls are beaming with that tip joy. But it comes with a twist too. An ex-Hooters girl shared, “I made more on one UFC night than most of my friends made in two weeks at their other jobs. WWE nights, however, were usually a bust — customers would sit in your section for four hours, order a water, and leave maybe a dollar tip. UFC fans are better than WWE fans!!!”
Sour Pickles For Sweet Bonds
While many workplaces offer various team-bonding exercises, Hooters know how to stand out with their activities. They conduct “pickle races” and if you can’t imagine what that looks like, a former employee at Hooters gave a visual description of this activity and it sounds weirdly thrilling! “We did ‘pickle races’ where a girl would put a pickle spear in her mouth and then run and put it in another girls mouth, relay-style across the restaurant,” she explained. Well, that’s how Hooters’ team bonds.
Focusing On The Size
After a former employee was selected, she was asked the size of the uniform she would wear. She wanted a medium but he insisted on giving her the small one. “He also took a photo of me and when I asked why, he said this would be a reminder that if six months from then, I ‘changed,’ he'd show me this photo of the person he hired,” she added. That’s what goes behind the scenes of this restaurant and it’s not something that one won’t expect from this place. They have a theme that they follow in all facets of the business.
Impeccable Hooters Style
In addition to those perfect-fit tank tops and hot pants, the Hooters girls have to dress marvelously as their attractive appearance has a lot to do with the restaurant. “At minimum, you had to have blush, mascara, and lip gloss on, and hair had to be down and styled (unless you were working the bar — then you could pull it back). Nails could only be red, pink, or a French manicure, but some of us got away with other colors because the managers typically weren’t very observant,” one former Hooters girl shared.
Living In A Parallel Universe
The Hooters is definitely not accepting the existence of natural sizes and so, it is tailoring the tags as per its convenience. They may have a problematic hiring system that doesn’t fit in with the world outside but that’s how the people have accepted it to operate. Its popularity speaks volumes about it. Then, there are the uniforms and their labels. “The uniforms came in sizes XXXS, XXS, XS, and S. Basically XS, S, M, L just labeled differently for whatever reason,” a staff member who once was a part of the Hooters team revealed.
The Blonder The Better
Since the appearance of the Hooters staff sits right at the top of the priority list of this place, they often create some temporary rules during the hiring process. From hair to the heels, the girls should be dressed to the nines. However, at one point, the color of the hair became a qualification criteria too as told by one former Hooters girl. “I interviewed with dark black hair and didn’t get the job. About three months later, I dyed it blonde and got the job,” she expressed.
An Extended Job Profile
The Hooters girls have to look their finest versions for as long as they are inside those walls. They can’t look exhausted despite all the work they are swamped with during those hours. This Hooters ex-employee who worked there for six years narrated her experience and said, “We were paid less than $3 an hour. Had to scrub mold and clean toilets when the store was going to be audited while in uniform. Expected to be in perfect hair and makeup at all times.” It looks like it is a constant battle between your appearance and serving!
Verdict By The Hooters Court
The employment contract signed by the staff states that they could not sue the company for harassment “as you were considered to be in an environment that almost encouraged that kind of behavior.” The former Hooters girl added, “If you had a grievance, you would go to ‘Hooters Court’ - basically arbitration where other Hooters employees served as a jury and rendered a verdict.” One might need time to sink in this information especially if you are not plugged into the “Hooters culture”. Anyway, this is how things work for them.
Hugs And Candies
While candies are involved at a place with kids roaming around, they are unheard of at a place built for and ran by adults. But Hooters is known to diverge from the conventions. This is what one of the former Hooters girls disclosed about the place. She wrote that a “candy man” arrived as a regular at the restaurant and carried a huge bag filled with candies. The ones who were willing to hug him and did it had the opportunity to grab a sweet bite from the man’s bag.
Wings Of Guilt
One of the most popular dishes served on the Hooters’ tables is wings. But this delectable food leaves a long-lasting impact on your taste buds and in the aura of the place. Still confused? This Hooters girl has given out all the information without hesitating for even a bit. “For those of you who haven’t had Hooters wings, they can leave you feeling quite gassy. All of the girls would joke about how they would often crop dust (fart and walk away) while serving on the floor after chowing down on wings in the break room. Maybe that's why the place never smelled that good!”
Playful Environment Until…
Apart from the team-bonding activities, this branch of Hooters had gaming beginning to the day as the staff members were allowed to pick their sections by indulging in some lively moments involving games. “Games included dodgeball using paper towel rolls, hula hooping competition, scooter races, word games and once a "dance off." None of us were willing to participate in that one so we all got in trouble and had to all close the restaurant as punishment,” an ex-staff member revealed. Well, not an ending we anticipated!
Keeping Tabs On The Weight
The hair, makeup, and uniform need to be impeccable when you are a Hooters girl. You can’t compromise on either of those. In one particular branch as confirmed by an ex-Hooters girl, the weight was another topic of concern and the girls had to pay attention to those extra pounds displayed on the machine. “In our location, you got two weight warnings and then you were fired. If you got pregnant, though, they had special uniforms,” she shared. These girls might be surviving on salads!
Vending Tights At Hooters
There are rules regarding the tights worn by the girls at Hooters. All the girls have to wear similar kinds of tights and to ensure that, the restaurant had vending machines for the staff that offered those pieces of clothing. “If your tights were ripped before your shift, you had to buy new ones out of the vending machine. If they ripped on shift, you got a new pair for free and had to change right away,” a Hooters girl who once worked at a Hooters location shared.
Caution: Stay Away From The Grill
One former employee of the Hooters spilled the secrets about their uniform and the reality that is just too flaming to handle. She wrote, “The tights we had to wear were SUPER flammable — to the point where those of us in uniform weren’t allowed within a 10-foot radius of the grill.” That seems to be a risk that these girls took apart from the variety of icky experiences they have while serving on the restaurant floor. We hope the girls steer clear of the grill when on duty!
Care To Have A Chat?
Another rule that may sound bizarre to you if you have the Hooters culture is not a part of your routine is the one where the girls are expected to approach the customers if they have no other work on their hands at that particular moment. It wasn’t as smooth as it seems – the girls need to start a one-sided conversation. “Sometimes there would be 8 girls working and 2 tables and we were made to gather around these tables and make conversation. A lot of people didn't want to be bothered while eating so it was awkward,” one ex-Hooters girl stated.
A Moment Of Amusement
At some point in their careers as the Hooters girls, they become impervious to the creepy comments that make their way towards them through all sorts of customers taking a seat at the restaurant. This former staff member shared an intriguing tale that happened at her location. “We used to keep a ‘Wall of Shame’ in the kitchen with creepy notes or phone numbers guys would leave. Eventually, a new manager we had made us remove it, but it was a great laugh for the girls on a bad day,” she unveiled.
Dad-Kid Day Out
As the restaurant has laid down no rules regarding the age of its customers, people take it casually and bring their kids – toddlers or teens to the place for a relaxing day out. But one former Hooters girl was not in favor of this activity and found it strange as kids need to learn better than that. She wrote, “One of the creepiest things about Hooters was how many men would bring their kids for a ‘family bonding experience.’” Dads could pick another experience for their kids if they wish!
Selling More Than Just Food
If you assume that Hooters is all about its hamburgers and wings when it comes to satisfying their visitors, then this will be news to you. Hooters organized contests wherein the girls were supposed to sell the customized gear. The girls received no commission but were given gifts based on their performance. One former employee shared, “I was so good at getting customers to buy merchandise that I’d get them to buy it for me. I had like 12 Hooters fleeces! We'd usually have to sign shirts and calendars — I always wrote 'Hugs & Hooters.’”
Regulars Know Their Girls
Hooters is not just an eatery where you’ll buy yourself a meal to treat your taste buds. It is a place that will impress you in ways you won’t imagine and for many, the focus becomes the Hooters girls. This is why the restaurant has no rule that specifies tables for the girls. “One of the things that shocked me the most was that there are no assigned tables to servers. And almost every person that came in was a regular and had their girl’ who they picked for their server, an ex-employee revealed.
Strings Attached With Eating
The Hooters girls are expected to concentrate on their hair and makeup more than the food they are surrounded with for a better part of their day. That sounds harsh considering the foodie personalities hidden inside all of us. At one location, this rule took a cruel turn as unveiled by an ex-employee. This former Hooters girl unveiled the strings attached as she wrote that “eating while on shift or in view of customers was punishable by write ups because the ideal woman is never seen eating.”
An Appealing Appearance
Hooters is known for its uncommon style when it comes to their way of maintaining an aura that’s unique and appeals to its customers. The girls fulfill this responsibility by following some aberrant dressing protocols. This ex-Hooters girl expressed, “Couldn’t have tattoos, or they needed to be covered. Couldn’t wear hair up in a pony tail which, as a server in the food industry seems disgusting. Also, couldn’t leave the restaurant alone without walking out with another employee or manager.”
Hooters Mementos For Staff
The Hooters wait staff may have access to a few fringe benefits that they can grab when they visit another location. It’s more than a free steak sandwich – this perk is about collecting mementos to hold onto the memories of working at Hooters for a long time. A former employee shared that the staff had an advantage when they went to a different Hooters location as they could take a shirt from there by just presenting their paycheck as proof. The shirts had the location marked on them. So, the employees could flaunt one from each place.
Accompanying Outside The Doors
The safety of the Hooters staff can’t be compromised in any case and so, whenever a Hooters girl steps out of the restaurant after completing her shift, their coworkers or managers accompanied them to their respective cars. One can easily fathom the reason behind such a rule! “Managers and coworkers always escorted us to our cars. Sometimes girls would have people hanging around waiting for them to get off,” a former Hooters girl shared. Insanity elicits humanity – that’s what can be inferred from here.
Hysterical Ignominy Of Being Born
If we are talking about strange Hooters' experiences, then this one can never be skipped as it’s weirdly hilarious. This former employee shared the customers’ birthday celebration routine at her location and it involves a bucket full of embarrassment. She wrote, “We used to sing this birthday song called ‘Weenie Man.’ We’d take the poor birthday boy and sit him on a stool in the middle of the restaurant. Then we’d put a hot dog in his mouth and a metal bucket on his head.” They clicked his pictures and it continued until he pulled himself out of that situation.
All’s Good In The Hood
This particular Hooters story is sparkling with positivity and bliss and it feels like the cringe-worthy experiences had taken a backseat for a while at this location. She expressed, “I worked there for 10 years and it was such a fun job. I made a ton of money as a bartender, some regulars were awesome (we were there psychologist) others were ultra creepy…” “Since I had been there so long I had seniority so I was allowed to do kind of whatever I wanted. Girls at my store did not have to look like your typical hooters girl - lots of girls were curvy. Job was awesome!”
Diving Into The Vibrant Details
Hooters can emanate mysterious vibes in a few aspects related to the working of the restaurant but there’s nothing that has been under wraps for long. This next piece of information is insightful to some extent as people may not consider Hooters to be a place trapped in a typical system of conventions. A former Hooters employee unveiled, “Our name tag colors meant different things. White name tags meant you were under 21, orange were over 21, and gold meant you were a trainer.” We are not sure if the customers care about the age of their servers!
Once A Hooters Girl, Always A Hooters Girl
Despite being in all sorts of awkward and icky moments, Hooters girls develop a bond with the place and can’t seem to let go of that experience. This girl shared her side of the story of how it started and came to an end with memories in the form of a uniform that’s cherished forever. She admitted that she still owns her XXS shorts and “hv used the outfit as an emergency Halloween costume. People have offered to buy it several times but I just can’t get myself to part with it!”
Concealing That Ink
If there’s one thing that Hooters would never be lenient about is the flaunting of tattoos. They have a stern rule against the visible inked design on any staff member. They have to conceal it every day and not let the tattoo appear like an uninvited guest while they are on serving duty. This ex-Hooters staff member shared her tattoo tale and wrote, “Every day, I had to cover my tattoos. If makeup was coming off of the tattoo, I’d have to go to the back and apply more.” A task, right?
Elegance Confined To The Floor
The Hooters girls don’t mind grabbing a bite or even more when they are off-duty and have no tables to attend to. Who can resist the tempting hamburgers and shrimp when they are cooked right in front of you? “When we’re not on the floor, we’re in the back stuffing our faces. We love the food. And we’re not as ‘girly’ or ‘graceful’ about it as you might believe,” a former employee spilled about the foodie side of the Hooters staff. They deserve a treat after enduring all the creepiness that roams around every once in a while.
Labelling It As Not Bad
While it may appear to be a strange place for a few who view it from afar, this ex-Hooters girl has proved those assumptions to be incorrect to a great extent. She spent a year serving at that place and feels like it was definitely not a bad experience. “Yes, there were some creeps, but overall, the environment was fun. You were encouraged to sit down and hang out with customers, it was an easy job, and as a result, I never worked in another restaurant because it would have been way more uptight,” she declared.
