Hooters Controversy in Michigan

[Sonic dB]

Back in the day, my college girlfriend told
me that when she moved to Michigan from
Colorado, the first thing she noticed was that
Big Beaver Road was also Exit 69...off of I-75.
Now, its ironically the site of 2 Hooters.

Hooters fight gives city 2 restaurants By JEFF KAROUB, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 1, 4:09 PM ET

TROY, Mich. - A fight to discourage Hooters restaurant from expanding in this well-to-do Detroit suburb by blocking its liquor license has backfired: Now there are two restaurants just two miles apart.

Troy, a high-income city of just 80,000 people and home to the state's only Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue department stores, now has another distinction. It is the only non-resort city of its size to have two Hooters.

"You come directly off the interstate and that's the first thing you come to," said Wade Fleming, a councilman who voted in June to reject the transfer of a liquor license to the new Hooters restaurant from a rundown tavern that once operated at the same location. "That starts to define Troy, I think, and that's not how we'd like to define Troy."

Hooters executives want just one restaurant in Troy, but the company won't close the old one until it's allowed to serve alcohol at the new restaurant, which opened Monday on a larger, more visible site.
Critics are concerned that the restaurants' scantily clad servers don't fit the image the city seeks to project in its Big Beaver commercial district. Fleming said officials are trying to make the area a "world-class corridor."

City Attorney Lori Grigg Bluhm said the number of police calls to the old Hooters entered into the decision to reject the license transfer, as did the fact that it would have left Hooters with two liquor licenses in Troy.

After Hooters was denied a liquor license, it went ahead with plans for the new location, obtaining building permits and spending about $1 million renovating what had been a dilapidated bar. Attempts to reach a compromise that would have allowed the new location to serve alcohol failed.
Sixteen dry beer taps stared back at the patrons who lined the bar this week, but manager Mark Grant said the lack of alcohol didn't hurt opening-day business. And it didn't faze the mostly male, mostly business-lunch crowd at the restaurant Tuesday.

"I think the Troy City Council, by drawing attention to this whole situation, put Hooters in the newspapers. It kind of backfired somewhat," said Dave Sanback, who lives and works in Troy. He came with two co-workers and ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich — "the waitress's favorite, I might add."

Sanback said he didn't see how Hooters detracts from the image of Troy, which, he said, has good schools, low crime and top-notch parks and recreation. He added, however, that he wouldn't bring his 9-year-old daughter to the restaurant.
Hooters, an Atlanta-based chain of 440 restaurants in 26 states and 21 countries, has run into community opposition before when opening new locations. But Mike McNeil, its vice president of marketing, said he knew of no other relocation in the same city that had been so contentious.

McNeil said the police have given the restaurant a good recommendation and the calls the city cites had nothing to do with alcohol. He added that such issues didn't come up publicly at the time of the council's decision.

As for the surrounding area's image, he said it's in the eye of the beholder. "It's not like they have parks or monuments or something like that. This is a commercial corridor, with filling stations, auto repair shops and the like," McNeil said.

A judge ruled against Hooters' legal efforts to reverse the city's decision, and the lawsuit is now in state appeals court. The company also has filed a federal lawsuit claiming the city discriminated against it and denied its right to free expression.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

I think that any chick worth her waitress salt has 2 hooters. If they were to employ a waitress with just one hooter, that would result in publicity that the city does not want.

hooter discrimination!
Helen of Troy is rolling over in her grave, laughing.(and jiggling)

[Jays72T]

Pics??

[Joeaksa]

Photos! We need photos, both one or two hooter versions!

[slodave]

[Sonic dB]

I have to admit, I enjoy going to a Hooters every now and
then. Its always fun to chat up the Hooters girl and see what
her goals are in life...where she has been etc.

I was fortunate enough to date a Hooters Girl back in 94 and based on my experience with her,
I can confidently say...Hooters Girls are Wild.
More than a Mouthful & taste pretty good too.

[Aurel]

They should staff the second hooters with male waiters to draw more female clients. When you think about it, hooters might double its business by doing this.

Aurel

[legion]

One wouldn't want a Hooters in the Big Beaver commercial district. That would send the wrong message.

[Chocaholic]

Originally posted by Aurel
They should staff the second hooters with male waiters to draw more female clients. When you think about it, hooters might double its business by doing this.

Aurel

Might backfire too. Would likely attract a primarily gay male clientele.

Not that that's a bad thing.

[Victor]

Originally posted by Sonic dB
I have to admit, I enjoy going to a Hooters every now and
then. Its always fun to chat up the Hooters girl and see what
her goals are in life...where she has been etc.

I was fortunate enough to date a Hooters Girl back in 94 and based on my experience with her,
I can confidently say...Hooters Girls are Wild.
More than a Mouthful & taste pretty good too.

Are you the bald dude with glasses?

[M.D. Holloway]

The food at Hooters sucks but then again you don't go there for the food.

[CurtEgerer]

Yes, it's true - there are now 2 Hooters near Big Beaver in Troy.

[Jims5543]

At least you have a Hooters. There was supposed to be one in Port St. Lucie Florida but all the bible thumpers went bezerk and they were not permitted to open up.

Port St. Lucie also had an adult toy store for 2 months. It opened and again all the bible thumpers came out in droves and picketed in front of the place and put pressure on the city council to chase it out of town. The owner closed it up when everyone was afraid to cross the picket lines to go to it.

Disclaimer - I am a church goer too but I do not condone terrorizing other because they do not have the same morals as I.

BTW- Hooter has good beer. And now I have to drive 2 towns away to go to an adult toy store.

[scottmandue]

I find peoples preconceived notions amusing but have to admit before a crew I was working with on the road took me to one I thought they something shady with Hooters. Now I love dragging people to the Hooters in Long Beach, I have seen groups like - mom dad and the kids- jacket and tie businessmen - groups of businesswomen, (pre-teen) birthday parties, it's really a pretty silly place... rather tongue in cheek.

If you go to a casino the waitresses are showing more skin... for that matter you can go to a beach or public pool and see girls wearing less.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Jim Cesiro
At least you have a Hooters. There was supposed to be one in Port St. Lucie Florida but all the bible thumpers went bezerk and they were not permitted to open up.

Port St. Lucie also had an adult toy store for 2 months. It opened and again all the bible thumpers came out in droves and picketed in front of the place and put pressure on the city council to chase it out of town. The owner closed it up when everyone was afraid to cross the picket lines to go to it.

Disclaimer - I am a church goer too but I do not condone terrorizing other because they do not have the same morals as I.

BTW- Hooter has good beer. And now I have to drive 2 towns away to go to an adult toy store.

Jim, for married guys those stores sell "Marital Aids", not adult toys.

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by scottmandue
I find peoples preconceived notions amusing but have to admit before a crew I was working with on the road took me to one I thought they something shady with Hooters. Now I love dragging people to the Hooters in Long Beach, I have seen groups like - mom dad and the kids- jacket and tie businessmen - groups of businesswomen, (pre-teen) birthday parties, it's really a pretty silly place... rather tongue in cheek.

If you go to a casino the waitresses are showing more skin... for that matter you can go to a beach or public pool and see girls wearing less.

When I lived in West Palm Beach I went to Hooters with my wife and then 5 year old son. If the food didn't suck so bad we might have gone more often. It was a cool place to go and drink a beer and eat some mediocre wings.

We gave them a couple of tries but their food really is not that good.

[hardflex]

I had a friend from Holland who LOVED to go to Hooters. That was when there were more bare midriffs, hula hoops, cleavage, and the like. Girls were encouraged to dance around and have fun. Then, mid 90's they came under fire for the sexist nature of it, and they backed off a lot of the fun stuff. What emerged is the uniform you see above, not really that risque'. And it's not nearly as fun as it used to be.

Last time he was here, we went 1 time, that was it.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by Aurel
They should staff the second hooters with male waiters to draw more female clients. When you think about it, hooters might double its business by doing this.

Aurel

I'm sure you'd be a steady customer, right? All in the interest of diversity?

[URY914]

Originally posted by hardflex
I had a friend from Holland who LOVED to go to Hooters. That was when there were more bare midriffs, hula hoops, cleavage, and the like. Girls were encouraged to dance around and have fun. Then, mid 90's they came under fire for the sexist nature of it, and they backed off a lot of the fun stuff. What emerged is the uniform you see above, not really that risque'. And it's not nearly as fun as it used to be.

Last time he was here, we went 1 time, that was it.

That's about the time that the couple of guys that started the whole thing sold it off. $$$$

[StevoRocket]

May 2000 in Minneapolis