Hello, Hooters!
I grew up in Tampa, FL, across the bay from the original Hooters. With Hooters landing on our shores, it makes London feel even more like home. Never mind I've only been to one - it's always been around me, and not because I have them, either. *
I was 12 when the chicken-wings-served-by-scantily clad chain started and billboards showing reclining Hooters Girls started appearing all over town. As a teenager, we secretly wanted to be Hooters Girls, even though none of us would have ever admitted it. Sure, our parents would have killed us, but we probably weren't hot enough anyway.
My senior year of high school I worked at a record store, which opened a new location. On hand to help, Hooters Girls. The Home of Rock 'n Roll 95YNF told us about local Hooters Girls who went on to be Playmates. The Girls introduced rock bands, sports teams and charity events.
Then an acquaintance landed the Holy Grail - a Hooters Girl as a girlfriend. The fact he was in one of Tampa's cooler metal bands didn't hurt. She was nice.
My sole visit to Hooter's happened in New York City when I was in my late 20s. It was fuelled by the kind of thing that makes girls go to strip clubs - proof they're 'secure with their own level of attractiveness' more than a desire for £20 drinks. I don't even remember the visit, though I'm sure the wings were good.
And finally, on the day of my wedding, my husband, step-father and a few others went to Hooters for lunch. When my best friend told me this over my manicure, the salon staff was HORRIFIED. I laughed my head off! Of course, it was only funny because he had never been to Hooters before, and that made it a hilariously cliched thing to do.
Apparently now Hooters is a 'family' restaurant, with a kid's menu, birthday parties and all.
Hmm, so maybe not quite the Hooters I knew in my formative years.
But at least the orange running shorts are still around.
* Seriously, could I have written this article without referencing my own?
My senior year of high school I worked at a record store, which opened a new location. On hand to help, Hooters Girls. The Home of Rock 'n Roll 95YNF told us about local Hooters Girls who went on to be Playmates. The Girls introduced rock bands, sports teams and charity events.
Then an acquaintance landed the Holy Grail - a Hooters Girl as a girlfriend. The fact he was in one of Tampa's cooler metal bands didn't hurt. She was nice.
My sole visit to Hooter's happened in New York City when I was in my late 20s. It was fuelled by the kind of thing that makes girls go to strip clubs - proof they're 'secure with their own level of attractiveness' more than a desire for £20 drinks. I don't even remember the visit, though I'm sure the wings were good.
And finally, on the day of my wedding, my husband, step-father and a few others went to Hooters for lunch. When my best friend told me this over my manicure, the salon staff was HORRIFIED. I laughed my head off! Of course, it was only funny because he had never been to Hooters before, and that made it a hilariously cliched thing to do.
Apparently now Hooters is a 'family' restaurant, with a kid's menu, birthday parties and all.
Hmm, so maybe not quite the Hooters I knew in my formative years.
But at least the orange running shorts are still around.
* Seriously, could I have written this article without referencing my own?
Here Is The Writer : Sarah Western
Sarah Western Balzer is the managing director of HITC Life and is always on the hunt for reader-writers, so if you're one, make yourself known (sarah.western@hereisthecity.com). Sarah's other job is running a business that helps expats with lifestyle relocation, and is always on the hunt for clients, so - you guessed it: www.arrivalslimited.com. Sarah moved to London five years ago from New York but is originally from Florida, and still suntans like it's 1989. She is so grateful to the banker who introduced her to Here Is The City that she married him, and they live in Wapping with their son.
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