IT was the infamous eaterie for boob-loving punters and was even dubbed a ‘breastaurant’ by witty fans.
Hooters, known for its iconic image and attracting customers through its unique brand, is facing bankruptcy, leaving many surprised. Two former Hooters girls have come forward with their shocking experiences, revealing the strict rules they were required to abide by during their time at the restaurant.
Despite the potential to earn up to $800 (£630) daily in tips, these women had to conform to rigid appearance guidelines, which included maintaining a specific weight and refraining from wearing ponytails.
Reports indicate that Hooters is on the brink of bankruptcy, with a substantial debt of $300 million in asset-backed bonds. Furthermore, there are speculations that a competing diner has been gradually attracting Hooters’ clientele over the years, contributing to the chain’s financial downfall.
Kyla Estelle, 28, worked at Hooters in Kentucky for three years and claims they received so many sexual harassment lawsuits that rules had to change.
Kyla said: “You were lined up and judged on your appearance before you got on the floor to work your shift.
“I’m really not shocked it’s closing. We had strange characters come in and lots of forceful men who would think they were entitled to you.
“I’ve had to sneak out the back door at the end of a shift because male customers would get aggressive and drunk.”
The bar is widely known for its female waitresses who wore revealing orange shorts and tight-fitting white tops to show off their impressive figures.
After the racy chain faced a steep decline in footfall, customers blamed it on the restaurant allegedly letting their staff ‘standards’ slip.
One disgruntled customer said on X: “I attribute the death of Hooters mostly to the decline in attractiveness of servers.”
Taylor Douangmala, 24, from San Diego worked at Hooters for six years after being hired at just 17 years old.
She told The Sun it was the best job she ever had but now Hooters “is so dead, it’s crazy”.
At the height of its success Hooters had its own airline and ran an annual Miss Hooters beauty pageant, as well as producing a racy calendar.
It also boasted more than 600 locations worldwide but this has now dropped to only 300 restaurants globally.
Taylor said: “When I got hired in 2019 everybody wanted to work there.
“Now when I walk in and I see the girls who are working there, I can tell if it is a good Hooters or not.
“It is nowhere near as strict on appearance as it used to be, the managers don’t care what the girls look like anymore.
When I first started working, there was a guy at the bar who would show off his private parts to girls under the table.
Kyla Estelle
“Girls now have their hair up in ponytails or have tattoos which were never allowed.
“It was also a big deal when one of the girls came in without their makeup done – they’d be sent home.”
Taylor explained that one reason behind Hooters’ failure is due to women making more money from VIP waitress jobs and a lack of interest in the chain.
Taylor said: “Some stories from my time there were a little inappropriate.
“One man was really obsessed with boobs and another got kicked out because he was jacking off at the table.”
Feeding the fantasy
Taylor revealed she would make up to $800 in tips a night on top of her wage and regular customers would sometimes take around 15 Hooters girls out for fancy rooftop dinners.
Kyla added: “The more I fed into the fantasy and did my makeup, the more money I could make.”
“One girl even had a regular male customer buy her new shoes for $600 (£475).”
It was rumoured that girls could be fired for gaining weight and your hair had to be below shoulder length, it couldn’t be short
Taylor Douangmala, former Hooters girl
Taylor said: “Every time one guy would come in he would tip me $300 (£238).
“I would always get their number after they would tip me.
“I was never ashamed of the outfit. There was a prestige about being beautiful enough to work there.
“I am so sad that it is closing.”
The downfall of Hooters
The ‘breastaurant’ was incredibly successful in America in the 1980s, with comedian Katherine Ryan and model Chrissy Teigen among the celebrities who used to be Hooters girls.
Since its heyday the brand has suffered discrimination lawsuits and a dated reputation.
In 1993, several Hooters staff sued the chain claiming that the restaurant created an environment that allowed customers to make sexual comments and advances to its waitresses.
In October, last year Hooters payed $250,000 to settle a race and colour lawsuit that alleged a Hooters in North Carolina engaged in discriminatory practices.
In 2021, Hooters girls kicked back at the chain on social media claiming the shorts were too short and the uproar went viral on TikTok.
Many ex-employees praise the brand but recognise its controversial standards and backwards representations of women.
After visiting a Hooters bar in San Diego three weeks ago Taylor was shocked at how empty the venue was.
She said: “The service was horrible and it was so dead.
“Nobody really cares about Hooters anymore.
“There were only two tables of customers in there and we didn’t get our drinks for 20 minutes.
“When I worked there I had to memorise 16 service steps and study it before doing a test.
“People are more woke now, they don’t want to be told how to wear their hair and stuff.”
Hooters customer service guide
The fast-food chain prides itself on customer service and issues all new employees with a 16 step guide. New hires were reportedly then tested to make sure they’d read them. Below are the points:
- Greet incoming guests from wherever you are
- Seat guests
- Greet table (within 30 seconds or less), suggest a specific drink
- Inform Guests of a specific special or promotion
- Bring drinks (in 3 minutes or less)
- Suggest a specific appetizer
- Sit down to take food order, suggest fries with every order
- Ring, Sling, Bring Setups!
- Entertain, Entertain, Entertain! (visit each other’s tables)
- Secret service – anticipate the Guest’s needs
- Deliver food to the table
- Check back in 2 bites or 2 minutes and refill drinks
- Hands Full Golden Rule: Pre-bus, help with the wait station
- TEAMWORK – acknowledge every guest (5 ft. rule) (Greet anyone who is within 5 feet of you)
- Offer dessert and merchandise!
- Present check in a timely manner
Source: Idea Sandbox
After moving to Las Vegas in 2022, Taylor got a job at a new Hooters but two weeks after it closed with no explanation.
This was a common theme for the chain which shut approximately 40 restaurants in 2024.
Taylor said: “I don’t think the general manager knew they were closing.
“The news just dropped on them suddenly.”
Kyla claimed the focus was only on the girls working and not the food.
She said: “People want you to carry out this fantasy.
“It seems insane but your manager is not going to allow you on the restaurant floor if you look bad.
“Blush, concealer and mascara were the bare minimum they liked you to do a smokey eye for makeup.”
