Hooters in Missoula

By The Missoulian - 02/12/2008

News that restaurant chain coming to Montana raises questions about propriety The Missoulian has fielded a lot of calls and commentary in the days since reporter Lori Grannis first broke the news that a Hooters franchise is coming to town. The letters we’ve received — most of them too prurient to print — either welcome or chastise the restaurant, and provide a variety of reasons.

Hooters is an international chain restaurant that offers food and drinks and big-screen televisions for sports fans — above all, it’s known for offering the opportunity to ogle waitresses in skimpy clothing.

It’s a gimmick that has attracted national contro-versy and several lawsuits. One of the first lawsuits, brought by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, ended without action. But another suit, brought by a group of men who said Hooters discriminated against them by denying them jobs, was settled only after Hooters agreed to start filling some “support” jobs, such as bartending positions, with both men and women.

However, it reserved the right to continue filling its most visible jobs with women — and only women of a certain physique — as well as requiring them to wear the standard Hooters uniform: orange shorts and a low-cut T-shirt.

Over the years the restaurant has continued to draw criticism from would-be employees alleging they were turned down for jobs because they weren’t buxom enough. Other women have claimed they were fired because they got pregnant.

Of course, these complaints haven’t hurt Hooters’ business one bit. The restaurant industry isn’t the easiest one in which to succeed, and no doubt all the extra attention only helps Hooters get the edge over its competitors. The Atlanta-based chain has continually expanded through the past decade and now includes more than 435 locations, according to its Web site.

So if you don’t like the concept, you’re free not to visit — although you probably won’t put the restaurant out of business.

There’s no denying that Hooters chooses its employees, the vast majority of whom are women, primarily on the basis of their physical attributes. The company is upfront about that fact, and the women who work there seem to be OK with it. Judging from the number of phone calls we’ve gotten from women wondering where they can pick up an application, that’s soon to include some women in Missoula.

So why does Hooters generate more controversy than other businesses that peddle female flesh? Maybe it’s because Hooters makes us think about just where to draw the line between what’s appropriate for everyone and what’s appropriate for adults only.

In all likelihood, more than one person in Missoula will end up taking their entire family to Hooters. More than one parent will argue with her daughter about working there, or with her son or daughter about hanging out there. After all, you don’t have to be 18 or older to walk into a Hooters. They have a children’s menu.

No, Hooters isn’t a strip club — but it’s no Miss Montana contest, either. It’s also not just another sports bar, and most certainly not just another restaurant. So let’s stop pretending not to see the elephant standing right there in the middle of the room. The fact is that Hooters is a business that values its female employees first and foremost for their sex appeal.

That’s why we won’t be taking our families there. And why we wouldn’t want our daughters or sons working there. No matter how good the food may be or how many TVs are tuned into sports, we won’t patronize a restaurant that makes its money by objectifying women.

— The Missoulian