(Ben Sellers, Headline USA-) Iconic chicken-wing chain Hooters may be throwing in the towel on its 35-year struggle to stay politically incorrect.
While some restaurants, like Cracker Barrel, have successfully fought off the takeover of corporate wokeness, Hooters recently announced the closure of its last New York location, the New York Post reported.
“Thanks for the mammaries,” the paper wrote in a nod to the buxom waitresses who became a prominent marketing gimmick and, ultimately, a business model for the franchise.
In addition to shuttering its holdout location in Colonie, N.Y., just outside Albany, Hooters also recently closed its final three Massachusetts locations in Dedham, Saugus and West Springfield.
And in March it said goodbye to its final locations in Connecticut and Minnesota, the latter of which was located in the Mall of America.
Technically, it was not the prescriptive mandates of virtue-signaling womynists that drove the chain under, but rather a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last year.
It cited inflation and other issues as the reason for sagging sales.
However, after closing around 40 company-owned restaurants, the final nail in the coffin may have been a “family friendly” rebranding, with the company focused on retaining its beach-bar motif—along with more modest server outfits, the Post reported.
“I don’t think you’re going to see a bunch of butt cheeks hanging out,” said Neil Kiefer, the 73-year-old lawyer who took control of the brand after its default, according to the Wall Street Journal.
For decades, Hooters fought off outside attempts to reign in its “delightfully tacky” image, including a four-year fight with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its refusal to hire men as servers.
In a 1997 case, the restaurant argued that it was safeguarding women’s rights under Title VII by designating womanhood a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification, meaning it was a necessity to the operation of the business. (Hooters made no such distinction for its chefs and kitchen staff, who disproportionately were men.)
As the Obama era gave way to #MeToo grievances, the restaurant continued to weather a barrage of complaints including allegations of sexual harassment and objectification of women.
“It is time women spoke up and were not browbeaten into accepting places such as Hooters so they are not seen as prudish,” said former Cardiff University lecturer Gill Boden in a 2010 BBC article. “Places such as this all contribute to the current climate where men see women’s bodies as available objects.”
In the Biden era, as identity politics blossomed into a giant turd, the restaurant not only fell victim to financial issues like pandemic restrictions, supply-chain shortages and increased poultry costs, but also new threats from cancel culture.
In 2023, Hooters was sued by Taria Daughtridge, a dark-skinned waitress at a North Carolina branch who claimed white and light-toned servers received preferential treatment.
"WHAT KINDA' HOOTERS CAN WORK AT HOOTERS?"
This particular lawsuit is interesting.
I hope @Hooters wins it.Why?
Let's go on a fun journey to explore American Civil Rights law and intersectionality, with some helpful visual aids. https://t.co/CI0QXOYUuM pic.twitter.com/mJyyCDZm95
— ib (@Indian_Bronson) August 25, 2023
In 2024 came the inevitable lawsuit attempt by a biologically male transgender individual, going by the name “Brandy Livingston,” who was banned from Hooters as a man for making lewd comments but went on to sue the restaurant for discrimination after undergoing a gender transition.
NEW: Brandy Livingston, a man pretending to be a woman, is suing Hooters because they rejected his job application.
Not only is he not a woman, he was also initially banned from the restaurant for allegedly making s*xuaIIy charged statements toward staff on multiple occasions.… pic.twitter.com/jl2gzzfYba
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 31, 2024
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
