A new restaurant opened in south Tulsa in April called Twin Peaks. It's a regional chain that already has stores in Dallas, Austin, and Albuquerque, and it's billed as the main competition of Hooters. The waitresses wear uniforms of khaki mini-shorts and lumberjack flannel, red and black checked bikini tops. The uniforms reveal even more skin, mostly mid-drift and cleavage, than the famous orange and white Hooters uniforms. This just might be the reasoning behind their ad slogan “Twice as much fun as other restaurants.”
But, before you visit this eatery, consider this: the Urban Tulsa Weekly has a review of a typical dining experience at the Tulsa Twin Peaks on page 27 of this week’s issue, and the food is only given 2 out of 5 stars. Reminiscent of most Hooters reviews, the food is not very good and is over-priced.
Clearly, the food is not the draw. And a restaurant that promotes the sexuality of its female employees over the quality of its food is not a new idea. Of course, that’s the point. It’s a lucrative business formula, one that’s proven successful since 1983 when the Hooters restaurant began with just one location in Clearwater, Florida.
Still, restaurants like this are also not without their business troubles. The Hooters chain has seen its share of sexual harassment complaints and lawsuits over the years. In 2000, 24-year-old former Hooters waitress Sara Steinhoff won $275,000 in a sex-harassment suit against the restaurant. And in 2004, a former waitress at a Hooters in Chicago accused male co-workers of using peepholes to watch her undress in a basement break room that shares a common wall with a dressing area. Reporter Emelie Doolittle wrote, in a 2007 article for New University, about several individual cases of harassment like the one a particular Hooter Girl named Kelly experienced:
When she walked up to a family that was sitting on one of the center tables of the restaurant to take drink orders, a man at the table, with long wavy brown hair and sunburned skin, said, 'Do you want to see my ID?' Then he undid his pants button and pretended to unzip his fly, 'I'll show you my ID.' Although Kelly did not laugh, the man did. Instead, she ignored him and focused on getting the other customers' orders.
Hooters hasn’t just been on the defending side of legal cases. In 2003 Hooters sued Ker’s Winghouse, a Florida restaurant chain, alleging that the “Winghouse Girls” outfits were confusingly similar to those of the “Hooters Girls.” However, a federal trial court judge in Orlando ruled against Hooters, stating that the Winghouse Girls outfits weren’t a “knockoff” because the Winghouse Girls wear black tank tops and black running shorts while the Hooters Girls sport white shirt and orange shorts.
This case was particularly interesting to trademark lawyers and feminists. Perhaps the most clear and thorough analysis of the 2003 case came from Ann Bartow, who blogs at feministlawprofs.com:
Through this litigation, Hooters was trying to obtain a monopoly on the ability to have women in tight, revealing tops and short running shorts serve food in a restaurant, apparently believing that this would give the chain a competitive advantage. Hooters was able to establish the distinctiveness of the particular uniform it has its wait staff wear, but not that the uniform was primarily nonfunctional. The court noted that the uniform has an obvious function: In conjunction with the person wearing it, the uniform provides “vicarious sexual recreation, to titillate, entice, and arouse male customers’ fantasies,” (see dist. ct. decision at page 4). This is not something that the law allows Hooters, or any entity, to monopolize through application of the Lanham Act.
The ruling is also a small victory for women, as a victory for Hooters might have meant that competing restaurant chains would have to put their wait staff in bikinis or cellophane wrap or even more awful costumes to avoid “infringing” upon tank tops and running shorts.
It’s as if Bartow was predicting the future because competing restaurant chains, namely Twin Peaks, are now putting their wait staff in skimpier, racier, sexier (?) uniforms. Hooters and Twin Peaks are both fully aware that they sell sex. The courts, though heterosexist, are fully aware that these restaurants sell sex "to arouse male customers' fantasies." And this chain is already receiving complaints of sexual harassment from former employees; see the website twinpeakssucks.com which is devoted entirely to proclaiming the exploitation of the business and the perversion of one manager identified only by "Scott."
So, why might a young woman want to work at a place like this and subject herself to gawking, inevitably lame sexual innuendos, and possible harassment? Well, possibly because it’s easy. The Twin Peaks restaurant in Tulsa entices potential applicants with the following blurb (all emphasis, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation errors original):
We are an All female wait staff. NO SIDEWORK, cute sexy uniforms, great money, cool management, fun games and prizes, and sooooooo much more! We wear a really cute Lumberjack uniform, but every holiday we switch it up a bit. (Santa's helpers, Valentine QT's, Sexy Halloween costumes, Military week, etc, and many more)There is NO experience required.
Yet it's still difficult for me to imagine why an intelligent, healthy, beautiful young woman would want to work as an underpaid waitress at a place like Twin Peaks. As my brilliant friend Tara points out, if you're gonna be a sex-worker, just know that you could be making a lot more money as a prostitute or a stripper.
To read the rest of Bartow’s analysis of the 2003 case Hooters v. Winghouse of Florida, go here.
Comments
its all about the money. they make great money and to be honest i have seen more skin at the mall with the girls walking with there parents.
Spring,
To compare a waitress to a prostitute sounds like you are a little bitter. Did you apply and they called you fat? Maybe you have issues attracting men?
I wish you all the luck in the world, because with your current attitude, you are liable to end up a lonely, bitter old woman with nothing in the world except your cats.
Great article!
And "Thomas," a gal who is against objectification of women is not jealous or bitter- she just wishes for a better world.
My question is this ... If a girl chooses to work and subject herself to probable harrassment, then where is her right to complain? Really. She is just setting herself up for the inevitable!
And, Thomas ... She wasn't comparing a waitress to a prostitute. She merely said that if they are going to sell their skin and eventual self-respect by subjecting themselves to moral degredation, then at least make freakin' good money at it!! And I hate to tell you, but the majority of women share this attitude...and she is beautiful!
fabulous job with this article, spring. i hope anyone, male or female, who is considering working for hooters or twin peaks gets the chance to read it and to be inspired to take a second look at what kind of employer they are looking at working for and what kind of dehumanizing atmosphere they are potentially entering. and to customers: you have found yourself drawn to real live girls with real live bodies serving mediocre food in a (somehow) socially acceptable venue. i don't care what conclusion you come to, but please don't be afraid to THINK about the reasons for making this choice. would you want your spouse, children, siblings, or parents working there? why or why not? you have the freedom to spend your money anywhere, so make sure it's well spent.
Haha WOW!!! I am an employee at Twin Peaks and you are completely wrong! It is a fun, lively restaurant with good food and yes, VERY good looking women. It is no way comparable to prostitution. Im a very good looking woman & know i could make way better money by being a stripper or a prostitue but I choose not to because I don't want to disrespect myself like that and put my body out there in that way. Lets be real, I'm a WAITRESS!!! Just like any other restaurant, we just wear less clothes. It is usually females who have something bad to say about Twin Peaks which is probably because they have low self esteem or because their over weight. Im sorry for you and your insecurities but don't hate on us and the restaurant beacuse your boring and wish you could have had an easy fun job to get you through school and living expenses. Until you have been there you have no right to place judgement.
Oklahoma is an ignorant place….educate yourself before you start judging. Let me tell you something- most girls there, including myself, make bank there. We are simply trying to get ourselves through college. So, exploiting sex or whatever you wanna call it, were not hurting anyone. If you don’t like the idea DON’T GO!!! We won’t miss your type of people! We are doing fine without you!!! I haven’t had any trouble working there and mainly because it depends on what type of girl you are. It’s my job and that’s all it is. I don’t take it seriously. It’s also a really good learning experience ?
So I advise not turning on your television or traveling anywhere outside Oklahoma because you will be shocked by what you will discover: SEX! Bikinis, MINI shorts, etc etc. Like Vegas, California, Miami, New York and what not.
FYI!
There is sexual harassment everywhere! Like: regular desk jobs, churches, schools (private or public) ect etc.
FYI!
There is sexual harassment everywhere! Like: regular desk jobs, churches, schools (private or public) ect etc.
All the way and proud of it. There is nothing wrong with that conservative OKLAHOMA WA WA! Like everyone mentioned it's not like no one has seen women showing skin. Maybe go to Miami and all those cities, let me tell you, you'll see women roller blading in bikini, not even! more like in thong bikini. It's time to smell the roses Oklahoma, upgrade to this generation middle aged people and old people sheesh! It's not about the skin it's about the money. It's legal, and no one is showing nipples or bushes so don't hate, appreciate!
TWIN PEAKS,
Keep up the good work! we are one of few who are doing well in this unstabled economy, unlike these conservative people and conservative states! yeah and I wonder why it's mostly them who are in finacial crisis. Seriously, we know how we do!
Those chicks look way too young. I had a nice time, but honestly, they all need to be doing homework somewhere. Would like if they would hire some girls at least 19 or 20. All guys are not child molesters. It's like looking at my kid sis. Gross.
Lol all of you Twin Peak girls complaining, ya'll are just plain sluts, don't try to fool yourself by putting it into fancy words to convince yourself you're not selling sex, because you are. You really think people come there for the food? If yes, then what is your male to female ratio? Should be about the same right???
Creepy old guys come and are basically paying to look at your half naked body.
You're just a disgrace to women in general, congrats.
Looks will only get you so far
Most girls who work there are trashy girls anyways and just want attention from men and they dont know how to do anything else and that's why they work @ a place like Twin Peaks
i LOVE tWIN pEAKS nOT tHe besT OF fooD anD a LITTLe hIgh But It'S fun AND tHE LADYS arE NICE AND nICE tolOOk at SO eveRyONE nEEds to Stop HAting
I'm so sick of places like this
I hope this place does not last here in Oklahoma so sick of places like this
i want to date a women , who ever wants to date me contact me 9188503379 , i am staying in oklahoma - tulsa ;)
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