How come Charlottesville doesn’t have a Hooters? Seriously! Is Charlottesville “above” it because of our history and culture? The cities of Princeton, New Haven, Nashville, Winston-Salem, and Providence all have Hooters locations and “Top 20″ universities. Are Christian conservatives preventing it? Doubtful; there are ten locations in the Dallas area. Is there no need or value to Hooters? They’re profitable restaurants and co-eds can make decent (but not great) money there, and the cheap thrill of neon orange shorts and nylons and tiny tee shirts may actually help prevent marital infidelities. Does Charlottesville not need more wings and beer? Now that is just crazy talk.
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Tagged as: Albemarle County, Charlottesville, College, Restaurants, Rumors
Hooters food sucks and I do not beleive that Cville has enough hotties waiting tables to staff the joint. They would have to get EVERY good looking female waitron in the Hook willing to hang her rack out for the general public. Um…service would really suck with those 3 ‘trons!
I would never use “culture” in conjunction with New Haven or Winston-Salem. Yale aside, New Haven is a dump (although the mob-run Wooster St. has such wonderful establishments as Frank Pepe’s Pizza and The Spot), and all I remember of Winston-Salem is the sign off the I-85 North exit that read, “The Eagle of Freedom Flies High.” Next to a gas station/cigarette outlet. There’s nothing quite like the freedoms of oil dependence and nicotine addiction.
With that off my chest, I do find it surprising that Hooters has not found its way into the Charlottesville chain restaurant mix. I mean, we have Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesdays, Chili’s, and just about every other emblem of strip-mall Americana. I don’t necessarily lament Hooters’ absence, though.
I’m a food snob, but I also love beer, wings, and general pub grub. That said, Hooter’s doesn’t do any of those things particularly well. I can always count on Chili’s for a tasty burger, but I’ve never had a decent meal at Hooters. While the orange shorts used to justify the trip (as in, during high school when I was awkward, hadn’t lost my baby fat, and couldn’t get a date), they don’t anymore. I would much rather be served the world’s greatest wings by a homely waitress than have a bubbly blond in ass pants put soggy, poorly sauced imitations in front of me. (By the way, the world’s best wings can be found at the Olde Forge in Lanesboro, MA…along with a 300+ item beer menu.)
I seem to recall a franchisee trying to place a Hooter’s in the Ville about a decade back and they were refused (by the city council, I believe).
Plus, I think that Hooters franchise rules state (or, at least, once stated), that you have to open 3 Hooters within a roughly hundred mile distance of each other. I suppose you could open another in Harrisonburg and Lynchburg…
That said, Hooters food is “ok” - not great, not awful.
truth.
Hahahahahahaha. The wings are SO BAD, but I don’t like the taste of wings sauce so I don’t know the degrees of “suckitude” there. Worst thing about Hooters is seeing older married couples there. I just hope the wives are secretly gay and loving it, because the idea of a mysogenistic slob bringing his wife to a titty-bar (almost) makes me annoyed about human beings. For the record, I haven’t worked there. I know a few girls who have, though. Too bad they think they need to work there. You can make 2-3 times what they do at an upscale restaurant without having a-holes spank you every time you come to the table. I’m not against it, though. Girls are willing to work there, some guys like going there. Strip clubs, great, whatever floats your boat.
If “suckitude” becomes an enduring descriptor on CVillain, I will have considered my week a success.
Great practical joke idea: Put up a large “Future site of HOOTERS” in the parking lot across from Star Hill facing the Street. Bet that would stir up the soccer moms more than a monkey penis on the mall.
Love it. The more you keep from kids when they’re little, the more kids keep from you when they’re big. And moms, if you don’t like your hubbies looking at Hooters waitresses, you could put on skimpy outfits, hand them a beer, and go a little wild… wink wink.
Hooters wings suck. If I want wings, I’ll go to Wild Wings Cafe. If I want tits, I’ll sit at home and look at porn and jack off.
Many years ago (10+ at least) Hooters trid to open in the building that houses Ragazzi’s. I don’t remember all the ins and outs of what happened but apparently the Albemarle Sup’s and whatever activist groups were up in arms about the *shock/horror* possibility of boobs with their crappy wings and caused Hooters so many headaches and denied permits that the person trying to open the franchise gave up. Someone like Waldo Jacquith would probably remember better than I can about what happened.
We need a Hooters because C’ville isn’t sexist enough? C’ville is too feminist? There is a lack of objectification of women? I have to get out more, because that certainly wasn’t my impression.
Alison, Charlottesville really isn’t that bad. Do you care to share one of your experiences with us?
I wouldn’t say Charlottesville is worse than any place else in terms of sexism, but I continually find myself in civic groups run by men where women are a distinct minority. Maybe it is the particular groups I have chosen to be involved with, but it is striking to me how much is run by men and how little respect women sometimes/often get when they speak up in these groups. It’s not universal, it’s not everyone, but it is there.
I’m too old to be objectified myself, but I sure hear a lot of comments about young women that remind me of when I was young when young women were fair game for comments on their appearance by total strangers which frankly can be/was intimidating.
I also can’t find any feminist literature unless I go online. I once asked at a certain otherwise very good used bookstore about feminism and got a look as if I had asked for the child pornography section. As I say, maybe my advocacy interests put me in the wrong circles for it, but I certainly don’t run into feminists much in this town.
Alison, I’m sorry to hear about your difficulties with a glass ceiling for women in Charlottesville. I hope you didn’t misread this, though. Before I go on, I’ll say that I’m thinking only of the Freudian phallocentric modern western culture in which Americans live. If you want to get into anthropological studies of Dutch or African women, yes, there are great books about that, and I recommend contacting the Women’s Center at U.Va.
I just wanted to point out that it seemed strange to me that there isn’t a Hooters here, given that Hooters are in a lot of cities that could be considered comparable to Charlottesville. The men who responded all dislike and/or disdain Hooters for various reasons, especially the objectification. If you get the chance, get to know some Hooters waitresses. They’re not stupid. They’re not exactly asking to be saved by feminists from their own objectification, and they know they could be making money other ways. For the women I know who worked at Hooters (in three different cities), the job is a temporary way to make money with the assets they were born with. They’re personable and have a good work ethic. Heck, they might feel empowered by their sexual prowess and the control they have over men. Sexuality is a fascinating topic because it’s subjective in both its intensity and orientation to each individual. I think Hooters perpetuates bad gender stereotypes of submission and control as much as you do, but I also like it when a man tells me I look pretty or when I get a discount because I’m a woman. I’m not going to complain about gender stereotypes because I get the good with the bad and I choose not to present myself in certain ways that will bring about what I, personally, perceive as negative attention. You could say I’m not helping the problem. I’ll take it. I call myself a feminist, too.
No, CVille doesn’t need a hooters. Maarten’s make the best wings on the planet, so there’s no need.
Aliso, I’m hopefully moving to Cville in the next six months… apropos of nothing except that when I get there you’ll have one more feminist in the ranks.
Screw Hooter’s - what Ch’ville needs is a couple of strip clubs
I don’t remember what happened with that proposed Hooter’s, but I do have a vague recollection of it. Neither the BoS nor City Council has any power to prevent a given business from opening, and the maneuvering that can sometimes make it possible would be all but useless against something as uninteresting as a restaurant — no zoning change or special use permit required. A Hooter’s wouldn’t do real well here, I expect.
[…] favorite post of the month? On June 14, I ask why Charlottesville doesn’t have a Hooter’s then defend Hooter’s waitresses’ and my feminism to a feminist, and I claim victory. […]