Opening a Hooters Restaurant
Recently we heard from thr
This is an excerpt from the paper...
Recently we heard from three businessmen about their plans to open a Hooters restaurant in Santa Monica. Their application has sparked considerable controversy, with many citizens voicing opposition to the plan. Indeed, the Mayor has been among the most vocal. In light of the dispute, I offer this letter, which analyzes the legal, financial, and ethical issues involved, and also explores the options open to us as we debate whether to grant the application. The Hooters chain, which began during the 1980s in Florida, has become synonymous with spicy chicken wings and scantily clad waitresses. The company claims that its name refers to the owl that is part of its logo. But they always make that claim with a wink. We all know that the company name is actually referring to the female anatomy. The female waitresses are the main attraction, which is demonstrated by the fact that Hooters does not hire male servers. Proof of these facts came when Hooters fought an attempt by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to force them to stop discriminating against men in hiring. Hooters argued that ôThe Hooters Girlsö are the essence of the chainÆs business (itÆs not the food?), and that forcing the chain to accept male servers would damage the company ôto the point that it would no longer be able to operateö (NationÆs Restaurant News 3). The EEOC dropped the suit in 1996, though Hooters later settled another discrimination case by agreeing
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ens who are walking by do deserve some protection from this unseemly name, just as we can protect our residents from obscene news racks.
What about children? What are we telling them by having Hooters in Santa Monica? We are telling them that women are objects, only to be valued for their physical attributes. We are telling them it is OK to for women to be put on display, to parade around serving food while men ogle them front and back. Those are the messages that many children will be getting, even if they never step into a Hooters. Of course, Hooters wants them to come inùthe restaurant offers a childrenÆs menu.
These messages only lead to trouble down the line. Men who objectify women think they have the right to put women down, pay them less money, and verbally abuse them. The next step is physical abuse and all of the other violent crimes perpetrated against women, such as stalking, rape and murder. Hooters is not the cause of these crimes, but it does contribute to an environment that allows such crimes to continue (Kasper and Moore).
Why would a woman want to work in this environment? Hooters tells us because they make good money. This points to an endemic problem in our society. Men not only have more job o
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Approximate Word count = 2299
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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