Funny: Hooters is closing locations, restrategizing because millennials aren't that into boobs.

[kpete]

Millennials' porn preferences appear to be indicative of a wider trend. To use a fire portmanteau, "breastaurants" like Hooters and the more risque Twin Peaks are dealing with a loss of interest in breasts, which is affecting their business. The number of Hooters locations in the U.S. had already dropped by more than 7 percent from 2012 to 2016, and sales had stagnated, according to Business Insider.

Hooters has been trying to win over millennials for years; in 2012, the chain spiced up its image with a new decor and updated menu items, in an attempt to attract younger patrons and female customers. They even pivoted and opened up a fast-casual location called Hoots, which features fully-clothed female and male waiters.

In an interview with Mel Magazine, PornHub Vice President Corey Price joked, "Could it be that millennials aren’t into breasts because, simply, they like big butts and cannot lie?" More seriously, he continued, "It’s not our job to speculate but rather provide compelling data for our fans to digest and draw their own inferences from."


MORE:
https://www.complex.com/life/2017/08/hooters-shutting-down-because-millennials-arent-that-into-boobs?utm_campaign=complexmag&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

[oasis]

1. Sagging revenues.

[Pachamama]

85. hehehehe...

[Loki Liesmith]

2. Eh they just need to wait it out

Boobs will be back

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. Many chains are closing locations, but at least we got to laugh about boobies AND blame millennials!

[forgotmylogin]

82. It's expensive.

I've enjoyed the couple times I've eaten there - it was especially a riot when my friend brought his two-year old and the waitresses scooped him up and passed him around and he returned a half hour later laden with gifts and helium balloons tied to every appendage! The food at the location I went to was fine, but it's more an event location and not a sports bar you can just drop into and relax. The middle-aged men who do "frequent" the place are a bit ... well ... skeevy due to the implications of the hot waitstaff. It's much cheaper and less morally gray to hang out at a normal local sports bar or a place like Buffalo Wild Wings.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Not less interested. Just more familiar, less hung up & know where to see as many as they want. . nt

[Lochloosa]

5. Maybe it's just the bad wings?

[Initech]

7. Last time I went to a Hooters, I got sick.

Haven't been back to one since.

[Lochloosa]

10. My stepson was a cook there for a while. I'll never go back.

[Initech]

12. I've heard some horror stories from people who used to work at Hooters.

Things like tip garnishing, abusive bosses, long hours with no breaks, frequent visits from the health inspectors... doesn't sound like a place I would want to work, or frequent.

[LenaBaby61]

31. "Last time I went to a Hooters, I got sick."

Funny you should mention getting sick, because I know a few people who went to Hooters on a regular basis up until a few years ago, and they got sick as well. They've never gone back. I know folks who won't go there any longer who while they haven't gotten sick, they tell me that the food isn't what it used to be.

[USALiberal]

48. I was waiting for the typical "their food is terrible" which always happens for any restaurant. nt

[Bradshaw3]

52. Their food IS terrible

Always has been. Some restaurants go downhill. Hooters started out bad and hasn't gotten better.

[USALiberal]

54. Like I said, the DU always complains about EVERY restaurant mentioned. nt

[Bradshaw3]

66. May or may not be true but in this case it's justified

As an inordinate amount of posters have testified to in this thread.

[Dr. Strange]

67. Really? EVERY restaurant?

Even the Olive Garden?

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

77. The Olive garden is GREAT!

Love the salad bowls and cheesey muffins. Woot.

[RhodeIslandOne]

72. I've also heard DUers claim a restaurant's food is good when they find out thery donate to Democrats

The night several people tried to claim Little Caesar's was good pizza was an eye rolling moment.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

78. I LOVE Little Ceasars.

Didn't know they donated, but, yes, makes me love them more.

[RhodeIslandOne]

94. I've gotten sick both times I ate there

15 years apart in two different locations.

[LanternWaste]

74. The corollary as well, being true.

Every restaurant has DU fans.

One imagines we may also allege that in regards to any criticism made about an establishment, a DUer will find a way to call that out as well... in the name of righteousness, of course.

[dixiegrrrrl]

91. Hooters in Mobile had good food.....

but I was there just once and it was over 20 years ago.

Gosh....just realized they have been there a long time.

[Initech]

6. Nah, it's not the boobs.

Shitty food + shitty service + hostile work environments = why the hell would you want to eat there? But let's blame it on the boobs because reasons.

[underpants]

19. High prices too

Not that I'm cheap but the last time I was at a Hooters was the late 90's and a cheeseburger was like $9. That was a lot for a burger back then. I just checked - their basic standard "Big Hootie" is $14 now.

I always thought the pantyhose with running shorts were an odd look.

[smirkymonkey]

21. Exactly!

Decide if you want to operate a restaurant or a strip club and do it well, but stop trying to combine the two and trying to claim the business model isn't working because of demographics.

[Power 2 the People]

26. Sounds about right Initech

[JI7]

36. yup, hopefully it's a positive change among the younger and newer

generations .

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

80. Boobs is and was the only thing they have going for them.

Let's be real. And I certainly LOVE that aspect of their schtick as well. Who needs boobs w your burger though? Go to a strip club if you must. Boobs CERTAINLY aren't what is bringing down Hooters. I wonder how many lawsuits they've had over the years of sexual harassment?

[uponit7771]

8. "simply, they like big butts and cannot lie?" & darker skin? Stuck companies aren't going to make it

[yallerdawg]

53. "Big butts?"

How are our national all-you-can-eat buffets doing?

Golden Corral? Gangbusters!

Cici's Pizza? Godfather's? Pizza Hut? Thriving!

Maybe "big butts" is right!

[uponit7771]

58. Big butts not equal to fat butts ... lol... 2 different butts

[yallerdawg]

60. People who eat at all-you-can-eat buffets...

probably aren't as discriminatory as you may be regarding classification of 'butts.'

[Submariner]

9. Okay men...someone must be putting Saltpeter in the water supply?

Wimmens?

republicans?


????

[Va Lefty]

33. Sounds like a topic for Alex Jones

[2naSalit]

46. Oh dear

you reminded me of something completely different but it's almost related to your comment in an oblique kind of way

And it's humorous....

[ismnotwasm]

11. Maybe open a "Hooters and Peckers"

Broaden the target Demographic a bit...

[LuvLoogie]

17. Why not Hooters and Cocks?

Hooters has an owl. Cocks can have a rooster.

[bpj62]

42. Ocean City Maryland

Big Peckers Bar and Grill. It has been an Ocean City institution for years.

[moose65]

56. Haha

As a gay man, obviously the boobs are totally wasted on me. I’ve been to Hooters exactly once in my 50-plus years, and it was underwhelming, to say the least! I don’t even remember what I ate! I have often thought that someone should open a chicken joint called Peckers, with a big rooster on the sign, and maybe shirtless buff male servers who would appeal to both women and men!!

[ismnotwasm]

63. Ha!

[forgotmylogin]

86. Actually, most non-chain sports bars I've been to

Do already employ a good number of very attractive young men and women who are usually in college. None of them are expected to dress provocatively - usually in a bar t-shirt and jeans or shorts, often with an apron to carry their orders and paperwork.

I have had female friends who frequent specific sports bars due to the high ratio of "hawt" male waiters and bartenders.

[Blue_true]

13. I stopped at a Hooters once out of curiosity. The food was horrible. nt

[Codeine]

14. "It's 2017 grandpa, we eat ass now." nt

[Corvo Bianco]

15. Lol. Thanks haha nt

[Volaris]

41. Hahahahahah...

[mr_lebowski]

55. Damn you Codeine ...

You made me have to watch some p0rnz ...

[lame54]

79. Poopers

[oasis]

16. In years past, Hooters Casino LV would send me free 2 night stays.

My wife and I went only twice. Both Hooters and the Marino's restaurant inside the casino/hotel had shitty food.

Two strikes and ... "yer out".

[OriginalGeek]

89. Marino's as in Dan Marino

Former QB of the Dolphins? He had a restaurant here in Orlando but I think it closed years ago. I never ate there but I have been to Hooters many times and was pretty disappointed every time. It's just so average and uninspiring food. And that's not to say I won't eat crummy food - I go to McDonalds a few times a month for convenience - but it's WAY cheaper than Hooters.

[oasis]

90. Yup, the former Dolphin QB. The restaurant was lousy in every

respect. Never went back . As far as I know it's still operating at the LV Hooters location just a block off the Strip. Hooters and Marino's are two colossal duds in a great location.

[OriginalGeek]

93. i bet they both buy frozen food

off the same Sysco truck and pretend it's created in the kitchen. The Marino's here was in the same retail shopping village as the Hooters and now that I think about it, I think both are closed. But we still got plenty of Hooterses. They're just all crap.

[Luz]

18. I never give $$ to chain restaurants anyway. There are far

to many good local businesses to support.

[ProudLib72]

20. A few years ago one of my students decided to apply

She had what it takes to work there, but they didn't even interview her. Could it be because she was African? Hmmmm, rather suspicious if you ask me.

[zipplewrath]

81. Probably not

There's a corporate Hooters near here. They actually seem to work to maintain a wide distribution of just about every appearance attribute. From talking to some of the senior staff, the interview process focuses a bit more on personality and customer interaction. I'm dubious they are actually good at the interview process, but it can lead to strange rejections for no apparent reasons.

Of course some Hooters are franchises, so any particular place can have their biases, conscious or otherwise.

[fescuerescue]

22. Chicken Wings have become WAY WAY more common and available

than when Hooters first hit the scene.

Now I love boobs. Always will. But Boobs with poor food isn't a great combination.

[forgotmylogin]

87. Yeah, remember when wings were considered the "trash" part of a chicken?

People ate them because they were cheap and many enjoy gnawing on the bony parts. Now frikking chicken wings are expensive at the grocery store.

I much prefer legs and thighs though which are less expensive and contain more meat. I'm surprised some wing places don't also offer "Buffalo Legs".

[smirkymonkey]

23. I think the problem is competition with O'Nutters

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

83. Bwahahaha!

That was funny.

[DFW]

24. I have never been to a Hooters, but in the age of Trump

I imagine the "Christians" would prefer something with a more Republican flavor.

I would think they would go for something like a place where the waiters all look like the opening scene of "The Book Of Mormon," and with a name they can feel comfortable with. I would suggest "Haters."

[LiberalFighter]

28. Maybe the downturn of Hooters indicates downturn of Republicans?

[TexasTowelie]

32. There's always Applebee's.

Of course they may have to wait more than five minutes before a server brings a glass of water to the table.

[DFW]

68. I don't even know what that is

I gotta get back more often, I guess

[TexasTowelie]

70. It's bland American food and cocktails in a sit-down restaurant setting.

They cater to the senior citizen crowd and grandma goes home with a buzz from the drinks. Their restaurants are found in most cities over 10,000 throughout the country. It definitely isn't a breastaurant.

[DFW]

73. Sounds forgettable enough. For the few days a year when I'm Stateside......

I think I'll survive without spending time searching one of those places out.

[JI7]

37. nope, the type of guys who go to hooters are more likely to be trump supporters

[Jspur]

25. As one of the older millennials

I have to say it has to do with a few other reasons than millennials are not into boobs. When I was younger in my early 20's I went to Hooters several times and every time I went there the food was shitty. I have to also say my generation is the first generation to be overexposed to Porn due to the internet. It's because of that we are not going to be willing to waste money to eat terrible food just to stare at boobs or ass when we could be doing it for free at home.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

84. This+

So true.

[SummerSnow]

27. What do they like, bootays?

[Loki Liesmith]

29. I believe PornHub has data to this effect, Yes

[Archae]

30. Never been to Hooters myself...

But everyone I know who has, and just about all the posters here say the food is shitty.

Can't run a restaurant that way.

[Awsi Dooger]

34. I've seen evidence of this in Las Vegas cocktail waitress uniforms

Over the decades there have been one version after another, some joints like the old Imperial Palace with huge breasts prominently on display, while other spots like the Rio emphasized the ass sticking out. It was a big deal when that casino opened because the waitress uniforms were such a departure from the norm. Everybody was talking about it. And the ass-favoring sports bettors and poker players started hanging out there.

Nowadays there are many more casinos featuring the ass. I knew something had changed in terms of preference.

[Johnny2X2X]

35. Maybe it's that objectifying women is less popular.

Maybe millennials aren’t as fond of dressing young women like that so they can be ogled by dirty old men.

[OhioBlue]

71. My thoughts exactly. I've never been to a Hooters and never wanted to.

It is objectifying women and I have always thought the restaurant chain was distasteful for doing so, which made me avoid them.

[edbermac]

38. Eat there about twice a year.

My theory is that looking at boobs is a way to distract you noticing from the lousy food. Too salty for my taste. Lots of better eateries in the area.

[Ilsa]

49. More salt sells more beer? nt

[onethatcares]

39. my republicant bil

is waiting for them to open a Papa Johns in the one close to him. He says it's gonna be heaven but he lost his jobs and has to save aluminum cans for his and her nights out.

[AwakeAtLast]

40. Buffalo Wild Wings is better, IMO

And we can take our daughter. B Dubs also has one of the best side salads I have ever had. We will choose it over most chains. They took Hooters concept, clothed the servers, and made better food. Novel concept. Now if we could just get rid of at least 20 TVs...

[vercetti2021]

43. I only go to Hooters because my friend works there

We have a local place that is basically the same called Hummers. Locally owned, better food, same short shorts and such.

But yeah not about the boobs anymore for my generation. It truly is about booty now. I've seen so many girls especially teenagers wear really tight shorts nowadays. But then again I see guys wear tight jeans too. Everything is too tight lol

[Permanut]

44. I thought Hooters had something to do with owls..

Never went there because I didn't think owl sounded very good. Wink wink nudge nudge.

[Yavin4]

45. What does a waitress with large breasts have anything to do with my food?

Unless its large chicken breasts.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

92. There is an answer buried deep in my mammalian brain.

Breasts? Food? Let me think ...

[randr]

47. I think millenials have a greater respect for women

and they recognize sexual explortation when they see it.
I also think they love boobs as much as any other group

[jalan48]

50. Twiggy was big in the 60's. Maybe it's cyclical.

[Xolodno]

51. Going to be the dissenting opinion here..from the "food is bad"....

...it's far more simplistic. Market Saturation. There is just way too damn many of them. Where I'm at, you go to one and there is another no more than 30 minutes. Then you have competitors such as Tilted Kilt...and well...they all do the "Sports Bar" routine, so, very little to differentiate other than the menu...but at the end of the day, it's all "bar food".

Sometimes I think Playboy should reopen its clubs, include a fine dining restaurant, etc. and I think they could find a whole new market.

[Nevernose]

57. 90% of high schoolers brain capacity is spent on boobs and weed

And that’s just the straight girls: the boys are even worse. I can’t imagine that any other generations woke up one day and said, “Golly! I no longer find bosoms appealing! Perhaps I shall dine at an alternative establishment...”

What I hope is happening is that the younger generation is no longer totally blatant and completely shameless about objectifying women (or men, for that matter). It’s one thing to find people and their parts attractive; it’s totally different to go out of one’s way to look at them. I seriously doubt porn has anything to do with it, as it was literally the first fine art created (on cave walls, by women, no less, because people have always enjoyed doing the dirty, even though they always seem to leave it out of the history books).

When I was younger I loved going to the nudie bars. I grew up in Vegas, so there’s a lot of nudie bars. The last few times I went were for other people’s bachelor parties. It was just kind of sad. Lots of lonely men paying pretty women to pretend to be their friend. Sit in the back of one of those places sometime and really watch the whole scene and not the naked ladies: it’s really kind of depressing.

The wings are actually pretty good, but I’ve only ever been to Hooters a few times, and that’s only because a former student is a waitress there and another is an assistant manager. Which sounds creepier than it is, I swear. My wife and I just get free food sometimes and catch up with former students.

[The Genealogist]

59. I don't think I've ever set foot in a Hooters

I've always assumed it is like TGI Fridays, but boobier. Is boobier a word? If it wasn't, it is now.

[dameatball]

61. I stopped at a Hooters once in Orlando to pee. I still have no idea what their food tastes like.

[USALiberal]

62. Self Delete, this is a year old! nt

[underpants]

64. Then there's this post from Time Magazine saying it's thriving.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211021238#post1

[bearsfootball516]

65. As a Millennial who does enjoy boobs, it has nothing to do with boobs.

And everything to do with the food sucks.

I don't care if the food is being served to me by a Victoria Secret angel, if the food doesn't taste good, I'm not going.

[IluvPitties]

69. As your fellow Millennial, I agree.

Overpriced and shitty food.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

75. Or

maybe people just aren't into exploitation of female bodies so much anymore? Just a thought.

[Aristus]

76. I figure, with free and readily-available sexting and hot pics,

Hooters just isn't as, excuse me, titillating for Millennials as it was for the pre-net generations.

As someone posted above, if I want to see breasts and butts, I can do that at home for free and with better food. (I've never been to Hooters. But I hear things...)

[NCTraveler]

88. The Hooters near me stays packed.

Lunch and dinner. They do huge business. The Wing House next to it stays packed as well.

One thing both have in common... It seems millenials don't have an issue wearing the Hooters or Wing House uni's.