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No, not those 6 (at top)—though “3 girls x 2 breasts equals 6” is how the late, great rocker Prince explained the name of his all-female group Vanity 6.
Rather, the title refers to “six businessmen with absolutely no previous restaurant experience who got together and decided to open a place they couldn’t get kicked out of,” explains OriginalHooters.com about that unlikely origin 34 years ago.
First conceived as “an April Fool’s joke” sure to fail, Clearwater, Florida real estate agent Ed Droste (front right in photo above) admits: “We were a half dozen clueless knuckleheads who called ourselves the Hooters6.”
Yet just four years after opening their first restaurant, the partners—from left to right (below left): Droste, liquor salesman Gill DiGiannatonio, painting contractor L.D. Stewart, brick mason Denny Johnson, retired gas station owner Bill Ranieri and Stewart’s painting partner Ken Wimmer—had gone from “knucks” to tux (below right), toasting their surprising success at the original bar.
“They would open a place in Clearwater where other people of their caliber could gather,” states their official site, “and quench their thirst for the finer things in life.” Both of them…
“Out of their fertile imaginations—more R R than R D,” the smirking site continues, “came the concept. There were many obstacles ahead, not the least of which was procuring a suitable location. After months of negotiations and a heated bidding war with Wells Brothers Disposal, who wanted to use the building for a giant walk-in Dumpster, terms were agreed to and 2800 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. in Clearwater, FL was theirs.”
Adds Wikipedia: “So many businesses had folded in that particular location that the founders built a small ‘graveyard’ behind the white picket fencing at the front door for each failure that had come and gone before them.” Smiles an original owner: “Witnesses swear two cockroaches emerged from the surroundings to co-sign at the closing.”
Before opening, however, two things emerged front and center: “What to name to the place?” according to the official saga. “Simple. What else brings a gleam to men’s eyes everywhere besides beer, chicken wings and an occasional winning football season? Hence the name Hooters. Apparently, they were into owls.”
Eye see … but try as they might to convince us that the moniker meant the bird known for its wits, this pair of original restaurant shirts betrays their real round•about reasoning:
And this early suggestive sign on its wall …
… so infamous that it’s been replaced by an ode to the waitresses …
… con•firms the ‘inside’ skinspiration.
And in truth, the precise origin of the name came from a Steve Martin skit for Saturday Night Live on May 17, 1980 {to be com•mam•orated next week} three years before the franchise was founded.
“I believe it’s derogatory,” Steve stated in all seriousness in the opening monologue, “to refer to a woman’s breasts as ‘boobs,’ ‘jugs,’ winnebagos,’ or ‘golden bozos’ … and that you should only refer to them as ‘hooters' {notice his lips lingering over the word}.
“And I believe you should put a woman on a pedestal—high enough so you can look up her dress.”
At Hooters, they’ve even dispensed with the dress!
As the first Hooters Girl Lynne Austin {uncovered in our next post} proudly put it when the Clearwater site underwent a makeover in 2013 (below) …
“The Original Hooters has had a remodel, but these are original hooters,” she said, glancing southward.
Yet originally, the Clearwater location had a decidedly wholesome feel (below right)—apart from the menu’s ‘GET IT HERE’ invitation!
In fact, the Hooters 6 insisted their waitresses epitomize “the girl next door” … as long as the front porch was well built (below right)—so much so that their inflated Owl balloon was soon featured in the family-friendly Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (below left) … much to the chagrin of one of ‘New York’s finest.’
At the beginning, though, few women were willing to work for such an uncertain enterprise—so “the pickings were slim” {or sometimes not so} when it came to waitresses.
With success, however, the job opportunities—and applicants—opened up!
Thus, even today, with over 450 branches worldwide, the original Hooters location in Clearwater remains the mecca of the chain … why, even its waitress tops are displayed bottomless (below left) and servers seemingly get a ‘lift’ just by working there!
… and proudly display their “Orange Pride.” And happily, their hide. Such as Valerie ...
Some even show their true colors by sporting Owl tattoos—like stacked Shelby …
… which must remain hidden while at work {by those waist-high orange pants … as opposed to panties}.
… no ifs, ands or butts …
… without the Hooters! (as Amber amply embodies).
Turning her back on more than adequate ass•ets.
Sleuth much prefers keeping it real: “I am 100% Albanian and I speak fluently English,” reveals svelte SofiaKasuli, just 23 but justly proud of being 34B-24-34. “I’m easy to work with and dependable.” So Clear•ly more selfie than selfish:
“I hope that in the future I will be very successful in the modeling world. In the meantime, I work as a waitress at Hooters in Clearwater, Florida.”
“But(t) I do NOT do any sheer, or nude, posing. Emails requesting for this type of work will not get a response.” Except perhaps for the one below left—which will surely get a rise out of her Clearwater customers!
We mirror their thoughts … while offering a tasty tight END to this course from our continuing Hooters menu.
