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Hoping for haute cuisine, getting a Hooters
LUKEWARM RECEPTION FOR RESTAURANT KNOWN FOR SKIMPY OUTFITS
By Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News
Fremont leaders have long pined for a smorgasbord of fine-dining establishments to grace its neighborhoods and business districts. Several have vowed to come, but then backed off.
Now, residents of the Bay Area's fourth-largest city will soon have a new place to eat. But, ahem, fine dining?
Hooters, the international chain known for its chicken wings and waitresses in tight tank tops and orange shorts, plans to start construction in Fremont next week, and open in March.
Spokesman Doug Kappy said Fremont has potential for growth and a nice mix of residential and commercial tenants. It will be the third Hooters in the Bay Area, after San Francisco and Dublin. He said he's eyeing Hooters for San Jose, Gilroy and Brentwood next.
In Fremont, Hooters is moving into the former Spoons restaurant on Mowry Avenue, and needed no public hearings or city council approval.
``Oh yuck,'' said City Councilwoman Anu Natarajan, an urban land-use designer. ``All of us knows what Hooters is. It's just the wrong thing for the downtown development. I will not be eating there.''
Cindy Bonior, CEO for Fremont's Chamber of Commerce, had a tempered response.
``We're always happy to see new businesses in Fremont,'' she said. ``But,'' she paused, ``we would have preferred to see a more family establishment, something more kid-friendly.''
Hang on, there, said Kappy, vice president of operations for Hott Wings, a Hooters franchisee. Many of the criticisms of Hooters, with 450 restaurants across the globe, he said, just aren't fair.
``They don't know whether the girls are topless or whether we're a gentleman's club,'' Kappy said, adding that neither is true. When guests arrive, Kappy said, they often ``see the waitresses aren't as scantily clad as they thought.''
The chain promotes its all-female waitress staff as all-American cheerleaders or surfer-girl types. The dress code: skimpy nylon shorts and form-fitting tanks emblazoned with the Hooters mascot, a wide-eyed owl. The company thrives on the publicity surrounding the double entendre.
Hooters tackles the ``vocal minority of politically correct'' critics head-on: ``The element of female sex appeal is prevalent in the restaurants, and the company believes the Hooters Girl is as socially acceptable as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, or a Radio City Rockette,'' the company's Web site reads. ``Pantyhose and bras are required.''
And the company bristles at claims that Hooters exploits women, firing off news releases when its staff pitches in for breast cancer fundraisers or other charity work.
In the Bay Area, Kappy points out that the Fisherman's Wharf store in San Francisco is the most successful Hooters in Northern California. In Dublin, he said, 30 percent of the clientele on the weekends are families.
For years, Fremont city leaders have struggled to attract high-end restaurants; today, there are at least four, including Nouvelle Bistro on Mission Boulevard and Massimo's on Mowry Avenue.
But in a city of 212,000 residents, that's not a high ratio. Several restaurants, including one planned for the Niles neighborhood in 2003 and an Asian restaurant planned for a future Centerville mall project, were poised to come. Both fell through.
City Councilman Bill Harrison, an accountant, said he's not planning to take his sons, ages 2 and 4, to Hooters. But he thinks Fremont should offer ``something for everyone,'' and envisions it being a fun spot for softball teams after a game in Central Park.
James Ellis, 20, who works in Fremont, plans to stop by for a snack and, of course, to get a glimpse of the restaurant's world-famous staff.
``I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters,'' he said. ``Besides, I heard their wings are pretty good.''
Contact Lisa Fernandez at lfernandez@mercurynews.com or (510) 790-7313.
I'm very happy not to be touching boxes with those twins.
Hoping for haute cuisine, getting a Hooters
LUKEWARM RECEPTION FOR RESTAURANT KNOWN FOR SKIMPY OUTFITS
By Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News
Fremont leaders have long pined for a smorgasbord of fine-dining establishments to grace its neighborhoods and business districts. Several have vowed to come, but then backed off.
Now, residents of the Bay Area's fourth-largest city will soon have a new place to eat. But, ahem, fine dining?
Hooters, the international chain known for its chicken wings and waitresses in tight tank tops and orange shorts, plans to start construction in Fremont next week, and open in March.
Spokesman Doug Kappy said Fremont has potential for growth and a nice mix of residential and commercial tenants. It will be the third Hooters in the Bay Area, after San Francisco and Dublin. He said he's eyeing Hooters for San Jose, Gilroy and Brentwood next.
In Fremont, Hooters is moving into the former Spoons restaurant on Mowry Avenue, and needed no public hearings or city council approval.
``Oh yuck,'' said City Councilwoman Anu Natarajan, an urban land-use designer. ``All of us knows what Hooters is. It's just the wrong thing for the downtown development. I will not be eating there.''
Cindy Bonior, CEO for Fremont's Chamber of Commerce, had a tempered response.
``We're always happy to see new businesses in Fremont,'' she said. ``But,'' she paused, ``we would have preferred to see a more family establishment, something more kid-friendly.''
Hang on, there, said Kappy, vice president of operations for Hott Wings, a Hooters franchisee. Many of the criticisms of Hooters, with 450 restaurants across the globe, he said, just aren't fair.
``They don't know whether the girls are topless or whether we're a gentleman's club,'' Kappy said, adding that neither is true. When guests arrive, Kappy said, they often ``see the waitresses aren't as scantily clad as they thought.''
The chain promotes its all-female waitress staff as all-American cheerleaders or surfer-girl types. The dress code: skimpy nylon shorts and form-fitting tanks emblazoned with the Hooters mascot, a wide-eyed owl. The company thrives on the publicity surrounding the double entendre.
Hooters tackles the ``vocal minority of politically correct'' critics head-on: ``The element of female sex appeal is prevalent in the restaurants, and the company believes the Hooters Girl is as socially acceptable as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, or a Radio City Rockette,'' the company's Web site reads. ``Pantyhose and bras are required.''
And the company bristles at claims that Hooters exploits women, firing off news releases when its staff pitches in for breast cancer fundraisers or other charity work.
In the Bay Area, Kappy points out that the Fisherman's Wharf store in San Francisco is the most successful Hooters in Northern California. In Dublin, he said, 30 percent of the clientele on the weekends are families.
For years, Fremont city leaders have struggled to attract high-end restaurants; today, there are at least four, including Nouvelle Bistro on Mission Boulevard and Massimo's on Mowry Avenue.
But in a city of 212,000 residents, that's not a high ratio. Several restaurants, including one planned for the Niles neighborhood in 2003 and an Asian restaurant planned for a future Centerville mall project, were poised to come. Both fell through.
City Councilman Bill Harrison, an accountant, said he's not planning to take his sons, ages 2 and 4, to Hooters. But he thinks Fremont should offer ``something for everyone,'' and envisions it being a fun spot for softball teams after a game in Central Park.
James Ellis, 20, who works in Fremont, plans to stop by for a snack and, of course, to get a glimpse of the restaurant's world-famous staff.
``I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters,'' he said. ``Besides, I heard their wings are pretty good.''
Contact Lisa Fernandez at lfernandez@mercurynews.com or (510) 790-7313.