18 Pros and Cons of Working for Hooters

Hooters is an American restaurant chain with over 305 locations around the US. The chain is best known for its beautiful female servers, who wear skimpy uniforms that show a lot of skin.

They are also known for their delicious food, and the restaurant’s most popular dishes include burgers, chicken wings, and a full bar.

The Hooter’s crew consists of Hooter girls, who are either servers or bartenders.

Heart of the House employees includes line cooks, food prep, and dishwashers.

Restaurants also have Hospitality Service Support, including Host/Hostesses for table service, Food-to-go, and Back Bar.

Finally, the management team is responsible for bringing everyone together to keep the restaurant running smoothly.

Like most jobs, working at Hooters has pros and cons.

Pros Of Working For Hooters

You want to work for a company that cares for its employees and shows this by creating a safe and fun work environment and benefits that make employees’ lives easier.

The pros of working for Hooters include the following:

Employee Discount

Hooters shows appreciation to their employees by offering employee discounts.

Employee discounts are common in retail but not as common in the restaurant industry.

Unfortunately, the employee discount isn’t the same for every staff member.

Kitchen staff and management meals are compensated 100 percent, and servers get them at a 50 percent discount.

Tuition Reimbursement

Most Hooters employees don’t plan to work there for the rest of their lives, and many attend college.

Hooters want their employees to be successful whether they remain with the company or not, and they offer tuition reimbursements of up to $1,000

This is just another way that the company shows its appreciation to their employees.

Advancement Opportunities

There is room for advancement as a Hooters employee, regardless of what position you currently hold.

Employees who plan to make a career a Hooters can apply for a management position and will receive the necessary training to be a success.

Excellent Opportunities for Hooters Girls

Servers are known as Hooter Girls, and these women aren’t your typical servers, so Hooters doesn’t treat them that way.

Hooters girls are beautiful and are given opportunities you won’t get at any other restaurant.

Hooters sponsor a car in Nascar, and Hooters girls are often invited to events where they’re photographed with the driver and the car.

Hooters girls can also participate in the Miss Hooters Pageant, be included in the Hooters swimsuit calendar, and star in television commercials.

Hooters girls also participate in photoshoots for promotions and billboards and attend charity events.

Hooters also offer free media training for any Hooters girls who would like to be spokeswomen for the brand.

Finally, as with other positions at the restaurant, Hooters Girls can apply for management positions.

Insurance

Full-time employees are eligible for an excellent insurance package, including:

- - Health insurance
  - Dental Insurance
  - Vision insurance
  - Life insurance
  - Temporary disability insurance
  - Long-term disability insurance
  - Accidental death & dismemberment insurance

These benefits are excellent because many restaurants don’t offer employees insurance coverage.

Retirement and Financial Benefits

Financial experts suggest starting to prepare for retirement early to ensure you have a nice nest egg when it’s time to retire.

Hooters understand this, and they offer a 401K plan and a Defined Contribution Pension Plan.

Fun Work Environment

One of the best things about working for Hooters is the fun and exciting atmosphere.

Employees can show their personalities while entertaining their customers and have a lot of fun doing it.

Also, the kitchen staff, hosts, and hostesses enjoy the laid-back environment, and many say that the job isn’t incredibly stressful.

Tips

Most of a Hooters Girl’s wages come from tips, and according to many employees, the tips can be really good.

Bartenders report making $200 to $300 on a good day, and servers can earn $150 to $200.

Friends

Hooters is a great place to make new friends.

Most employees are around the same age and have many things in common, including the job and the benefits and hassles that go along with it.

Cons of Working For Hooters

While there are some great things about working for Hooters, there are also downsides, which is true with any job.

Long-term employees stay at Hooters because the positives often outweigh the negatives.

The cons of working for Hooters include the following:

Poor Work/Life Balance

You won’t have a good work/life balance working for Hooters.

Many employees say the hours aren’t flexible, and you must work the shifts you are given.

This can make it challenging for employees with children, families, and those working at Hooters to put themselves through college.

In addition, many employees state that although they are told they will receive paid sick time and vacation days, getting the paid time off approved is challenging.

This likely varies based on the restaurant, but the majority of employees state they have never been authorized for time off.

Your Appearance Is Essential to Keep Your Job

The company won’t come out and say that you have to be attractive to be a Hooters Girl because this is illegal, but most applicants understand this when they apply.

The company won’t force Hooters Girls to participate in weigh-ins, but staying thin is essential for the job.

More than one former employee has reported being fired after putting on too much weight.

Also, the uniforms must always be clean, and your sneakers must be clean and white.

Hooters girls cannot have crazy piercings and must remove them and cover any distracting tattoos.

Hooters Girls Cannot Change Their Appearance

As a Hooters Girl, you don’t have the freedom to change your appearance any time you like.

Hooters Girls must look like they did when they were hired while working for the company.

You can’t even change your hair color unless a manager approves the change and color.

If you’re the type of person who likes to change your look often, you might not be a good fit as a Hooters Girl.

Finally, there are makeup requirements, and Hooters Girls must limit the amount of jewelry they wear.

Psychological Problems

A study was performed, and researchers asked Hooters Girls all over the United States to fill out surveys with questions on various topics related to their jobs, including how the job affects their psyche.

Many women reported issues like depression and anxiety due to body image issues and feeling sexually exploited.

This isn’t the case for all women, but a large portion of women admit to developing psychological problems after starting to work for Hooters.

Personal Problems

Men love going to Hooters to see beautiful women, but many men have problems with their girlfriends or wives being ogled by Hooters’ customers.

Many women who work or have worked for Hooters admit that their significant others struggled with their profession, and some say that their relationships ended over their jobs.

Dealing With Difficult Customers

Unfortunately, not all men have respect for women, and Hooters Girls often deal with difficult customers, especially the drunk ones

Employees are expected to deal with rude or unruly customers politely, regardless of how the customers make them feel.

According to many employees, this is the worst and most challenging part of working for Hooters.

Working Holidays

Hooters are open during most major holidays, and employees must work their scheduled shifts.

The only holiday the restaurants observe is Christmas Day; therefore, if you’re scheduled on any other holiday, such as Easter, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, you have no choice but to work.

No Breaks

Cooks and kitchen staff are allowed to take breaks, but the same isn’t true for Hooters Girls.

Managers expect servers to remain in their sections until their shifts are over.

Managers can approve breaks, but most don’t because they want to be sure that all sections are covered to keep customers happy.

Inconsistent Pay

Although tips are listed in the pros, they also have a place on the cons list.

If the restaurant isn’t busy, bartenders and waitstaff can go home with less than $20 in tips, making them wonder why they came to work in the first place.

For some, getting to work will cost more than they make if they have to drive far and pay for gas or if they have children and need to pay a babysitter.

Many employees dread working on major holidays such as Easter and Thanksgiving because they know the restaurant won’t be busy and they won’t make much money in tips.