I used to work at a restaurant with a Hooters down the block, and we always called it the “Poor Man’s Strip Club.”
My best friend used to work for Hooters; she went from waitress to corporate trainer to manager, so she knows from Hooters.
She said she always made good money, and she had a lot of fun, but bear in mind that you’re working with sixty to seventy other girls so things can get a bit…hormonal.
And you’re not allowed to wear underwear beneath those shiny nylons, in case you’re the type who’d try; the shorts are too short and they’re always visible. Even a thong.
You’re required to always look picture perfect; bad hair days will get you sent back to the dressing room. (And yes, they have a dressing room.) Lots of make-up, lots of big hair, lots of smiles, lots of skin. It’s all required; the manager will do a walk-around before every shift and make sure all the girls look perfect, and he or she is not scared to say, “Back to the dressing room. Everybody could afford to spend ten more minutes on themselves.”
If you gain weight, your schedule and your sections will suffer. If you’re sensitive about men constantly hitting on you and making insinuating remarks, this is not the gig for you. If you have a problem with cozying up to people for pictures, again, this is not the gig for you. If you have a problem with your manager telling you that you need more lipstick and better hair, this is not the gig for you.
But if you’ve got a thick skin and don’t take things too seriously, and you’re not particularly easy to offend or very sensitive, you can make a lot of money and probably have a lot of fun.
Oh, and as per the OP…no, I don’t think I could work at Hooters. Just not that girl. Don’t think it’s wrong, but just couldn’t picture myself doing it.