Breastaurants

**GeneChing** · 04-05-2018, 09:15 AM

This racy 'breastaurant' chain is becoming a major threat to Hooters — and it has a secret weapon
Kate Taylor

Twin Peaks mixes scantily-clad servers with a menu built for "foodies." Twin Peaks

As Hooters' sales slump, Twin Peaks is on the rise.

The mountain lodge-themed "breastaurant" chain has reported nine quarters of positive comparable sales, with same-store sales growing 5.1% in 2017.

According to CEO Joe Hummel, Twin Peaks' success depends on successfully combining "Twin Peaks girls" with a foodie-approved menu.

"Everybody's a foodie nowadays," Hummel told Business Insider. "You can't fool the consumer in today's world."

A Hooters competitor is beating the original "breastaurant" brand at its own game.

In the past year, Twin Peaks topped Knapp-Track's list of concepts ranked by comparable sales growth. The 81-location chain has reported nine quarters of positive comparable sales, with same-store sales growing 5.1% in 2017.

According to Twin Peaks' CEO, Joe Hummel, the chain has risen above its rivals by perfecting its mix of scantily-clad "Twin Peaks girls" and a vast, foodie-approved menu.

"Twin Peaks girls" are a key part of the chain's brand. Twin Peaks

"Everybody's a foodie nowadays," Hummel told Business Insider. "You can't fool the consumer in today's world, with all the different food shows and food networks that are out there."
Twin Peaks' customers are more than 70% male and primarily in their twenties and early thirties, though Hummel is sure to note that "we obviously appeal to all different ages and genders."

Twin Peaks was founded in Lewisville, Texas, in 2005. From the start, the chain has offered a slightly different take on the breastaurant concept than its more well-known rival.

"Hooters just wasn't racy enough," founder and then-CEO Randy DeWitt told Bloomberg in 2014.

However, talking to Hummel in 2018, Twin Peaks' menu is just as important in distinguishing the chain from rivals like Hooters. While the chain airs sports games and identifies itself as a "sports lodge," Hummel is just as proud of its made-from-scratch menu as its Twin Peaks girls.

Twin Peaks' Chicken and Waffles. Twin Peaks

"It's just a wide variety of different styles of food that don't necessarily fit the stereotypical sports bar," Hummel said.

Twin Peaks' menu includes things such as breakfast tacos, pot roast, and chicken and waffles in addition to extensive wings and tacos selections.

That isn't to say that Twin Peaks is all chicken, no breasts.

Twin Peaks girls continue to serve as the spokeswoman for the chain, plastered on advertisements across print, TV, and social media campaigns. Even with millennials' rumored disinterest in cleavage and questions about female objectification, Hummel thinks the "breastaurant" business model is sticking around.

Twin Peaks

"When you look at the recipe of a beautiful Twin Peaks girl, combined with great beverages, great food, and a warm setting, we don't see that ever changing," Hummel said.

Twin Peaks is kicking off an expansion push in 2018, with plans to open roughly five new locations this year. Next year, the chain plans to open up 12 new restaurants, and it's on track to open roughly 15 to 18 in 2020. Ultimately, Hummel says, there's easily potential for more than 250 to 300 locations.

Much of the sit-down, casual-dining industry has been plagued by a "sea of sameness," with chains like Chili's, Applebee's, and TGI Fridays struggling to stand out from the crowd.

The Twin Peaks girls help the chain stand out from its more straight-laced casual-dining competition. And, the tweaks to the breastaurant formula — like sub-freezing craft beer, an extended menu, and a lodge theme — set it apart from more unbuttoned rivals.

"I think our total brand DNA, there's a demand for it," Hummel said. "Everybody has done little bits and pieces of it, but no one has done the whole program."

Twin Peaks rises from the sea of sameness.

**GeneChing** · 09-06-2018, 08:09 AM

**GeneChing** · 09-14-2018, 01:07 PM

Fremont? WTH? We're in FREMONT!!!

COFFEE 8 hours ago
California coffee shop's bikini-clad baristas will now wear shorts and tank tops following backlash from community
By Michael Bartiromo | Fox News

The owner of Pink Pantherz Espresso announced his newest location will employ baristas in more modest clothing. (Google)

The bikini-clad baristas at the newest Pink Pantherz Espresso shop near Redwood City, Calif., will be ditching their swimsuits when the café opens on Friday afternoon, albeit in favor of more modest attire.

Pink Pantherz, which regularly employs scantily-clad female baristas at its locations in Modesto, Fresno and Fremont, has come to an agreement with San Mateo County after meeting with concerned residents near the Redwood City location — and amid threats of protesters planning to march outside the café.

pinkpantherzespresso1
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675 likes
pinkpantherzespresso1Good morning! Come see @bridale22 before she’s off at 12pm in Fremont! Grab a wet kiss mocha with white coffee��☕️

As part of the agreement, the owner of the shop has confirmed the female servers in the new location – which actually sits in a unincorporated part of North Fair Oaks – will wear shorts and tank tops instead of lingerie and bikinis.

The coffee stand will also rename some of the edgier items on the menu, including its “Bootycall” and “Pantydropper” drinks.

“[Pink Pantherz is] revisiting drink names and even implementing, for the first time, a more family-friendly dress policy for their baristas,” Pink Pantherz Espresso owner, Jose Carmona, told The Mercury News.

“We’re surprised [by the backlash] obviously, just because it’s not a new concept, but at the end of the day we’re a company and we can change,” Carmona added.

Public outcry over the newest Pink Pantherz Espresso location erupted earlier this summer, after residents became aware of the “bikini shop” planning to open on El Camino Real, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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690 likes
pinkpantherzespresso1Good afternoon Modesto!Britany is here till 8 come get a sweet thang before she’s gone!She will be back Thursday 4-10

In the time since, the San Mateo County received a petition signed by 2,000 people opposed to the shop’s opening, while another Change.org petition gathered 1,500.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors also met with residents to discuss their issues with the baristas’ dress code, which some feared would send the wrong message to schoolchildren passing by.

While Friday afternoon's protest was canceled after the announcement, some still plan on marching as “a celebration of the power of community,” Sister Christina Heltsley told the Mercury News.

“The young women that are [employed by Pink Pantherz] have their reasons [but] it feels like we’ve made so many steps forward and this is going backward.”

County officials are also pleased with Carmona’s decision, but admitted the “distasteful” attire of the baristas was not technically violating any rules.

Bottoms Up Espresso is planning to open up a new location in Chico, Calif., but the idea appears to have residents hot and bothered - and not in the way the owners likely intended.
Pink Pantherz Espresso's opening in the summer came weeks after a similar California chain, Bottoms Up Espresso, began getting backlash over its new location in Chico.

THREADS
Breastaurants
Coffee?

Shoot, those pix aren't copying...

**GeneChing** · 01-02-2019, 08:56 AM

Published 2 days ago
Hooters girl Hailey Slobodzian details following in her mother’s footsteps: ‘I would put on her uniform’
By Stephanie Nolasco | Fox News

Hailey Slobodzian says it was her mother, also a Fort Myers Beach Hooters girl and a calendar pinup, who inspired her to become a Hooters girl.

The 23-year-old brunette beauty, a Florida-based nursing student, has been working at the Fort Myers Hooters for five years and has since been voted a fan favorite.

Slobodzian has zero regrets following in her mother Amy’s footsteps and slipping into the iconic orange shorts to serve hot wings and cold beer. In fact, she is one of several girls featured in the 2019 Hooters Calendar, which helps raise money in support of breast cancer.

Mother and daughter spoke to Fox News about working at Hooters, dealing with criticism and the common misconceptions people still have about the popular restaurant chain.

Fox News: Hailey, describe the moment when you first saw your photo.

Hailey Slobodzian: I remember they kept the calendar very secretive. They didn’t reveal which photo was used until much later on. I was actually working at that time so they caught me midwork and I was serving customers. They came out to my bar and surprised me. I was over the moon. It was pretty incredible.

Fox News: Amy what did you think of the photo?

Amy: I got to see it on social media and I thought it was just gorgeous. The photo came out so beautiful. We’re all really proud of her.

Fox News: Amy, you were a Hooters Girl in Fort Myers beach as well. What was it about the franchise that appealed to you?

Amy: I’ve always been in the food and beverage industry so I was usually surrounded by women. I really like working with females the most. Hooters was one of the best companies to work for. I did a couple of promotions with them as well. I don’t think they were really big with the calendars at that time yet. We did a lot of events, including NASCAR. I was with the company on and off for about three years because I did get pregnant with Hailey, so I took some time off.

Hailey Slobodzian after winning the Fan Favorite 2017 award during the 21st annual Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant at The Pearl concert theater at Palms Casino Resort on July 12, 2017 in Las Vegas. (Getty)

Fox News: Hailey, did you always know mom worked at Hooters?
Slobodzian: Yeah! Actually, there are pictures from my childhood where I would put on her Hooters uniform for Halloween. I always admired it. The prominent orange shorts always stuck with me when I was growing up. Even when my mom retired and put those shorts in the back of the drawer, it always stayed in the back of my mind.

I always knew there would be a possibility of me working there. One day I was actually going out to eat and I was approached by one of the waitresses. I wasn’t even 18 yet. I was able to fill out an application and get a kick start on all the different trainings they had available. By the time I turned 18, I was able to work for the company. It was always engrained in the back of my mind that I would eventually follow in my mother’s footsteps.

Hailey Slobodzian's mother amy (left) working at Hooters. (Courtesy of Hooters.)

Fox News: What’s it been like working at Hooters?

Slobodzian: To be honest, when I first started working for Hooters, I just thought it was a great way to meet new people. But, I've formed incredible friendships. I’ve met so many wonderful people that I'm just fortunate to serve.

I initially believed this would be a way to make extra money while in college. But with time, I was exposed to different opportunities with the company. I was really shy at first, but my manager encouraged me to get involved with all the different activities Hooters is involved with. With each year, I would get higher up and earn different titles. I feel much more confident about myself. I’ve come a long way.

Fox News: Amy, what advice did you give to your daughter?

Amy: I always instilled in my kids just to always be themselves. Treat everybody that walks through the door as an equal. You never know who’s sitting on the other side of that bar or at your table. Be proper and never forget your pleases and thank yous.

Fox News: Some parents may feel uncomfortable over the idea of their daughter working at Hooters. What are your thoughts on this?

Amy: That’s a hard one. But in my eyes, Hooters is definitely a family restaurant. There’s nothing more different between Hooters and McDonald's. Kids go there. There’s nothing wrong with what the girls are wearing or what meals they’re serving.

When you walk in, somebody holding the door for you. There’s somebody saying hello to you. There’s somebody thanking you for stopping by and saying goodbye. There’s somebody encouraging you to come back. It’s a big group of girls creating one positive experience together. It’s the best way to meet friends and meet people in your neighborhood. And somebody will always watch your back.

Fox News: What’s a misconception you feel people still have about Hooters?

Slobodzian: The most common question I get asked all the time is how it is working with girls. People don’t think it’s possible. They assume it’s catty and there’s a lot of drama. Fortunately, that’s not the case. We all have a really good relationship. We’re able to rely on each other for many different circumstances. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee for someone in the morning or being there for someone when a loved one passes away. We all have just a really wonderful relationship. I think Hooters does a really great job of maintaining that family aspect. And we definitely implement that.

(Courtesy of Hooters)

Amy: It’s more than just a job there. Everyone has to work together as a team. It’s never just a job you happen to work. It’s much more meaningful than that. … Once you start working there, you really begin making friends and getting a grasp of what Hooters is as a whole.

"There’s nothing more different between Hooters and McDonald's"

**GeneChing** · 01-14-2019, 09:09 AM

The trailer was posted above back in September.

’Support the Girls’ Is an Excellent Comedy Set in a Shabby Breastaurant
Weekend streaming recommendations and a roundup of the week’s food pop culture news
by Greg Morabito Jan 12, 2019, 9:12am EST

Haley Lu Richardson and Regina Hall in Support the Girls.

Welcome back to Friday afternoon, a time to “Marie Kondo” all the work you didn’t finish this week and start planning what you’re going to watch and eat between now and Monday. I’ve got three recommendations for things to stream: an excellent indie feature, and two lively shows about Mexican-American dishes. Here’s what to add to your queue this weekend:

An amazing comedy set in a ‘breastaurant’

Regina Hall in Support the Girls

If you have a service industry job — whether it’s in a fine dining restaurant, a fast-food place, or anything in between — the best you can hope for is to have a manager like Lisa, the protagonist of the indie dramedy Support the Girls. She’s one of the best fictional characters I’ve seen on screen in ages, in a movie that’s slyly powerful, and entertaining from start to finish.

Lisa, played by Regina Hall, is constantly aware of all the pressure points that her staffers face inside and outside of Double Whammies, the Hooters knock-off where they work. But even as they’re serving “big butt” beers to ***** schmucks in the middle of the day, Lisa wants her staffers to feel empowered, and know how to navigate the bizarre situations that arise in their workplace. She understands the importance of making her teammates feel like they’re not just co-workers, but members of a pseudo-family who can reach out for help when they need it. And, on top of it all, Lisa clearly thinks her girls deserve to have fun on the job — on their own terms.

Support the Girls chronicles Lisa’s shift from hell, the messy evening that follows, and an afternoon a week or so later, where justice for her and her teammates seems like a distinct possibility.

All restaurants, even the ones that don’t involve skimpy server uniforms and mandatory flirtation with guests, have echoes of the chaotic workplace depicted in Support the Girls. And while I appreciate the attention to detail paid to the general rhythms of restaurant life, my hunch is that filmmaker Andrew Bujolowski chose the breastaurant setting because it throws one of the film’s central themes — the struggles, big and small, that women face in the workplace — into sharp relief. As my colleague Alissa Wilkinson notes in her Vox review, the film starts as “a workplace comedy“ but “morphs into an affecting, startlingly insightful depiction of the bone-weary work of being a woman in a man’s world.”

The most powerful moment in that regard is a scene between Lisa and her boss, Cubby, in the car on the way to the bank. She basically runs his entire business from head-to-toe, approaching her employees and regulars with a level of grace that is perhaps uncommon for a shabby neighborhood sports bar. But Cubby can’t looks past a few mistakes — decisions she made while trying to help one of her employees out of a bind — despite the fact that Lisa goes above and beyond the call of duty in every other way. The message, it seems, is that Lisa can’t under- or over-perform at her job without catching flack from her boss. It’s a completely toxic relationship, one of several that the manager and her staff have to navigate in the Double Whammies universe.

Bujolowski balances heavy scenes like this with moments of surprising levity (a particularly hilarious/cathartic plot twist notably punctuates the end of Lisa and Cubby’s ride in the car that afternoon). The filmmaker, who first earned acclaim as one of the pioneers of the “Mumblecore” movement, has taken the best traits of that genre — an emphasis on the emotional lives of seemingly ordinary people; an ear for naturalistic dialogue — and applied them to a story with much broader appeal than any of his previous works. His next project is, somewhat surprisingly, an adaptation of Lady and the Tramp for Disney. After seeing the skilful way he juggles the lives of all of the characters in Support the Girls, I look forward to watching what he does with a star-crossed mutt and Cocker Spaniel.

But the main reason to watch Support the Girls is Hall’s masterful performance as Lisa, and particularly her scenes with co-stars Shayna McHayle and Haley Lu Richardson. The movie is now streaming for free on Hulu, but you can also watch it on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube.

**GeneChing** · 01-31-2019, 09:38 AM

Ahhh, TexASS. This isn't really a breastaurant - it's a buttaurant?

The official website is just a placeholder. It's really more about their instagram.