Hooters restaurant
Chantel Brink
Chantel Brink
December 1, 2022 ·  4 min read

‘I took my nine-year-old son to Hooters as a treat for doing well at school’

Hooters has always been a popular American chain that is known for its waitresses in skimpy uniforms. They are also recognized for serving wings and beer. Not a family-friendly joint at all. It would be safe to say that when a father of a 9-year-old boy decided to visit the newly opened Liverpool branch in the UK, heads turned.

Paul Edwards, 36 decided that he should treat his son to a meal at Hooters. All as a form of encouragement after some really positive feedback from his educator. As one can imagine, social media had a very mixed review of the dad’s parenting strategy. Paul’s argument? His son, Buddy didn’t believe the establishment even existed, so he set out to prove him wrong.

Shy at first, Buddy ended up loving Hooters

He was a bit shy at first but then he loved it,” He said. “The staff were great and so helpful, and the food was beautiful.” He also mentioned that Buddy’s mother was actually pretty ‘cool’ with his decision. She even went as far as to drop them off at the restaurant. They planned to go back to watch the World Cup’s England versus USA match which was played on the 25th of November. A match with a very disappointing 0-0 final score.

Paul Edwards and son Buddy at Hooters
Image Credit: Paul Edwards | Twitter

Paul’s son claims to have thoroughly enjoyed son and dad night and wants to go back to Hooters every week. He shared a snap of the pair at the restaurant on Twitter. This of course sparked a debate between commenters who found the ‘fun bonding experience’ rather ‘creepy’.

Paul Edwards' son Buddy at Hooters
Image Credit: Paul Edwards | Twitter

The comments came pouring in

Image Credit: Twitter | Daily Mail

‘Best Dad Ever!’ one commented, while another branded the trip ‘depressing’. The Hooters brand has always been labeled degrading to women and the newly opened Liverpool branch hasn’t escaped that exact criticism. Received a massive backlash from the local council.

Hooters staff singing in a very American accent

Restaurant goers were also slightly confused at the waitresses singing in an American accent in a British setting. This has seen Hooters go viral on TikTok for its waitresses singing and dancing. One TikTok subscriber, Gary Ousalice shared a clip on his account which raked in over 1.4 million views.

Video Credit: @garyousalice969 TikTok

The staff are seen stopping mid-shift to sing their own rendition of AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long’ at the New Zealand House bar. Donning their famous orange shorts and white tank tops featuring the famous Hooters logo, they gather around the tables.

They cheerily clap their hands and sing while guests dig into their meals. People did what they do best – they turned to the comments section. Many seem to claim it all looked staged and awkward, some even claimed to have suffered from ‘secondhand embarrassment.’

Read: A 10-Year-Old Boy Got a Tattoo. His Mom and the Tattoo Artist Were Arrested

The comments blew up

One person wrote: “Omg this has made me turn inside out from awkwardness. I’m now on the floor in a ball.” Another said: “Oh god… it’s all so tragic.” While someone else said: “Why do I feel embarrassed.” Others were simply left confused and wondering why they all sang in American accents. They are Scousers after all – a slang term used to refer to people from Liverpool in the UK.

One person wrote: “As in Liverpool UK !!?… So why do they all have American accents !!?” Another said: “Why the American accent.” While someone else wrote: “Do they get told they have to sing in an American accent?” It was however not only the social media platform that sparked debate. The local council was pretty unhappy about the establishment’s entire operation.

Maria Toolan, a Labour councilor for Liverpool started a petition against the chain opening in the city earlier this year. “Hooters is an archaic and chauvinistic brand and this kind type of venue is no longer reflective of today’s society.” Her petition read. “Hooters employs women to promote its business activities in an exploitative manner. It demeans and degrades women and undermines female equality.”

A license was eventually granted despite strong debate

After a license was granted for the business to operate, Liverpool’s Council’s planning rejected plans to have the famous Hooters illuminated signs erected outside the establishment. The area is deemed conservative with City center councilor Nick Small fighting against the loud display.

He claimed that they would belong “more in Amsterdam’s Red Light District than Liverpool’s oldest conservation area.” He added: “The proposed signage, banner, and flag is bright, gaudy, and not within keeping of the character of the area.

A Liverpool Council report on the matter stated that: “By virtue of size, design and siting, the proposed illuminated vertical signs, banner sign and flag would fail to preserve the character and appearance of the application building and Castle Street Conservation Area and the setting of adjacent listed buildings.”

What are your thoughts on taking a minor to an establishment which is clearly aimed at a more mature audience? We know children learn from examples we set, so should we not be setting better scenarios for our future generation? It leaves one to think, doesn’t it?

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Sources

  1. I took my nine-year-old son to Hooters as a treat for doing well at school, and now he wants to go every week!.” Daily Mail. Elmira Tanatarova. November 23, 2022.
  2. Dad takes his nine-year-old son to Liverpool Hooters after he gets good school report.” Twitter. Lad Bible.