Hooters woos women with salads

Hooters wants more women to dine at its restaurants, and it’s convinced this will happen by adding salads onto the menu—because it’s leafy greens, not silicone globes that have deterred many women from dining at Hooters all these years, right?

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek last week, Hooters CEO Terry Marks said that the chain—which used to have two locations in B.C., and still operates in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg—is undergoing a makeover.

“There’s an opportunity to broaden the net without putting wool sweaters on the Hooters girls,” Marks told Bloomberg Businessweek. “Everything we do should appeal more to women, but nothing we will do will turn men off.”

That means, the infamous uniform of white tank-tops and orange short-shorts worn by Hooters servers are here to stay. The menu, on the otherhand, will see some changes, including more salads, fresh chicken wings and hamburgers, and healthy dishes to lure in female customers. The restaurant also plans on adding larger exterior windows and additional interior lighting for a more family-friendly atmosphere.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Hooters’ revenue has been decreasing since 2007. While women already make up nearly one-third of the restaurant’s customer base, Hooters is convinced that it’s more women—not frat boys—that will turn Hooters around.

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