Chicken Wings, Butts, Millennials, And The Downfall Of Hooters

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Hooters was, at one time, known as a bastion of freedom. A symbol for America. A place where people could go not just for Daytona style wings, but also for ice cold beer, delicious appetizers, and almost overly-friendly service from scantily clad waitstaff.

I love Hooters, but I am not a “Hooters guy,” if you know what I’m saying. I lived across the street from one when I lived in Texas, and while I won’t sit here and tell you that I was on a first name basis with the waitresses there, I will tell you that I had a friendly rapport. Nobody wants to be known as a person who loves Hooters.

I like the place and I’ll eat there. That’s all I’ll say. But honestly what is so bad about being a Hooters guy other than the obviously creepy connotations? I like chicken wings. Since when is that a crime? That’s not really the point of this, though.

In today’s hyper-sensitive world, Hooters establishments all over the country have sadly fallen on hard times. They have been labeled misogynistic, but more so than that out of touch with one of their largest target demographics — the dreaded millennial.

Millennials are less interested in breasts than their elders. People from the age of 18 to 24 are 19% less likely to search for breasts on pornographic website Pornhub compared to all other age groups, according to an analysis conducted by the website.For comparison, Pornhub visitors from the ages of 55 to 64 are 17% more likely to search for breast-related content. For “breastaurants” like Hooters and Twin Peaks, a loss of interest in breasts is bad for business. The number of Hooters locations in the US has dropped by more than 7% from 2012 to 2016, and sales have stagnated, according to industry reports.

You’ve seen Instagram these days. It’s all about large, plump butts. No one cares about boobs anymore, and while I’ll argue that the decline of Hooters has more to do with the fact that there is a very serious stigma attached to visiting said restaurant, I won’t discount the fact that we’re in the middle of a bubble. Right now, asses are like the housing market pre-2008.

We live in a butt-centric universe, a place unfamiliar and foreign to people who went through puberty during the days of big breasted bombshells like Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra. The game done changed, and Hooters is falling victim to it.

They’ve been forced to change their entire marketing strategy because of porn preferences. They’ve opened up new, fast-casual restaurants all over the country simply called “Hoots” which features fully-clothed male and female servers.

I personally think this is all for naught. Hooters needs to stick to their bread and butter, which has always been boobs and chicken wings.

People are never going to stop loving chicken wings and, while it may seem like boobs are out of style, they’ll come back. Sexual preferences are like fashion trends. People will be obsessed with Kardashian-style butts for a few more years and then the mood will change and we’ll all be into boobs again.

Hooters just needs to ride this storm out by offering cheaper wings. Stop opening stores with fully-clothed servers and stick to what got you to the top of the chicken wing totem pole in the first place. .

[via Business Insider]

Image via Shutterstock

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Johnny D

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