Thursday, September 17, 2009

I'd Totally Do That! Deciding to work at Hooters

(I'm writing this blog because last night was the night before my Hooters orientation and I started getting nervous, so I searched the web for some information. I found this girls blog from a few months ago and thought it was great. She kept it from the time she got hired until she quit, and included all sorts of details, stories, and horrors about working as a hooters girl. It made me feel better about working there and kind of got me excited. So I thought maybe I could do that for someone else. If not at least I can look back when I'm successful and rich and remember. Ha!)

This was always something I joked about with my friends. One of those things you're always like 'oh ya I'd totally do that!' Turns out I didn't really want to do that.

I have a 4 year college degree, have had a full time job, already been laid off (thank you economy), and have been looking for work for 5 months now. I've kind of run out of options, so I decided to start substitute teaching. Which is some income if I work as much as possible. But I'm in serious debt and decided a restaurant job would be the easiest way to make that money fast. (I've worked at a few restaurants in the past and hated it.) So if I'm going to put myself through this torture again I figured I might as well do it somewhere I can make even more money.

I went to apply last week. The whole way there I seriously kept telling myself you can turn around, you don't have to do this, but you should, don't tell anyone, etc. I sat in the parking lot of Hooters for a good 10 minutes deciding what to do. But I figured since I got my lazy ass outta bed and actually made myself presentable I may as well just pick up the application and take it home.

I walked in the building and stood awkwardly for a couple minutes. Apparently Hooters Girls do not jump to help a young single girl. Finally one of them was like "do you need something?" (Great, this is going well) So she got the manager and he told me to sit down and fill out the application then. (...ok...) I don't know what my problem was but I was so nervous my already bad handwriting was barely legible. I scribbled through all three pages and listened to the girls sitting around doing nothing. (Apparently it was really slow that day.) They were all talking about tattoos and she did this and he's going to do that... totally what you would expect them to be talking about.

I had a friend that worked for Hooters before and she had really small boobs that she just pushed up a lot. She told me that a lot of girls that work there are like that, that the size of your tits doesn't matter. As I was filling out my application, I tried to look around as much as possible without being awkward... I will say she was totally wrong. All of them had HUGE boobs. Some super fake, some real, some in between... either way, intimidating. (I'm used to have the biggest cup size with all of my friends and I was put to shame here)

Anyway I finally got through the paperwork and the manager came back and was like 'Follow me!' (Oh shit...) He takes me into the To Go room actually and starts interviewing me right then. (Double shit) And the very first question he asked (drum roll please)

"Why are you applying here with a 4 year degree?" (punched in the gut)

Well in case I didn't feel shitty enough about having to work here, that totally just destroyed any self esteem I may have somewhat tricked myself into having left. I told him that I'm just needing something to save up some money until I figure out what I'm going to do. He was really nice about and said that a lot of girls that work there are in school, have other jobs, are moms... pretty much from all walks of life I guess. He just asks everyone why they are applying there.

Questions continued all relatively easy, "Are you certified to serve liquor?" (Yes) "Can you start soon?" (well duh, i'm unemployed) "Blah blah blah" (I HATE interviews)

But then the weirdest question was "How do you feel about the uniforms? Would you be comfortable wearing one?"
(...?wtf?...) Why would I be applying there if I wasn't comfortable with it? Everyone knows exactly what the uniform looks like, that's the exact reason people DO or DON'T want to work there!

AND (continuing on with uniform rant) I worked at a very elite golf tournament with the PGA earlier this year and wore just about as much as the hooters outfit if not less. And there were a lot of girls there that would totally turn their noses up at Hooters. And frankly a lot of the people that attended I'm sure would all be snobby about their waitress serving them wings being scantily clad, but at the golf course the girl serving them their merlot can be in a g-string and pasties for all they care!

After the interview I spoke with another manager and he told me that they'd call me later. They called the next day and said to go to orientation this day. So I did.

That brings me to today:
What do you wear to Hooters orientation? I wanted to wear something that said I have the confidence to do this, but not like Hooters is my dream job. So not too slutty, but not too frumpy.
I went to a different Hooters location and walked in. Again the same thing with none of the girls even looking at me. Finally a lady dressed in business attire finds me and offers me a Monster or a Water. (those are my only choices?) She asks me to follow her. When she walked through the kitchen doors I was not surprised to see the kitchen looking just like every other restaurants kitchen. However she took me down this hall, to the right I see a pink room with big mirrors that have the big lights around them. Girls all crowding around putting make up on and fluffing their hair. (weird) Even farther back the room she takes me to is filled with every kind of uniform, merchandise, and accessory imaginable.

I sit at a table with a man applying to be a cook, who doesn't speak english, and begin signing my life away. I've had a LOT of jobs and have NEVER had that much paperwork. Then we watch an hour and a half long video of mind numbingly stupid information presented by overly excited women from the 80s it seems.

There were a few points that caught me off guard:
-You can NOT wear any kind of elastic or bobby pin or headband or ANYTHING in your hair.
-You can ONLY have your ear lobes pierced
-You MUST always have make up on and hair "photo shoot" ready
-Your horrible 80s socks MUST be SCRUNCHED
-You MUST wear a white or nude bra
-You can NOT be in any video or interview in the uniform w/o management approval
-You MUST have your uniform covered when entering and leaving the establishment

We'll see I have some ear piercings that I do not plan to take out. Anyway boring stuff.
Tomorrow I have to go to my restaurant and get my uniform. It should be interesting...

3 comments:

  1. Hooters is not that bad. Why apply there if you seem like you hate it? Its a job

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  2. You don't have the right attitude to be working at Hooters. If you don't like it and don't find the atmosphere comfortable then it's not the job for you.

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  3. Hooters just seems like a place where women are decorative objects, hence them needing to be "photo ready," hence the outfits being mandatory even when the weather is freezing. I can't think of a major chain where men have the same requirements. I don't blame anyone for being tentative about working at Hoooters, I would be as well.

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