Bodies, Brews and Boys: Restaurants with High ‘T’
Business + Economy

Bodies, Brews and Boys: Restaurants with High ‘T’

There are three reasons men say they go to “breastaurants”:

1. They really like eating wings.

2. They like the 60” TVs when watching sports.

3. They want to exercise their vocal chords by singing Karaoke.

Or so they say.

Related:  Slide Show: 7 Brazen Breastaurants in the U.S. in 2014 

Like moths attracted to light, men continue to flock to restaurants that push the babes, booze and burgers – so it’s no surprise that these specialty eating establishments swelled to over $2 billion in annual sales in 2013. Now, bold upstarts with a flair for the double entendre and an eye for the bottom line have been busting out all over the country.

Many say it’s high time someone challenged the “old man” of the industry: Hooters. It launched more than three decades ago, in 1983 – when Ronald Reagan was still president, big hair ruled and the brat pack was on the prowl. Even during the peak of the great recession, the bastion of male bonding was raking in nearly $1 million a year. But then things went flat, with sales declining by nearly 3 ½ percent in 2012 as new competitors muscled in and the brand went stale. Analysts said it was in need of a serious makeover.

Outlets such as Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill and the Tilted Kilt today push playful and energetic taglines such as “sports with a view” and “a cold beer never looked so good.” CEO Doug Guller of Austin-based ATX Brands, which runs the eight-year-old Bikinis, told Nation’s Restaurant News recently, “It’s a somewhat recession-resilient industry. I don’t think food, booze, sports or sex are going to die anytime soon.”

Related:  Breastaurants Grow to Over $2 Billion in Annual Sales

We shouldn’t “underestimate how contemporary they are,” Darren Tristano of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based research firm, said. “It’s a contemporary experience with good comfort food that depends on the looks and quality of the service.”

That “service,” of course, is dishing out a lot more than overstuffed chicken quesadillas. Twin Peaks, known for its “mountain cabin ambiance” and skimpy waitress outfits, emphasizes “the guest experience and the Twin Peaks girls,” according to CEO Randy DeWitt, who last year appeared on the CBS reality series Undercover Boss. “We’re looking for a well-rounded female who can deliver a great experience for our guests,” Maggie Miller, Twin Peaks’ director of training and recruiting, told ABC News.

Hooters, feeling the heat, is in the midst of a three-to-five year reinvention – grabbing for a clientele well beyond the 80-percent male presence of most other breastaurants. After launching with a menu of moderately priced American bar food such as wings, burgers, and sandwiches, the chain now serves a wide array of salad entrees in an appeal for a younger and more female clientele.

The privately held Hooters, which is in 27 countries and has more than 412 restaurants, also changed its tagline a few years back to “feed the dream” and hired HBO’s “Eastbound & Down” creator Jody Hill to direct attention-getting TV ads.

Click Here to See 7 Brazen Breastaurants in the U.S. in 2014 

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:

TOP READS FROM THE FISCAL TIMES