Breastaurant
{{Short description|Restaurant that employs skimpily-dressed waitresses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
File:Waitresses at Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill 2 (cropped).jpg (Austin, 2010)]]
A breastaurant is a restaurant that requires female waiting staff to be dressed skimpily. The term dates from the early 1990s after restaurant chain Hooters opened in the United States.{{cite magazine | url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/breastaurant-chains-5999331 | title=Hostess of the Week, 'Breastaurant' Edition | accessdate=2012-06-28 | author=Mikin, Mark | date=2011-06-27 | magazine=Esquire }} The format has since been adopted by other restaurants, including Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, Twin Peaks, Ojos Locos, Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, The WingHouse Bar & Grill, Redneck Heaven, and Bombshells Bar & Grill.{{cite web | url=https://news.yahoo.com/breastaurant-boom-why-hooters-knockoffs-thriving-110500797.html | title=The 'breastaurant' boom: Why Hooters knockoffs are thriving | accessdate=2012-06-28 | author=The Week's Editorial Staff | date=2012-06-26 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629091924/https://news.yahoo.com/breastaurant-boom-why-hooters-knockoffs-thriving-110500797.html | archive-date=29 June 2012 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/breastaurant-boom-hooters-style-eateries-experience-a-mini-boom/|title=Breastaurant Boom: Hooters-style eateries experience a mini-boom|work=Fox News|date=March 25, 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.eatthis.com/hooters-copycat-restaurants/|title=11 Hooters Copycat Restaurants You Never Knew Existed|first=Tanya|last=Edwards|date=13 December 2022|website=Eat This, Not That!}}
These restaurants often use a sexual double-entendre brand name and may also be themed. The restaurants may offer perks for customers, such as alcoholic drinks and flirty servers.{{cite web | url=http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/08/breastaurants-are-ho.html | title="Breastaurants" are Hooters 2.0 | accessdate=2012-06-28 | author=Doctorow, Cory | date=2011-06-08 | website=Boing Boing }}
History
File:Twin Peaks Austin Bikini Car Wash Jul 2012.jpg washes a customer's car (Austin, 2012).]]
File:Hooters china (509691824) (right cropped).jpg employees in Shanghai, China, 2007]]
Hooters is credited as the first breastaurant, having operated since 1983. Other companies soon adopted the format.{{cite web |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/breastaurants-with-view-booming-in-struggling-us-dining-industry/967358|date=June 27, 2012|title='Breastaurants' with 'view' booming in struggling US dining industry|work=The Indian Express |accessdate=June 27, 2019}} According to food industry research firm Technomic, the top three breastaurant chains in the United States after Hooters each had sales growth of 30% or more in 2011.{{cite news |last=Yglesias |first=Matthew |date=June 25, 2012 |title=The "Breastaurant" Business Is Booming (Sort of) |url=https://slate.com/business/2012/06/the-breastaurant-business-is-booming-sort-of.html |work=Slate |location= |access-date=March 6, 2022}}
In October 2012, Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill successfully registered the term "breastaurant" as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office; but as of May 24, 2019, the trademark lapsed under section 8, "Continued use not filed within Grace Period".{{cite web |url=https://trademark.trademarkia.com/breastaurant-85416160.html|title=Breastaurant Trademark Information|work=Trademarkia|accessdate=June 27, 2019}} Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill had closed its last restaurant on December 23, 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20181212/breastaurant-chain-bikinis-shuttering-last-remaining-location-rolling-out-new-concept/1|last=Dinges |first=Gary |date=December 13, 2018|title='Breastaurant' chain Bikini's shuttering last remaining location, rolling out new concept|work=Austin American-Statesman|accessdate=June 27, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213121636/https://www.statesman.com/news/20181212/breastaurant-chain-bikinis-shuttering-last-remaining-location-rolling-out-new-concept/1|archive-date=13 December 2018}}
Male variations
Restaurants staffed by males, with a similar focus on server appearance, include Tallywackers, featuring scantily clad men, which opened in Dallas, Texas, in May 2015 and closed in August 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://www.guidelive.com/food-and-drink/2016/08/10/tallywackers-dallas-male-hooters-closed|title=Tallywackers, Dallas' male Hooters, has closed {{!}} GuideLive|date=2016-08-10|work=GuideLive|access-date=2017-05-13|language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/02/theres-finally-a-hooters-style-restaurant-for-women-its-called-tallywackers/|title=There's finally a Hooters-style restaurant featuring men. It's called Tallywackers.|author=Peter Holley|date=2 June 2015|newspaper=Washington Post}} In Japan, there are pop-up establishments such as Macho Cafe{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/japans-macho-cafe-is-like-hooters-in-reverse-1704687152|title=Japan's Macho Cafe Is Like Hooters in Reverse|author=Brian Ashcraft|publisher=Gawker Media|work=Kotaku|date=May 15, 2015 }} and Macho Meat Shop,{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/japans-macho-restaurant-serves-up-real-beefcakes-1740489811|title=Japan's Macho Restaurant Serves Up Real Beefcakes|author=Brian Ashcraft|publisher=Gawker Media|work=Kotaku|date=November 4, 2015 }} where brawny men serve food and drinks.
Criticism
Breastaurants have been criticized for sexually objectifying women.{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/is-there-a-place-for-hooters-in-2018 |title=Is There a Place for Hooters in 2018?|first=Jaya|last=Saxena|date=19 June 2018 |work=GQ|accessdate=18 September 2018|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129141001/https://www.gq.com/story/is-there-a-place-for-hooters-in-2018 |archivedate=November 29, 2020}}