Her Voice Blog

When you think of restaurants women are likely patronize, Hooters isn't likely to be one of the first names that comes to mind.

To say the well-known breastaurant chain is trying to change that might not be the most accurate characterization, but according to this article from The Atlantic, it is attempting to draw more female customers. Yep, you heard that right: Hooters is trying to market to women.

Before you get ahead of yourself and think the orange shorts and tank tops are going away, slow down, because those things are here to stay. Instead, the restaurant is attempting to tone down it's stag-party image, if ever so slightly. How will it do this? By offering more salads and featuring fresher ingredients in its food (which begs the question, fresher than what?), getting rid of some of the beach bum decor and dedicating space to dance floors.

The hope is that by doing so, Hooters will be able to reach more of the wives and girlfriends market. The goal is to make it so that when a man wants to drink beer, eat wings and watch football, his significant other isn't be repulsed at the mere thought of stepping inside a Hooters establishment. It's really more a soft attempt at marketing to women.

Will it work? It's hard to say. Hooters may be on the right track, but may be missing the point. While there are a lot of women that will eschew the chain based solely on its concept of parading around somewhat-suggestively dressed women, that's not the only thing keeping the girls away. Women want good food and comfortable seating. While many men will be content to chow down on some wings while sitting in a bar stool, women are less likely to be inclined to be perched in an uncomfortable chair for several hours at a time.

To that end, we believe the re-envisioning of the menu is more likely to get some women through the doors than adding a dance floor. What do you think?

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.