Empowering or embarrassing? Hooters on defensive ahead of Hong Kong launch
Mike Warde, whose company plans to open 30 branches of American restaurant chain in East Asia, denies waitresses need big breasts to work there, but a job applicant tells a different story
A 1980s American restaurant chain is set to change the vibe of Wyndham Street, in Hong Kong’s Central district, when it opens in mid-July. Hooters – known for its scantily clad waitresses and Buffalo wings – will occupy a prime spot on the strip of bars.
Bangkok-based Destinations Resorts is bringing the franchise to Hong Kong following the opening of four Hooters restaurants in Thailand. The company is under contract to open 30 restaurants in Asia within six years, with outlets currently being fitted out in the Philippines, Phnom Penh and Singapore.
WATCH Hooters Pattaya launch party, and spot the Wonderbras
By the time the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens comes around next April, Hooters Asia general manager Mike Warde expects to have three restaurants in Hong Kong, with another two possibly on the way.
Hooters to open up in Hong Kong as part of aggressive Asia expansion
“I always wanted to work for an American brand bringing the American concepts into Asia because I know Asia and I know the industry,” says Warde, who grew up in Hong Kong, cut his teeth in the food and beverage industry working at Mad Dogs and The Peninsula hotel, and most recently worked for Great Vision helping the late Paul Buxton oversee Bulldogs, Quarter Deck and Shamrock.
The Wyndham Street Hooters will have a large ground-floor restaurant and bar and a “private room upstairs for the rugby boys”, says Warde. And it’s here for the long haul, having signed a 10-year lease for the site.
But not everyone is happy. Fran Thompson is the managing director of Pathfinder Talent Solutions, a search and selection company focused on the IT and financial services industry. Her firm, which works primarily with women, helping them restart their careers after children and offering coaching to get their careers on track, is located on the first floor of Yu Yuet Lai Building on Wyndham Street, directly above Hooters. After two-and-a-half successful years in the office, she has been forced to cancel her lease and move.
