CALIFORNIA HOOTERS GIRL

Wow I'm a Dork

2009-12-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

Apparently I still don't have this blogging thing down...to the point that I couldn't figure out the difference between posting an entry and saving it as a draft...haha. Up to this point I've written ten posts but only three of them were showing...all ten always showed up for me, because I'm the author, but to everyone else apparently only three posts showed up. Why? Because I daved them as drafts! Ugh!!

Thanks to K.H., author of The Hooters Girl. Not only is she an amazing blogger who inspired me to start my own blog, but she was also gracious enough to mention my blog in her latest post, entitled "Plus Two." In addition to referring to my writing as "chaotic and energetic, which makes for a fun read," she also pointed out that I have "only a few entries thus far, detailing her experiences applying at Hooters and her orientation." That's when I became confused! I thought, "a few entries detailing my application process and orientation? What about everything else I've written about?" Then I proceeded to view my blog, not while signed into my account, and realized that only three posts were up. Thanks, K.H.! I never would've caught it otherwise!

I just finished moving my posts from drafts to actually published, so they should all be up now. Enjoy! :D

My Hooters Nemesis

2009-11-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

About three years ago I met a boy. We hit it off. He cheated with his best friend's girlfriend. I left him. The End.

Turns out that chick works at Hooters! Thankfully, not at the same one I work at, but at one of the other two in my town. Whatever, right? Well turns out that the girls from my restaurant often do promotional events with the girls from that other one. Great! I honestly don't care...it's been more than three years and I've since moved on...big time! But what if she hasn't? Back then when all the dram went down, she hated me! I don't know why, since I'm the one who got screwed over and I'm the one who should've been hating the hell out of her. Instead, she hated the hell out of me! The nerve! I'm just really hoping she's past it. She's a few years younger than I so I'm worried she may still be quite immature. And truth be told: girls are drama by nature. Therefore, I've got on my hands a recipe for (possible) disaster.

I plan on remaining completely professional and doing my thing. But this girl is drama almost 24/7. Apparently she walked into my restaurant a couple days ago and saw a picture on the wall of some of us who work there. She saw me in the photo and immediately verified my name with the girl at the hostess' stand, Sporty Spice, and asked if I currently work there. She then proceeded to make some nasty remarks, to which Sporty Spice had some comeback remarks of her own! I heard it got pretty heated for a few minutes! I'm ever so grateful to Sporty Spice for standing up for me, but I'm worried crap like this will happen at the promo events we will work together in the future. Ahh drama...why must it appear even when we do everything we can to stay away from it!

Bipolar Kool-Aid Man

2009-11-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

Kool-Aid Man: the name I have chosen to ascribe to the general manager, as he reminds me of the well-known Kool-Aid Man.

Bipolar: a diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders.

Lately, Kool-Aid Man has been acting completely erratic. It seems that one minute he is as nice and caring as ever and the next minute he's on a completely unjustified power trip. This has only been going on for about a week but already all the girls have noticed it. Tonight was one of those night during which he was having mood swings. And quite honestly, the entire night I was feeling the urge to pick up something and throw it at him! It was that bad! One of the girls was almost in tears after he yelled at her for failing to some peppy enough when a customer walked in. She sounded as peppy as the rest of us, so none of us understood what he was yelling at her about. It was completely uncalled for, and I felt really bad for the girl! I managed to stay out of his way just enough so that I was able to escape from most of his hostile comments, but I'm still pretty pissed. I really wouldn't be so upset if his pointy words and screams were justified, at least in some way. But they weren't! At all!

Wow, after writing all that I'm starting to get angry all over again! If I didn't know better, I'd think my ears were fuming right now! Ahhh...I'm just gonna go take a hot bath, take a sip of wine, and get some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Like Father, Like Son

2009-11-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Junior: they are my two favorite customers. They are every Hooters Girl's favorite customers, it seems. I first met them during my second shift when they walked right up to the hostess stand animatedly showed their delight at seeing that a new Hooters Girl had been added to the team. They were a delight right from the start and I have to admit...they were both quite good looking!

Another of the girls, Chatty Cathy, explained that they come in almost every other name, know every single girl by name, tip well, and are two of the few regulars who are actually not creepy or annoying. Thus far, I've seen them four times and I love having them around! They keep things fresh when it's slow but are also understanding when it gets busy. There's so many customers who don't get it and want our undivided attention while we simultaneously try to sit the 30 people who are waiting to be seated. But Daddy and Junior totally get it! And they're great at making conversation. Plus, like I said before, they're rather nice to look at!

The similarities between the two astonish me: same hair, same eyes, same smile, same tone of voice, same sense of humor, and same love for wings! I love it!

Two Weeks In...and the Fun Continues

2009-10-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since I had my first shift as a Hooters Girl and I'm still loving it! I'm starting to think I have way too much fun. But so be it. What can I say...I really think that dressing up in a little outfit that some would consider ridiculous but I consider rather cute, if not hot, pretty fun! It also doesn't hurt that a large part of my job consists of taking photos with customers, singing and dancing around, and signing calendars, shirts, and caps!

Now, I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. While working at Hooters is oftentimes a very fun experience, it can also be tough, such as on days on which what seems like thousand of people come in on right after the other. I do take my job seriously, and I want to give every customer I come in contact with the most Hooterific experience possible. That means going out of my way and making sure everything is done 100% right. It also means putting on a smile even when I'm having the worst of days and maintaining a certain level of calm and friendliness even when dealing with the worst, most obnoxious customers. And trust me...that can be very hard!

For the most part, the customers all great. But of course there is the occasional asshole who thinks he can say/do whatever he feels like doing simply because I'm showing cleavage, and wants to overstep his boundaries. What a pain in the ass! Then there's also the bitchy Hooters Girl who takes out her frustrations on the rest of us rather than on the people who deserve to get her sharp, sarcastic comments. Everyone has a bad day, and I don't expect anyone to be 100% nice 100% of the time. So what am I complaining about?? The fact that she does it all the time!! For this reason, I shall call her the Blonde Bitch! Ha! Trust me, I'm not just being overly sensitive; all the other girls complain about her too. Honestly, I think we're all ready to strangle her!

But overall, and thankfully, being a Hooters Girl is working pretty nicely for me! :D

Shift #1

2009-10-16T01:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a night! Not that I thought I would hate being a Hooters Girl, but I also didn't realize I would like it this much! Apparently all us rookies felt pretty much the same way. The veterans kept telling us, "Just wait until you've been here a month!" I will make sure to asses my experience within a month exactly to determine whether or not they're right...haha.

Anywho, I went in at 3pm...wearing my uniform under my street clothes and looking "photoshoot ready" as the Hooters Handbook says I should be during all my shifts. I had the fake eyelashes on, tons of hairspray, loads of makeups...the whole deal! I rushed into the dressing room, took off my street clothes, strapped on my pouch (already fully stocked with every color of Sharpie available), and made my way on out. This may sound cheesy but I felt pretty glamorous in my big hair and neon orange shorts! It also didn't hurt that a lot of the men in the room were staring at me...it made me feel a bit uneasy, sure, but gave me an extra boost of confidence as well! I wasn't expecting to get a whole lot of attention with all the other girls running around, many whom are rather gorgeous! So the fact that I had so many eyes on me made me feel good, not gonna lie!

By the time I got to the hostess' stand, I was fully pumped and ready! I was feeling good! Customers were coming in and I was giving them the best "Hi! Welcome to Hooters!" that I possibly could! Then, about 30 minutes later, I began to panic. Loads and loads of people started coming in! Oh man, I was running around like crazy trying to sit everyone down! Ever heard that expression "...like a chicken with her head cut off"? Well that was me! I still don't have the seating layout down completely, so trying to sit all these people one after the other was quite a challenge! Not to mention that I also had to remember which waitress' section I sat when, because double-seating (or even worse, triple-seating) in the same section is a no-no! Why, you ask? Well it's quite logical, really: each waitress needs some time in between so that she can attend each table without neglecting another. It makes their work harder, and I definitely don't wanna do that!

Five hours later, I finally caught a break; the influx of customers slowed down a lot. I was exhausted! On my feet, running around for five hours truly was exhausting! But at the same time, it was a good experience to have on my first shift. Two hours later Mr. Australia told me I could go home, so I headed to the dressing room to change into my street clothes, since we're not allowed to wear the uniform outside of the restaurant. While I was changing a couple of the veteran Hooters Girls walked in and asked me if I hated it yet, after realizing how busy and crazy it gets. I said, "No, I don't hate it all." And I meant it!

First (and Last) Day of Training

2009-10-14T00:44:00.000-07:00

I've read several blogs written by other Hooters Girls (the best and most creative one written by a Hooters Girl who goes by the name K.H.) and according to all these blogs, there should be several days of training. Now, I seriously doubt these girls decided to lie...lol...so I'm guessing every Hooters restaurant simply operates differently. Why do I say this, you ask? Well because today was the only day of training we got. Yep, that's it. Technically we will still be shadowing veteran Hooters Girls, but officially: training began and ended today.

So this is how my day went: I arrived a few minutes early and joined up with the other new hires who were already there. After a few minutes, Mr. Australia came out and introduced us to a very voluptuous Hooters Girl (who apparently is featured in the 2010 Hooters Calendar, for which I will refer to her as Calendar Girl). Mr. Australia tells us this girl will be taking us back into the dressing room and providing us with our uniforms...at this point I'm ecstatic!! Being a very thin girl, I knew they would give me the smallest sizes and I was right...it was XXXS for me! Now, although I'm thin I'm also pretty chesty, so the XXXS tanktop sure does a good job of showing off my assets! I can't say that I hate it! Actually, I really like my teeny tiny tank top and neon orange short shorts! Heck, even the suntan nylons and suntan hose are cute! Combine that with the Hooters pouch and the shoes I bought at Payless and you've got: a very hot Hooters Girl! At least, that's the way I felt! I know many girls feel uncomfortable when they first get into the uniform and I thought I would too but I was proven wrong!

Anyway, once we were fully dressed in our eye-catching uniforms, Calendar Girl took us to the front, showed us how to punch in, what to say when the phone rings, how to greet customers, how to take to-go orders, how to sling, etc. It wasn't rocket science, but useful information nonetheless. After a couple hours, we were finally allowed to "get to work" which basically meant stand at the front, yell out "Hi! Welcome to Hooters!" every time guests walk in, sit guests, and blow up balloons! As I mentioned in a previous entry, I will be a hostess, otherwise known as "Hooters Girl at the Door" rather than a waitress, or "Hooters Girl on the Floor." The nice part is that I will be making a percentage of the tips that the waitresses make...I can't imagine they're too thrilled about the TipShare program, but I'm definitely not hating it!

My first "real" shift is in 2 days...should be interesting! Oops...I mean...should be delightfully tacky! ;)

ALL ABOUT THE UNIFORM:

(NOTE: The shorts are no longer made of this shiny material)

Orientation

2009-10-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Orientation was pretty interesting. It started at 2pm and went all the way to 6pm. Best part of all: I'm getting paid for it :D

So I got there about ten minutes early and joined 2 other girls who were already there. Four others joined a bit after I got there, to make a total of seven new hires. All the other girls seem super nice and we're all around the same age. Two of the girls are close friends, making me wish I had a close to friend to take on this job with as well. So after waiting around for almost half an hour for the hiring manager to get our employment packets together, we were finally able to begin what I had been anxiously awaiting: filling out paperwork...ahh there were tons of papers to fill out, date, sign. it was absolutely excruciating. My usually neat writing became more and more messy page after page. After that little piece of fun was over, it was time to go over the papers we had just signed...fun, right? Not! Then it got better...we put in our schedule requests for the next two weeks and then proceeded to go over the infamous Hooters Handbook.

You may have heard of The Smoking Gun putting a portion of the handbook online for the world to see...they put out the part about the Hooter Girl image. So you ask, "is that what the real handbook says?" The answer is yes, what The Smoking Gun put out is actually a real excerpt of the real Hooters Handbook. I remember there was a certain level of concern when it came out, as many argued that the handbook was use as a tool to objectify women. I say...the handbook makes sense. The part disclosed by The Smoking Gun basically states that the Hooters Girl must look good...makeup done, hair done, camera-ready. Well...doesn't every employer want you to look your best? Doesn't every employer not want you to look like you just rolled out of bed? I really don't think it's a huge deal. Besides, the portion that focuses on looks is really only like one page long...the rest of the handbook focuses on other things, such as the fact that Hooters does not tolerate sexual harassment despite the nature of its appeal. If you ask me, that's pretty darn important.

Anywho, after reviewing the handbook, we were then told that we will start out working the front door as hostesses before we are allowed to go out on the floor, simply to ensure that we are properly trained by that point. I'm actually glad about this, becaus I definitely don't want to start serving before I'm ready to do so. We were then told that we will have to attend a bar-tending class as well as acquire a food handler's license before we are considered to go out on the floor. I then expected to receive my two uniforms, but the hiring manager told us we will be getting them at our "Hooters Girl Class" on Wednesday. I really can't wait to try on my uniform!! I'm pretty darn excited about that! :D

Interview #2/Say Hello to the Newest Hooters Girl

2009-10-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

The much-awaited 2nd interview has come and gone and with it I've embarked on a rollercoaster of emotions. Yes, Hooters has me on an emotional rollercoaster...who woulda thought!

Anywho, I got there promptly at 3:15pm, once again sporting false eyelashes/overdone eyeshadow/cleavage. The girl at the front recognizes me right away (it's the same girl who helped me when I applied last week). She's super sweet once again and leads me to a table at the back of the restaurant...why the table all the way at the back? I do not know. After waiting for about 10 minutes, the other manager, Chris comes out and greets me...he's this very tan fellow with a heavy Australian accent. We spoke for about half an hour, about my interest in Hooters, my qualifications (bubbly personality, good looks, positive attitude, ability to flirt...no joke). Of course I say I have all of those and go on to explain how I've used each of these qualities in the past...this is the first time I've ever had to discuss my looks or flirtatiousness at a job interview. Or anywhere, really. We also talked about school and future career goals, which was a little more normal for a job interview. So as our chat is winding down, Chris congratulates me...yes, he offers me the job on the spot! Money, here I come! Oh yeah...neon short and cleavage-exposing uniforms, here I come! Sexual innuendoes by way of drunken men, here I come! I said I was on an emotional rollercoaster, right? Can you see why? Job/money=good; uniforms/sexual comments/the stereotypes that come along with being a Hooters girl=not so much. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm excited on a lot of levels...yes, because of the money but also because...well...I'll admit it...it actually does seem like a pretty fun job and like a lot of other women, I do like showing off what I've got (up to a certain degree, of course). But I also am a little nervous about it. Although I shouldn't care, and I usually don't, I am a little concerned about what people will say and how I will be treated by customers. I guess I'll find out soon enough. For now, say hello to the newest Hooters girl! Oh yeah...I have orientation on Tuesday at 2pm.

PS...the boy/friend is can't wait to see me in the uniform lol

Callback

2009-10-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ring...ring...ring...I don't recognize the number so I decide not to pick up. "If it's important, they'll leave a message," I think to myself. About a minute later, my phone alerts me that I have a voicemail...turns out it was the Hooters manager I had interviewed with last week, whose name I now know is Eric. The message says they would like me to come in for a second interview and to give him a call back. I'm calling back within 3 seconds! I speak to Eric and we schedule the interview for Thursday at 3:20pm. That leaves me three days to choose a sexy yet semi-formal outfit and practice that bubbly performance of mine again...should be interesting!

PS...the boy/friend is fully excited at this point...haha.

Applying/Interview #1

2009-10-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today I applied at Hooters...finally. I went in a couple days ago at around 4:15pm but was told the managers only see applicants from 1-4pm and I must speak to a manager when applying. Ok fine. So I drove back to my place and that was that. I was a bit frustrated but after thinking about it, I realized it may have been a blessing in disguise...that first day I wasn't wearing enough makeup, compared to the girls who already work there. So today I made it in well before 4pm, false eyelashes/overdone eyeshadow/cleavage showing and all. So I politely asked the girl at the front for an employment application...she handed me one and told me I could sit at the nearest booth, where there were already two other girls filling out applications. So I'm thinking, "Crap! They're gonna finish before me and interview before me and I'm screwed! I need a job!" So I sit down and begin furiously filling out this 4-page application, trying to finish before the other girls. Girl #1 finishes...crap! The manager sits down with her at one of the other booths and talks to her for about 5 minutes...he doesn't seem impressed. "I might still have a chance here!" Somehow I manage to finish before girl #2 and quickly turn-in my application...now it's my turn to make an impression on the manager, a bald guy probably in his 30's. I'm fully ready to be the best actress I can be, putting on the bubbliest performance of my life, going on about how much I love Hooters and the atmosphere there...blah, blah, blah...sis I mention I really need a job?! We talk for a total of about 15 minutes and I'm feeling confident. He tells me he thinks I have a good shot at becoming a Hooters Girl and that he will review my application with the other manager and if they think I'm a good fit, I will get a call back by Wednesday for a second interview with the other manager. So we say our goodbyes and I'm on my way. Now I get to sit and wait and hope that I'll be making some good money soon, while wearing neon orange minishorts!