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. [1] 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. [2] [3] [4]
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. [5]
Hooters is credited as the first breastaurant, having operated since 1983. Other companies soon adopted the format. [6] 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. [7]
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". [8] Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill had closed its last restaurant on December 23, 2018. [9]
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. [10] [11] In Japan, there are pop-up establishments such as Macho Cafe [12] and Macho Meat Shop, [13] where brawny men serve food and drinks.
Breastaurants have been criticized for sexually objectifying women. [14]