Most waitstaff at any restaurant will tell you that objectively good looking women make the best tips of anyone on the floor. But how can we be sure? Well, one branch of the food service industry took this idea, tested it with a business model, and capitalized on it. The term “brestaurant” has been around since the 1990s when the Hooters chain first opened its doors, and other, similarly themed establishments have been opening up ever since. Just the name “breastaurant” warrants the question, how big a role do breasts play in making tips for waitresses?
Breasts and Big Bucks
One study from Cornell definitively reports that yes, bigger breasts do make more money for women in the restaurant industry as a whole. According to their findings, tips grew as breasts did. It is important to note that all the reported breast sizes and tip incomes were self-reported by women in the industry, but all evidence came to the conclusion that women with larger breasts made more money than their smaller chested counterparts.
The Ups and Downs of Breastaurants
Higher earning potential is one prominent reason these restaurants continue to be on the up and up. Many newer establishments, such as Tilted Kilt and Twin Peaks, have seen sales growing substantially year after year. While they all take a different approach to the theme (Celtic-esque girls, outdoorsy girls, etcetera) they are not shy when it comes to addressing what makes their businesses money. In an article by Entrepreneur magazine, Ron Lynch, CEO of the Tilted Kilt, was quoted saying, “We sell on sex appeal, but we are sexy classy, sexy smart or sexy cute. Not sexy stupid or sexy trashy.” Newer establishments are coming up with new themes and different atmospheres to set themselves apart from one another. Hungry people can find anything from traditional pub food to Mexican fare to Southern grub and get any of it with a side of innuendo.
This may be one of the reasons the original breastaurant, Hooters, has seen sales fall in recent years. Instead of reinventing themselves to become something interesting, they are old hat to many brestaurant-goers. The style of uniform for the women of Hooters has been the same since it’s opening, all the way down to the cuffed, white socks. To be honest, their cookie cutter style is not doing much for their business model. More customers have begun to frequent these places, and with more customers comes more variation in what they want to see. While places like Tilted Kilt allow girls with tattoos and different hairstyles, Hooters remains very strict about its policy which states hair should look as natural as possible and the women should have no visible tattoos. Their theme remains the same as well. As the original breastaurant, it never had to rely on gimmicks like the others have. Because of this, they are now drowning in a sea of similar businesses sporting newer and more exciting motifs.
For the Love of Food, and Breasts
The one thread which ties these organizations together, however different their food and themes may be, is that they have discovered the secret of the breastaurant. Women are encouraged to use their looks as well as their personalities to entertain guests, and the overall sales all indicate it is working. It seems as though restaurants which find themselves in the business of breasts won’t be going out of business anytime soon.