Hooters to Open Card Rooms in New Seattle Stores
The local franchise of Hooters will soon open two new stores in the Seattle market, each featuring a card room to augment the entertainment options of its "nearly world-famous" food and Hooters Girls.
-- Chain Leader, 9/15/2009 9:08:00 AM
PRESS RELEASE: SEATTLE, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the successful history of the renegade brand, the local franchise of HOOTERS will soon open two new stores in the Seattle market, each featuring a card room to augment the entertainment options of its "nearly world-famous" food and HOOTERS Girls. The two new stores in South Park (in south Seattle) and Renton will open on September 24th and in early October respectively. The South Park property will also feature a dueling piano bar and the Renton property will have a modernized bowling lounge done-up in the orange, white and polished wood HOOTERS motif.
Ed Pilarz, president of Altium Development, parent company of the local HOOTERS franchise explains the obvious excitement and rationale behind the dual-concept: "Everyone we talk to about this concept is immediately excited. It's an idea that just makes sense because the target consumer of HOOTERS is so well-matched with the local casino player We estimate that 75% of local casino patrons are casual players and so a restaurant with a casual, unpretentious and fun atmosphere is going to increase casino business and vice versa. Especially with the addition of bowling and a piano bar."
HOOTERS of South Park
The entirely remodeled facility (formerly Rascals Casino, 9635 Des Moines Memorial Blvd just off HWY 99) will open to the public on Thursday, September 24th at 10AM. The casino will feature 15 table games, in varying combinations of Texas Hold'em, Blackjack, Spanish 21, Pai Gow, Mini Baccarat and 4-Card Poker across a 6,000sf modern casino floor.
The facility will also feature a 2,000sf adjoined dueling piano bar convertible for special promotions and events. The lounge-area will boast a 40-foot bar, and a 15-foot HD video wall which will broadcast Seattle Seahawk games and other pay-per-view sporting events. "The playful nature of a dueling piano bar plays right to HOOTERS strengths," says Pilarz. "Performers and patrons will be able to ham it up and unwind after a hard day's work. HOOTERS is successful across the nation because it's a neighborhood restaurant where you can go to have fun and forget your troubles. Fun, interactive pop music hits are a huge part of that."
The South Park HOOTERS will also feature a walk-up Express Service window convenient for the many shift-employees in the area. A limited menu includes signature HOOTERS fare such as hot wings, and tater tots as well as "Hand Wiches" served on flat bread and mini corn dogs. A similar menu will be offered in the casino and piano bar.
HOOTERS is Hiring
"The casino-restaurant concept works for HOOTERS because of the girls," says Pilarz, "and HOOTERS is actually a great company to work for, with the highest industry earnings in just about every market in which they operate, plus career training and development programs." Open casting calls for would-be HOOTERS Girls are now underway at the existing Tacoma and Lake Union restaurants. Because of the demand, the local franchise developed a separate employment website: www.BeAHootersGirl.com.
Community Stewardship
Also important to the HOOTERS business is community involvement, activated by volunteerism from HOOTERS Girls as well as direct financial support of local charities. As part of its grand opening celebrations the HOOTERS of South Park will be donating a portion of its profits to Sea Mar Community Health Center Health Centers, a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health and human services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos.
ABOUT HOOTERS
Hooters of America, Inc. is the Atlanta-based operator and franchiser of over 450 Hooters locations in 43 states in the US and around the globe. The casual beach-theme establishments feature "oldies" jukebox music, sports on television, and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, salads and spicy chicken wings. The Hooters system employs over 25,000 people - over 15,000 of which are Hooters Girls. The "nearly world famous" Hooters Girls are the cornerstone of the Hooters concept, and as part of their job, these all-American cheerleaders make promotional and charitable appearances in their respective communities.
Altium Development Group, parent company of the HOOTERS franchise of Western Washington currently operates stores in Tacoma and Lake Union. In addition to imminent openings in South Park and Renton the company is planning additional openings in the Western Washington market in the spring and summer of 2010.
