There’s no such thing as bad publicity.
It may be a cliche, but it happens to be true. Hooters, the restaurant chain made famous by its scantily clad servers, has built a healthy business around negative press. And it just got a little healthier now that the National Organization for Women has once again gone on the attack, filing complaints against several Hooters restaurants in California. NOW argues that these restaurants, which are classified as "adult entertainment" establishments, are violating state and local laws that prohibit sexually oriented businesses from serving minors. So what’s Hooters’ response? Bring it on. “The publicity generated by NOW's efforts have actually helped sales,” claims Mike McNeil, the company’s marketing chief. He adds that “the Hooters brand of sex appeal is wholesome and that of the All-American cheerleader, not a seedy strip club.” Seriously, he said that. But it still doesn’t answer the question: Is Hooters bad for children? C’mon California, you already took away their Happy Meal toys. Give the kids their waitresses in skin-tight t-shirts.
McMillionaire. It’s been an especially good Christmas for one unemployed man from Wisconsin. Jonathan Kehoe, who lost his construction job 18 months ago, recently hit the $1 million jackpot in the McDonald’s Monopoly Sweepstakes. Kehoe, a 29-year-old who has spent much of his unemployment on his parents’ couch, was cruising past his local Mickey D’s when he noticed that the much-loved McRib sandwich was back on the menu. He ordered the combo meal and then proceeded to peel back the game tab off his fountain drink, which revealed the winning combination of Boardwalk and Park Place. “Nobody ever wins anything like that in our family,” said his dumbfounded mother, who was clearly relieved to finally see her son on sound financial footing. So what does he plan to do with his new found wealth? Clear up some debts and repay his parents for starters. Oh yeah, one more thing. “I was thinking maybe getting a McRib tattoo or something,” he says. Classy.
Burger King blues. More bad news for the world’s second largest burger chain. One of the biggest Burger King franchisees in the Midwest has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Duke and King Acquisition Corp., which runs more than 90 BK restaurants, blamed the filing on, among other things, the infamous $1 double cheeseburger promotion, which it says squeezed margins and shrunk its earnings by 9 percent.
