It All Started Here
The title is a bit of a fib. I had been to Hooters Restaurants before. My first one was the original Denver location on Colorado Blvd, some time in the early 1990s. My buddy, Dennis, took me to the first one in another state, in San Diego. We chatted up our waitress about good places to go in Tijuana that evening. We ended up at Senor Frog's and had a pretty good time. But, thats for another blog.
But, the point being is that I was already familiar with Hooters to the point that I knew their food, their campy style, and of course the pretty girls in low cut tank tops and blaze orange tees. Hooters is not what you traditionally call a "family restaurant". But in 2002 Margo, Jessi (my youngest, age 13 at the time) and I were on vacation in Hawaii. It was early August, supper time of Day 4 of our vacation. We had been sightseeing all day and we were tired and hungry. We had spent the afternoon at the Aloha Marketplace and it was here we would eat. We were trying to find something that looked inviting when we saw the Hooters. I looked at Margo and she said "I don't care".
They had a hostess on duty and she pointed us to an empty table. The restaurant had an open feel to it. It was kind of like an enclosed patio. Service was good. Food was good. The waitresses were beautiful. I had a beer and a burger.
We would have left satisfied at that, but then we noticed that the Hostess would gather a crowd of the girls together to take a picture for you. You could use your own camera or they had a Polaroid and would take one for you for a small fee. Margo asked "Are you going to do that?" I'm thinking "Hell, Yeah!". But before I engaged my mouth to utter those words, I thought "Did I detect any tone in her question?" I mean after all my eyes were not exactly on my wife for most of the dinner. And were your eyes look, your ears follow. I could have missed some sarcasm or indignation with my senses overloaded like they were. So, I answered in some sort of noncommital, wishy-washy, eunich kind of way. Which she took as a dare and then she started to encourage me. Jessi joined in, too. It took about a whole 30 seconds of arm twisting before I agreed. I got my picture taken. I look goofy, just as dear wife and loving daughter hoped. They got some Hooters clothing. We all left with smiles and it just put a nice stamp on a fun day.
That is how it started. Now each city that we visit on vacation, we try to make it to the local Hooters for a meal, picture, and something for Jessi. Isn't it strange how a tradition can get started? Better than Easter dinner at Aunt Clara's.
This restaurant can be found at 1 Aloha Tower Dr. Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 524-4668
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