the_wizz

Opening its first China outlet in October, the American chain has plans for seven more restaurants in China.
BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press


SHANGHAI, China - The beer is flowing, John Fogerty is singing on the stereo and six scantily clad young Chinese women are doing the hokey-pokey.

Hooters Shanghai is open for business.

The American restaurant opened its first China outlet in October, bringing its highly successful combination of cold beer, chicken wings and skimpily dressed waitresses to one of the world's fastest growing economies.

Located in an upscale mall in the foreigner-friendly Hongqiao district, the outlet adds to the more than 375 stores now operated by the chain famed for its busty waitresses clad in clingy low-cut tank tops and high-cut shorts.

''The people of Shanghai deserve something fun with good service, and we're happy to bring it to them,'' manager Cameron Jiang said.

Hooters' arrival marks another milestone in Shanghai's rise as China's commercial hub, but also underscores how growth is challenging traditional conservative views on sexuality.

For decades after the founding of the People's
Republic in 1949, traditional male-dominated culture and communist prudishness combined to make showing skin or publicly displaying affection verboten.

These days, however, Shanghai boasts hundreds of hostess bars, massage parlors, sex shops and telephone chat lines. Couples kiss and hug openly, while public opinion surveys show broad acceptance of premarital sex among young people.

Hooters' investors are betting those changing
attitudes will take its ''Hooters Girls'' in stride.

Since opening its first store in Clearwater in 1983, the chain has expanded across the United States and into more than a dozen foreign countries ranging from Taiwan to Venezuela.

While critics deride its portrayal of women, the
Atlanta-based chain has overcome a U.S. federal
investigation and several lawsuits alleging
discrimination to become a cash cow. Along with
aggressively expanding its restaurant chain, parent company Hooters of America now runs a discount airline -- Hooters Air -- sports events, and is planning a Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Waitresses at the Shanghai store are mainly college students or recent graduates -- English proficiency is a must. While the chain says appearance is less important than attitude, youth and comeliness appear to be prime requisites for the job.

Jiang said plans call for eight Hooters in China in
all, but marketers were still testing the waters.

A number of well-known American food chains are already competing for increasingly choosy Chinese diners, and chains in a similar category such as Chili's and Hard Rock Cafe have found the going tough.

Kentucky Fried Chicken already operates 1,000 stores in the country, McDonald's 567, and the TGI Friday's chain five. With China's economy growing at an annual rate of more than 9 percent, all plan further expansions.

While Hooters may have name recognition among foreigners, it's unclear how the native Shanghainese will respond to the newcomer.

''The market share is only so big for American food, and chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's won't easily give way to Hooters,'' said Xue Yuanqing, a director with the Shanghai Culinary Association.

__________________
Promote the Best

Vitasoy

This is like two weeks old... hehe :P

__________________


[email protected]