The New Original Hooters
Last fall I received from very disturbing news. The Original Hooters in
Clearwater would be closing for a few months to undergo major renovations. How
would I get by without my all time favorite restaurant? Would I be able to get
through this? Well the answer turned out to be yes and I am here to report that
the New Original Hooters is bigger and better than ever.
Today,
2/13/12, was opening day of the New Original Hooters. The first thing you
notice is the expanded parking lot. Parking could often be difficult and they
have clearly solved that problem. The next thing you notice is that from the
outside it looks completely different. There is a huge outdoor patio and the
big plus with that is that you no longer have to walk through some yucky
cigarette smoke to enter the building.
As has always been the case you enter the store being greeted by a beautiful Hooters girl. To your right is an expanded shop and what they call the Hooters MuSEEum. The shop is great because you can now easily peruse what they have in comfort rather than feeling like you were in a closet. The Hooters MuSEEum had a really cool chicken outfit that one of the original owners used to wear to get business into his restaurant. Frankly, seeing a guy in a chicken suit on the side of the road makes me just want to keep driving, but hey, that’s just me. There was also the original Hooters girl outfit which was an unfamiliar mocha brown short along with a Hooters t-shirt. I prefer the orange and am sure glad they made the change. Other than that there really was not much of anything in the Hooters MuSEEum
except some miniscule photos from the store through the years.
There is now a hostess stand and that makes a big difference. You get that light up buzzer things to let you know when your table is ready. On opening day today I was surprised to have but a five minute wait for my table. Not bad at all, but then again the amount of space they have now is staggering. Every table was full as was every seat at the bar when I arrived at 1:00 PM. When I left an hour later there was still about a five minute wait for a seat.
While I was waiting I was taken on a brief tour by one of the managers, a lovely blond woman whom I failed to get her name. She showed me the bar, the patio and the kitchen areas and told me to feel free and look around while I waited for a table. I looked around and saw a lot of new girls working. But I also saw most of my favorites from many years of visiting. As I later found out all but two girls have returned and that is impressive.
I also saw the original Hooters Girl, Lynne Austin. Now I have to tell you that I have never met her and still technically have not, but I have been infatuated with her since I first saw her was back in the 80’s. This was the first time I ever saw her in person and when I saw her I was sort of star struck. As much as I tried I could not bring myself to introduce myself and tell her what a big fan of hers I had been since I first saw photos of her in 1986. She was right in front of me and as I attempted to speak and ask her for a quick photo I literally choked up and turned away. I will regret this forever. Oh well, I can always say that I once stood two inches away from Lynne Austin.
Naturally I willingly accepted
any seat that was offered on such a busy day. I was fortunate enough to be
seated in the area of my friend Nicole Ciglar. No offense to anyone, but Nicole
is my all time favorite Hooters girl. She has waited on me and my family many
times over the years and has seen our little prince grow up. She is looking
forward to seeing him again after not seeing him for months.
It was Burger Monday so naturally I ordered a burger. Burger Monday gives you a burger and fries or tots for as little as $5.99 depending on which burger you order. I went with the BBQ Bacon Burger & tots which is priced at $6.99, but well worth it.
The burger was brought to me by another one of my favorite Hooters girls Tia Jackson. I met Tia last December at the Calendar Girls signing at the St Petersburg Hooters. To my surprise she actually remembered me. She said she was good at recalling faces, but not so much with names. I understood. We had a nice conversation and asked about Lady Gianna and the young prince. I promised to bring them in soon to meet her. And lest anyone think that I am a real player, when I talk to the Hooters girls I generally spend most of my time telling them about my family. I am probably boring them to tears, but they always smile and listen no matter how much I drone on and on about my wonderful child.
The burger was, of course, absolutely
delicious. The meat was juicy and the bacon was cooked to perfection. It also
had crisp lettuce, onions and a tomato on it which are the hallmarks of a great
burger. In addition to the BBQ sauce I added some mayo which generally
complimented the burger. The tots were perfectly seasoned as well and they
filled me up. There’s just nothing like a good burger and tots served by a
beautiful woman.
I have always recommended Hooters as a great place to visit for the food as much as the atmosphere, but they have already surpassed my expectations with the new place. The New Original Hooters is still in the same location on Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater. You owe it to yourself to drop in and check it out.
 |
| Welcome Back! |
As has always been the case you enter the store being greeted by a beautiful Hooters girl. To your right is an expanded shop and what they call the Hooters MuSEEum. The shop is great because you can now easily peruse what they have in comfort rather than feeling like you were in a closet. The Hooters MuSEEum had a really cool chicken outfit that one of the original owners used to wear to get business into his restaurant. Frankly, seeing a guy in a chicken suit on the side of the road makes me just want to keep driving, but hey, that’s just me. There was also the original Hooters girl outfit which was an unfamiliar mocha brown short along with a Hooters t-shirt. I prefer the orange and am sure glad they made the change. Other than that there really was not much of anything in the Hooters MuSEEum
 |
| The Original Outfit |
There is now a hostess stand and that makes a big difference. You get that light up buzzer things to let you know when your table is ready. On opening day today I was surprised to have but a five minute wait for my table. Not bad at all, but then again the amount of space they have now is staggering. Every table was full as was every seat at the bar when I arrived at 1:00 PM. When I left an hour later there was still about a five minute wait for a seat.
While I was waiting I was taken on a brief tour by one of the managers, a lovely blond woman whom I failed to get her name. She showed me the bar, the patio and the kitchen areas and told me to feel free and look around while I waited for a table. I looked around and saw a lot of new girls working. But I also saw most of my favorites from many years of visiting. As I later found out all but two girls have returned and that is impressive.
I also saw the original Hooters Girl, Lynne Austin. Now I have to tell you that I have never met her and still technically have not, but I have been infatuated with her since I first saw her was back in the 80’s. This was the first time I ever saw her in person and when I saw her I was sort of star struck. As much as I tried I could not bring myself to introduce myself and tell her what a big fan of hers I had been since I first saw photos of her in 1986. She was right in front of me and as I attempted to speak and ask her for a quick photo I literally choked up and turned away. I will regret this forever. Oh well, I can always say that I once stood two inches away from Lynne Austin.
 |
| Nicole Ciglar |
It was Burger Monday so naturally I ordered a burger. Burger Monday gives you a burger and fries or tots for as little as $5.99 depending on which burger you order. I went with the BBQ Bacon Burger & tots which is priced at $6.99, but well worth it.
The burger was brought to me by another one of my favorite Hooters girls Tia Jackson. I met Tia last December at the Calendar Girls signing at the St Petersburg Hooters. To my surprise she actually remembered me. She said she was good at recalling faces, but not so much with names. I understood. We had a nice conversation and asked about Lady Gianna and the young prince. I promised to bring them in soon to meet her. And lest anyone think that I am a real player, when I talk to the Hooters girls I generally spend most of my time telling them about my family. I am probably boring them to tears, but they always smile and listen no matter how much I drone on and on about my wonderful child.
 |
| Tia Jackson |
I have always recommended Hooters as a great place to visit for the food as much as the atmosphere, but they have already surpassed my expectations with the new place. The New Original Hooters is still in the same location on Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater. You owe it to yourself to drop in and check it out.
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