Hooters restaurants will offer free entrees -- worth up to $10 - for mothers who bring a kid along and buy any drink on Mother's Day. The restaurant known for its waitresses in sexy uniforms is hoping to bring in female customers, a demographic they particularly struggle with.
Many restaurant chains have Mother's Day deals - with restrictions - this year. TCBY offers small cups of yogurt; O'Charley's and Shoney's restaurants offer free slices of pie; and free truffles are offered at McCormick & Schmick's.
For Hooters, a restaurant looking to improve its food, look and image, the move illustrates what a 30-year-old chain must do in response to a major drop off. Although Hooters has offered free wings on special occasions like Mother's Day before, this is the chain's first free entrée offer. This also is the first year the chain has sold entrée salads - which is also an attempt to attach more female customers.
A restaurant industry consultant who has criticized Hooters in the past for what she views as the restaurant being "demeaning to women" finds the promotion pathetic. "It's like offering Weight Watchers customers a free meal with dessert at The Cheesecake Factory," says consultant Linda Lipsky. "There are enough calories in most of their desserts for 50% or more of your daily allowance. Giving it free doesn't make it any better." But Hooters' marketing chief says the chain just wants women to see that Hooters is not the villain of dining. "It's not as diabolical as you think," says Dave Henninger, chief marketing officer. "We know you don't think of Hooters as a typical place to take Mom, but we want to make it more appealing for Mom to come in." Hooters' five new entree salads, all priced under $10, are one attempt by the chain to appeal more to women, he says.
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