Hooters ‘breastaurant’ comes to Jakarta, but is Indonesia ready?
- 7 years ago
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Hooters, the all-American chain of casual dining restaurants served with a hint of sex, has come to Indonesia. March 24 saw the opening of a restaurant in South Jakarta, one of the city’s wealthier neighborhoods.
Like with other well-known International brands, Hooters’ entry into the market has so far been greeted with buzz and enthusiasm.
Part of the appeal is clearly the brand’s sexed up “breastaurant” image - and Jakartans sure are curious about it.
You might think an eatery that trades on waitresses dressed in hot pants and tight white tank tops would raise some eyebrows in this country, but a surprisingly large number of patrons are hijab-wearing women.
And even though the brand’s trademark is its Hooters Girls, the PR department is working hard to sell it as a “family-friendly” place to dine.
Seems to be working. Even though the place sits at the more expensive end of the scale, it is packed every weekend with patrons mostly drawn from the city’s large middle class and foreign community.
But not everyone's a fan. A more austere version of religion is taking hold in Indonesia and some fear it may attract finger wagging from the city’s conservative believers suspicious of Western influence.
For now, though, there’s not a protest in sight. And Jakartans have shown they’re open to new things.
Besides what’s not to like about spicy chicken wings and Hooters Girls?
Like with other well-known International brands, Hooters’ entry into the market has so far been greeted with buzz and enthusiasm.
Part of the appeal is clearly the brand’s sexed up “breastaurant” image - and Jakartans sure are curious about it.
You might think an eatery that trades on waitresses dressed in hot pants and tight white tank tops would raise some eyebrows in this country, but a surprisingly large number of patrons are hijab-wearing women.
And even though the brand’s trademark is its Hooters Girls, the PR department is working hard to sell it as a “family-friendly” place to dine.
Seems to be working. Even though the place sits at the more expensive end of the scale, it is packed every weekend with patrons mostly drawn from the city’s large middle class and foreign community.
But not everyone's a fan. A more austere version of religion is taking hold in Indonesia and some fear it may attract finger wagging from the city’s conservative believers suspicious of Western influence.
For now, though, there’s not a protest in sight. And Jakartans have shown they’re open to new things.
Besides what’s not to like about spicy chicken wings and Hooters Girls?