Hooters, the not-so-subtly named eating establishment known for its wings and the women who serve them, is facing possible legal action from an employee who was told, during her annual performance review, that she needed to lose weight.
The kicker here is that she was told this via conference call.
Hooters response:
“Hooters of America Inc. announced today (Tuesday) that while the company does uphold image standards for the more than 17,000 Hooters girls currently serving in the more than 455 restaurants around the world, it does not impose any weight requirement,” the company said in a statement. “We will not make any comment on a current employee except to say that no employee in Michigan has been counseled about their weight. However, we will say that our practice of upholding an image standard based on appearance, attitude and fitness for Hooters girls is both legal and fair. It is not unlike the standard used by the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders or the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.”
Hooters may be correct in stating that their weight expectations for “Hooters girls” are legal and fair, but perhaps they should take a closer look. I’m sure that no one is telling the manager that HE needs to lose weight.
I certainly hope that they’ve heard of a BFOQ defense. They’re going to need it.