[US] Hooters waitress uses TikTok to highlight low pay

A waitress employed by restaurant chain Hooters has taken to TikTok to call for higher wages and tips from the employer, who infamously relies on its “Hooters Girls” to wait on and entertain diners, The Independent reports.

In her TikTok, uploaded on 19 September, a Hooters waitress known as “Rose” asked for an $8 (£5.80) hourly wage with a mandatory share of tips following the news that her employer had made $500m (£366m) last year.

Hooters is believed to pay its  “Hooters Girls” roughly $5 (£3.67) per hour but Glassdoor suggests the figure actually ranges between $2 (£1.47) and $10 (£7.34) per hour.

All but five US states have their own minimum wage and it is not federally mandated. The states that do not currently have minimum wages in place are Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Rose” put the case in her TikTok that “Hooters Girls” were the “main attraction” but received only $2.13 (£1.56) an hour in return, highlighting the gap between Hooters’ profits and her own hourly wage. It was unclear whereabouts in the US she worked.

In a text overlay, she wrote, “Hey Hooters!” I saw you made a profit of 500 million this year! And between 100 million-500 mill average every other year. And that’s super cool! But the girls, who who are your main attraction make 2.13 an hour and rely on tips.”

“Rose” continued, “in our guides you say ‘we are not just waitresses but entertainers’ and we bus and set up for opening and closing, for basically free, so lets talk”.

She added in the comments to the video that “a lot of you forget, your make up has to be done, hair done, new shoes and tights and uniforms any time something happens. Paying us $8 an hour is fair”.

The TikTok “Rose” made has since been viewed 363,000 times and received more than a thousand comments from TikTok users in support of her calls for a higher wage.

Hooters reportedly has plans to expand its “Hoot” spin-offs, which allegedly earn $50m annually. That is in addition to annual earnings of between $100 and $500m for Hooters itself, according to Inc Fact.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Hooters told Business Insider that trade was better than in 2020 and almost back up at pre-COVID levels in August.

Democrats in Congress have made calls for a higher minimum wage at the federal level, however, eight members of the party and all 50 Republicans in the US Senate rejected a $15 minimum wage in March.

On October 10 “Rose” posted to say that there was a minimum wage strike in North Carolina on 15 October.

Hooters have yet to respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Source: The Independent

(Links via original reporting)

A waitress employed by restaurant chain Hooters has taken to TikTok to call for higher wages and tips from the employer, who infamously relies on its “Hooters Girls” to wait on and entertain diners, The Independent reports.

In her TikTok, uploaded on 19 September, a Hooters waitress known as “Rose” asked for an $8 (£5.80) hourly wage with a mandatory share of tips following the news that her employer had made $500m (£366m) last year.

Hooters is believed to pay its  “Hooters Girls” roughly $5 (£3.67) per hour but Glassdoor suggests the figure actually ranges between $2 (£1.47) and $10 (£7.34) per hour.

All but five US states have their own minimum wage and it is not federally mandated. The states that do not currently have minimum wages in place are Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“Rose” put the case in her TikTok that “Hooters Girls” were the “main attraction” but received only $2.13 (£1.56) an hour in return, highlighting the gap between Hooters’ profits and her own hourly wage. It was unclear whereabouts in the US she worked.

In a text overlay, she wrote, “Hey Hooters!” I saw you made a profit of 500 million this year! And between 100 million-500 mill average every other year. And that’s super cool! But the girls, who who are your main attraction make 2.13 an hour and rely on tips.”

“Rose” continued, “in our guides you say ‘we are not just waitresses but entertainers’ and we bus and set up for opening and closing, for basically free, so lets talk”.

She added in the comments to the video that “a lot of you forget, your make up has to be done, hair done, new shoes and tights and uniforms any time something happens. Paying us $8 an hour is fair”.

The TikTok “Rose” made has since been viewed 363,000 times and received more than a thousand comments from TikTok users in support of her calls for a higher wage.

Hooters reportedly has plans to expand its “Hoot” spin-offs, which allegedly earn $50m annually. That is in addition to annual earnings of between $100 and $500m for Hooters itself, according to Inc Fact.

Meanwhile, the CEO of Hooters told Business Insider that trade was better than in 2020 and almost back up at pre-COVID levels in August.

Democrats in Congress have made calls for a higher minimum wage at the federal level, however, eight members of the party and all 50 Republicans in the US Senate rejected a $15 minimum wage in March.

On October 10 “Rose” posted to say that there was a minimum wage strike in North Carolina on 15 October.

Hooters have yet to respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Source: The Independent

(Links via original reporting)