Limits set on Hooters hiring

The Hooters Girls can come to Saugus, just as long as they are 18 or over.

In approving the opening of the restaurant this summer, selectmen placed the age restriction on the scantily-clad waitresses who serve up sex appeal along with chicken wings and curly fries. The under-18 ban is driven by the board's concern over the duties of a Hooters Girl, a job the national chain says is the ''essence" of the restaurant, whose name is a slang for women's breasts. Hooters Girls work as either waitresses or hostesses. The restaurant is scheduled to open at the closed Tantra nightclub on Route 99.

Waitresses dress in bright orange running shorts, tight tank tops or T-shirts emblazoned with the chain's owl logo. But its not the form-fitting uniform that bothers Saugus selectmen. It's language in the Hooters Employee Handbook clearly stating that sex appeal is part of the job.

The handbook states, ''. . . the Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and innuendo based on female sex appeal is commonplace." The handbook, which employees must sign, also states, ''I do not find my job duties or work environment to be offensive, intimidating, hostile or unwelcome."

Janette Fasano, the selectman chairwoman, said the board didn't think a girl age 16 or 17, who may be just entering the workforce, should have to agree to those working conditions.

''A lot of young women are looking for jobs," Fasano said. ''A young woman could take a job there, then find themselves in an environment they don't feel comfortable in, but they wouldn't have any recourse, because they signed [the handbook]."

Said Selectman Stephen Horlick, ''The handbook says that sex-appeal is part of the workplace . . . I would be concerned about a 16- or 17-year-old working in that environment. I'm concerned about 18-year-olds working there, but at that age, they are adults."

A Hooters official said the under-18 ban won't have much effect on staffing in Saugus. The franchiser doesn't hire anyone under 18 to waitress, because they often must serve alcohol. But they do hire girls under age 18 to work as hostesses. Their uniform is khaki shorts and a Hooters golf shirt, but hostesses are considered Hooters Girls, the official said.

''We usually only have two to five girls under 18 working for us," said David Coward, vice president of operations at New England Wings Inc., a Hooters franchise group with six locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. ''We agreed to this, to get our license [approval] through. It's part of the business world."

The six-store franchiser employs more than 200 Hooters Girls in Boston and Hyannis, Warwick, R.I., and the New Hampshire cities of Nashua, Manchester, and Salem.

''We hire attractive, energetic young ladies," he said, noting Hooters Girls usually range in age from 20 to 24 years old. ''They're just nice girls who take the extra step of talking and being more personable with customers, instead of just saying, 'I'm your server. Here's your food. I'll be over there if you need me."'

Frederick Riley, a lawyer who advised the board on Hooters' application, said selectmen are within their rights to put an age limit on Hooters Girls. ''They admit their theme is sex," he said. ''It's well within the board's authority to protect its citizens, especially its children."

Some Saugus teens think the under-18 ban is appropriate.

''There are other places you can get a job at 16," said Priscilla Swain, 17, a senior at Saugus High. ''Hooters is probably a great place to work. The tips are probably phenomenal, but I think at 16, it could be a little intimidating if older men were making passes at them, or something."

''It seems like it would be a fun place to work," said Jessica Greene, 17, who plans to apply for a job when she turns 18 in June. ''But I think a 16-year-old could be intimidated, because of its reputation."

But Kara Giannelli, 16, thinks selectmen may have gone too far. ''Having to be 18 to work there is kind of silly," said Giannelli, a junior at Saugus High. ''Some people might be nervous about working there, but if that's the case, don't work there ... I don't think Hooters in general is bad."

Hooters, an Atlanta-based chain with more than 400 restaurants, often sparks debate over sexism and community values in places where it tries to locate. Nowhere has that played out more than in Saugus, where the chain first tried to open 10 years ago.

Hooters first tried at the current Tabu nightclub at the intersection of Route 1 and Walnut Street. But selectmen denied the liquor license application, citing concern over the chain's racy image and the traffic it would draw to the Route 1/Walnut Street interchange, which then had one of the highest accident counts in the state.

The Hooters franchiser appealed the decision to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. But the state review board sided with the town.

This time around, a different Hooters franchiser faced a similar battle. New England Wings two years ago applied to take over a liquor license held by Triangle Entertainment Corp., which ran the Tantra nightclub. But selectmen denied the application in September 2003, saying Hooters did not meet a public need. The board also cited language in the Employee Handbook, according to a past Globe article.

New England Wings then filed an appeal with the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. On Dec. 20, the commission ruled in favor of Hooters, and gave selectmen 30 days to issue the license. The board -- which has three new members since the original application was denied -- voted 4-0 last week to issue the license. Beyond limits on hours, seating, and the age of waitresses, the franchiser also must pay up to $16,000 in legal fees the town incurred during the appeal.

Plans already have been drawn to remake Tantra into a typical Hooters, described by the chain as ''delightfully tacky." Renovations will include mahogany walls, wood-stained floors, big-screen televisions, and signs such as ''Warning: Double Curves Ahead."

''We've been looking to open in Saugus for years," said Coward, citing high traffic counts on Route 1 and strong demographics. ''I think once we get there, people will see that we are just a fun restaurant ... Our number one sellers are chicken wings and curly fries."

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.