Hooters Apparently Drawing Crowds for Its Music, Too

FAIRFAX, VA — Five years ago, the afternoon crowd would tell you they were at Hooters for the "free wifi." These days, it appears the hot music is drawing customers to the restaurant chain known more for its hot wings and employee dress code.

There are five Hooters in northern Virginia, including locations in Chantilly, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Woodbridge.

The restaurants will frequently draw a crowd for sports events, but in a recent ranking by Technomic as reported by Restaurant Business, as far as best music at a casual-dining chain, Hooters also has the best music on rotation.

Technomic uses an ongoing Consumer Brand Metrics program, in which it asks consumers to give their take on the importance of "music selection is appropriate” when visiting a restaurant. They rate music as important, and Restaurant Business studied the rankings of "casual-dining chains" within Technomic's Top 100.

Here are the top 10, according to Restaurant Business:

1. Hooters
2. Maggiano's Little Italy
3. Yard House
4. Carrabba's Italian Grill
5. Joe's Crab Shack
6. Bonefish Grill
7. Cheesecake Factory
8. Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen
9. BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse
10. Logan's Roadhouse

"I don’t believe Pandora has a 'music to ogle women by' channel, so I have no benchmark," wrote Restaurant Business reporter Mary Chapman. "The noise from the crowd restricted my research, but what I was able to make out on my recent visit was nostalgic (Peter Gabriel), fun (Toby Keith) and/or party-appropriate (reggae)."

Includes reporting by Charlene Arsenault

Photo Credit: Hooters