Family dining, indeed

Before leaving Sandy Eggo, Kitten, Lil' Sis Panda!!!! and I got together for a last meal. Our destination? The local branch of Hooters!

Neither Kitten nor I had ever been to a Hooters before (Lil' Sis Panda!!!! had been to three), so we weren't sure what to expect. I remember that the chain was ridiculously promoting itself as "family dining" at some point, so I thought there would be some sense of wholesomeness to it. At the least, I expected some pretty good fried food.

Well, it didn't seem like a place where any family should gather. No matter who you are, and what your sexual leanings are, you cannot help but stare at the Hooters girls' boobs and bums. All around us were tables of single, dodgy men - and even one group of little leaguers - who were staring vacantly at the boxing match on tv or "slyly" touching the waitresses as they passed by. One patron even had his waitress pose so that he could capture her image on his cell phone.

Our waitress, Shawnee, was really peppy and friendly. She patiently entertained my dumb questions ("Is posing for pictures in your job description?" "What are the hoola-hoops for?") and I think she was relieved that we clearly weren't interested in ogling her goodies.

Overall, the restaurant was sort of depressing. The tables were dirty and the food was well below par. Panda!!!! will probably stay away from other Hooters locations.