Hooters Waitresses Take to TikTok With Outrage Over New ‘Crotch String’ Uniforms

Several Hooters waitresses have gone to TikTok to share their frustration with new shorts they are required to wear. The complaints started earlier this month, when waitresses began posting videos comparing how short and uncomfortable the new short shorts are, but Hooters has shown no sign of making a change. One waitress even described them as just shorts with a “crotch string.”

“Starting Oct. 4, all Hooters girls should wear the new shorts when working once they arrive to stores,” reads a Hooters policy notice update obtained by The New York Post. “The old shorts should not be worn.” The company noted that any waitress who feels “uncomfortable” with the new trunks rules can resign from their positions.

“We would ask that you try them out and, if after two weeks, you are still hesitant to wear the new shorts you may transfer to a non-image based position or resign your position as a Hooters Girl,” the company’s notice continued. “If you choose to resign you will be eligible for rehire.”

One server told NBC News that some of her colleagues liked the change, but others were frustrated. “The girls with more meat on their bones, it kind of just rides right up,” the server, who asked not to be identified out of fear she could be fired, said Friday. “You have a wedgie all the time.” The server noted that she liked the shorts herself but understood why others find them uncomfortable.

Several TikTok users who work at Hooters have complained about the new shorts. “This s— is rated porn,” two waitresses at an Alabama restaurant said in one video. Another TikTok user with the handle @ggnguyen asked, “What’s that supposed to fit?!?” Her video showing the new shorts has over 17 million views, and she has since posted follow-ups defending her decision to continue working at Hooters.

Hooters waitress Kristen Songer, who went viral over the summer when she shared a video about creating the illusion of cleavage with her uniform, posted a longer TikTok video modeling the different shorts she has worn since she was hired. “There’s no longer anything covered by these shorts,” Songer said in her video. “This is why all the Hooters girls are upset – because this is not what I agreed to wear a year ago when I was hired.”

Not all Hooters restaurants are updating the uniform. There are two different companies that operate the restaurants: Hooters of America, LLC, which operates 420 restaurants, and The Original Hooters Group, which has 25 locations in Chicago, New York, and Tampa Bay. Hooters of America is the company requiring the new shorts, while The Original Hooters is still going with the longer shorts.

In a statement to NBC News, Hooters of America said the company appreciates the feedback, “both positive and negative, regarding a more accommodating and inclusive image policy on tattoos, jewelry, nails, hairstyles as well as new uniforms – to include new top styles, shorts and the addition of socks.” The company noted the change was created in “collaboration with Hooters Girls,” adding, “These uniforms have been worn for months in several Texas markets and have received overwhelmingly favorable reviews from both Hooters Girls and customers.”