A bright, colorful interior greets Hooters restaurant patrons at the recently opened Fairfax location during lunch service. Photo by Tim Peterson.
A collection of multicolored lights dangling casually above the hostess station is an homage to one of few interior similarities between the old Christmas light-laden Hooters at 10334 Lee Highway and the gleaming new location down the road at 10060, which opened March 21.
Wood panelling (now horizontal) still makes an appearance on some of the walls of the new 6,206 square-foot space, but the slats are darker, more chic and joined by pale-grey paint, exposed steel beams and ventilation system tubing painted with the restaurant’s iconic bright orange.
Natural light is welcomed to stream in from multiple large windows on three of the standalone structure’s four walls.
Touches including a sand bar design effect on the large wrap-around bar (40 beers on draught) as well as a hand-painted mural of the first Hooters in Clearwater, Fla. remind patrons of the chain’s beachy heritage.
The menu continues to feature the shrimp, wings (waitress-recommended sauce: chipotle honey) and burgers that adorn the restaurant’s street signs. However, in an effort to keep pace with healthier eating trends, this Hooters also boasts a “Wise Choice” menu of items with reduced calories or that are prepared using less butter, Kitchen Manager Eric Pray said, such as shrimp and spinach salad.
“We want to give everyone that healthier option,” said Pray, who relocated to Sterling, Va. from the Hampton Roads area to work at this location. “It’s very big for society now.”
The chain’s trademark young, attractive “Hooters Girl” waitresses bob around the space with expedient service and a disarming, genuine friendliness, while clad in the chain’s also trademark skin-hugging white tops and running shorts (camouflage on this visit -- every Tuesday marks a Salute the Troops special where veterans receive 20 percent off).
While the waitresses account for much of Hooters’ lore, Pray insists sex appeal is really not what the restaurant is all about.
“Hooters is family-oriented, sports-oriented, not just for single men,” Pray said, pointing out the children’s menu. “We get groups of women in all the time.”
As if on cue, two families, separated by a pair of female diners, proceeded to enter the restaurant for lunch.