Mixed reaction over Hooters' entry

Dubai: Good luck, you'll need it.

That, at best, was the reaction to the news that Hooters — the American restaurant chain known for dressing waitresses in skimpy, revealing clothes — was opening in Dubai.

Some responses were less than friendly.

“We think it is in very bad taste,'' said Kate Bowery, director of MVM Events in Dubai. “It's offensive to all cultures, but it's especially offensive to Muslims and when you're in a Muslim country.''

Werner Gessner, general manager of Sonesta Beach Resort and Casino in Sharm Al Shaikh, Egypt, wondered whether the restaurant would be able to operate the way it does in the US.

“I doubt very much that you can have the complete package,'' he said, speculating that Hooters would have to modify its dress code. Despite the large expatriate community in Dubai, the restaurant would still have to accommodate Muslim family values, he said.

Exactly what values the restaurant will have to adhere to will need to be discussed, said Ali Ebrahim, deputy director general for executive affairs at the Department of Economic Development (DED).

He said the department welcomed all investors, but he said the restaurant would need to follow all rules and regulations, including those dealing with proper dress.

But changing the dress code may take away the one thing that Hooters has going for it, according to Naseem Javed, president of ABC Namebank, who specialises in company brands.

“In the US, when they first opened, they took the line that this was a [place to ogle women],'' he said, but the time came when people realised that the restaurant just wasn't that big a deal and the business started to suffer.

“It was a fad,'' he said. “It came up high and then softened up.''

Javed acknowledges that Hooters could face difficulties, but he did say that Dubai is one of the few areas in the region where such a restaurant would have a chance of success, noting that clothing retailer FCUK had established itself at the Mall of Emirates.

Whether Hooters can succeed at the same level remains to be seen, said Patrick Antaki, general manager of the Le Meridien Al Aqah.

“The fact that it's not just theme restaurants that are attracted to Dubai but theme restaurants of all kinds highlights the sheer magnetic pull of this city,'' he said.

“This is an interesting development and only time will tell how successful it is here in the region.''