It's intrigued Foodie in the last week that a restaurant has been the subject of a simmering debate throughout the county.

When a restaurant garners the kind of attention that Hooters has, it always gets my interest. I wish the debate centered around the food, but instead we're now looking at moral issues when deciding where to spend our dining dollars.

Well, since I'm the resident restaurant curmudgeon, it's time for me to weigh in on Hooters' efforts to locate in Fayetteville.

First, Hooters is already in the county. The headquarters for the company's racing division is in Peachtree City. The company also sponsors a golf tournament every year in the county, featuring those scantily clad waitresses.

Second, the restaurant does not feature stripping, dancing or any other sexually oriented activity that has been bandied about the town.

Yes, the waitresses wear short-shorts and tight tee shirts, but just walk into one of our local retail establishments during the summer. The customers and sometimes the workers are dressed just as provocatively as the Hooters waitresses, so I guess we need to implement a county-wide dress code to protect our residents from lewd thoughts.

Third, if the people of the county don't want the restaurant, it won't last. As the food guru, I've seen restaurants come and go in this county.

If the food and/or service aren't what the residents want, Hooters will go “Bye, bye bye” as N-Sync sings. In my one visit to the chain, I wasn't impressed with the food. But, I'm not a big wings fan, so many residents may just adore the food.

Fourth, some folks would rather see other restaurants such as Red Lobster come to the county. I would love to see this happen. Red Lobster's outpost in Newnan is doing a booming business and its new menu is excellent.

But, in order for Red Lobster to come, you need to sell liquor. Which would you rather see, Fayette County? Scantily clad waitresses serving so-so food or a relatively nice seafood place that serves “demon” liquor?

I guess that's the subject for another column...

Back to Dining Guide Home Page | Back to the top of the page