Hooters

I was out of town on some business while Josh was back home attended to his college classes. Some of the people I was working with wanted to head to Hooters after work. Now I've been to Hooters a few times (always for the food, never to look at the girls) and know that they have some decent grub, especially their wings. When we got there they had a special on their burgers and it dawned on me that I hadn't ever devoured one of their meaty offerings.

Hooters was started in Clearwater, FL in 1983. The business was incorporated on April Fools day because even the six business men who founded it didn't think the concept would succeed. They were wrong. The casual dining chain owns 140 restaurants and franchises 430 more. They also operate a Las Vegas casino. To find one near you (if you don't already know) check them out on line at http://www.hooters.com/Home/Default.aspx.

The Burger

I was a little apprehensive about ordering the burger. As I said, I'd had their wings on numerous occasions and had even eaten a few other sandwich specials over the years. But the burger was virgin territory for me. But I was game and so I ordered up a "build your own" burger with pepper jack cheese and my choice of garden. 

The food arrived in a decent amount of time, hitting the table hot off the grill. The burger was thick and juicy, the bun soft, yet firm. I was still a little worried considering the luck I'd had at other chicken/wing restaurants in the past. But I'll be honest, this was a pretty decent burger, especially for a chain. The meat was fresh with a nice flavor. All of the ingredients complimented each other and none really stole from the flavor of the meat, even the bit of bite from the pepper jack cheese.

I wouldn't go so far as to say this was a great burger. But it ranks up there with a Friday's burger, perhaps. Well, close to it anyway. The fries were decent and the service was fast and friendly (and not bad to look at considering that we met one of the Hooters girls who was featured in the 2014 calendar). I don't go out of my way to eat at a Hooters and this burger isn't going to change that. But if I'm in a position to nosh at one of these I might actually consider the burger next time and not just dive into the wings.