Address: 3D River Valley Road, Clark Quay, Shophouse Row #01-03, Singapore 179023
Tel: +65 63321090
Website: www.hooters.com.sg

Met some of my university mates for dinner at Clark Quay. For information, “Quay” is pronounced as “key”. In the old days, this was a place of business - shophouses and godowns along the riverfront and the bum boats that plied the Singapore River catered to the thriving entreport trade.

The godowns and bum boats, relics of the old economy, have been deemed as inefficient in generating the required monetary benefits to our country. In its place, a plan was executed to replace the merchants and coolies of Clark Quay with tourists and entertainment seekers.

Early efforts to remake Clark Quay as a tourist haven fizzled out after an initial bang. In the last few years, a revamp of the place was undertaken. An umbrella like structure was erected to make the outdoor areas more suitable for alfresco dining and various touristy activities while new establishments were attracted to set up shop (click here for the website promoting the place).

At Clark Quay, we stumbled into Hooters (…the decision to patronise the place was based entirely on the group’s decision to have some light snacks…). Most of you would be familiar with the concept of Hooters. Their staff comprises big buxomed women dressed in tank tops and very small shorts. A quick glance at the local staff indicated that some of them needed help in fulfilling the main criterion to work at Hooters. I have also heard comments that the orange shorts that the Hooters staff wear bear some resemblance to oversized diapers. Maybe the combination of huge mammary glands and diapers are to attract guys with their probable innate need for motherly love - truly devious.

I had the feeling that our waitress was trying to use her most formidable assets to get us to order more stuff from the menu. It didn’t work. For the three of us, we had the Hooters Chicken Wings with Hot Sauce (10 pieces for S$9.90) and the Soccer Combo (S$25.50). The Soccer Combo is a special promotional sampler platter for the month of the World Cup. In the Combo were Golden Calamari Rings, Buffalo Shrimps, Breaded Sole Fillets, Celery & Carrot Sticks with Blue Cheese Dressings. (For those interested in looking for a place to watch the world cup, Hooters has regular screenings of the matches.)

It was quite an abundant selection of fried food. Generally, as fried food goes, I was ok with the meal. My two friends had some complaints about the chicken wings. Snide remarks that the KFC chicken wings or that prepared by the neighbourhood nasi lemak lady were much better than the Hooters version were uttered.

We were interrupted in our meal but a spotlight flickering on to direct our attention at two Hooters waitresses commencing a Hula-Hoop performance. This was manipulation of the male psyche of the highest degree.

More of such overt sexual exploitation was to come when I visited their toilets. The walls were plastered with pictures of bikini babes. I was to learn later that the female toilet has pictures of muscle builders and male models with massive pectoral muscles (in line with the Hooters theme of massively engorged chest developments).

If you are into experiencing unsubtle advertising, do visit Hooters.