Guess what's to blame for that biker brawl over the weekend in Waco, Texas, that resulted in nine deaths and 170 arrests?
Restaurant sexism.
That's the verdict of the progressive media, who have decided that the problem was the Twin Peaks chain of eateries, one of which (whose franchise was since swiftly closed by central management) was the scene of the deadly melee on the afternoon of May 17. But the media focus isn't on the problem with that Twin Peaks outlet that local law enforcement has identified: letting the place become a chronic magnet for barfight-prone motorcycle gangs. ("Bike nights," until this week a regular feature at many Twin Peaks outlets, were swiftly banned by headquarters after the Sunday brawl.)
No, for the media, the problem was Twin Peaks's policy of hiring and rating its waitresses on the basis of–horrors!–their looks.
Twin Peaks, as its name might hint, is a Hooters knockoff–with a logging-town theme reminiscent of David Lynch's murder-mystery series of the early 1990s. Beer seems to be the No. 1 menu item, and the uniform for the buxom Twin Peaks waitresses consists of a tiny plaid lumberjack shirt and exceedingly cut-off shorts. The target customer base at Twin Peaks is, well, men.
W can't have that. Here's an alarmist piece from Newsweek:
One location advertises “the coldest beer, tastiest food and the hottest girls.” Servers with names such as Roxy and Mandy don cargo shorts and red plaid tops, tied at the center and covering little more than a bikini top. A restaurant specialty is the “shot ski,” a wooden ski with shot glasses attached, which waitresses parade around while chanting “shot ski!” and hold up to patrons’ mouths like a limbo stick. The restaurant hosts bikini contests and car washes, where tanned women strut down makeshift runways as customers munch on sliders, steaks and sandwiches, and guzzle drinks called the Dirty Blonde and Knotty Brunette. Beers come in two sizes: “girl” and “man,” and servers describe the dining as “man-craveable food.”
It gets worse:
Twin Peaks employees have complained about a daily “ranking” practice, in which managers decide how many hours waitresses work, and in which sections, based on their appearances. One person who claimed to be a Twin Peaks employee wrote on job website Indeed: “When we arrive at ‘pre-shift’ at 4:30 p.m., we get lined up…horizontally, and get ranked…. From our hair to our socks, we get graded on a scale…. Completely imaged-based. After pre-shift we pick our sections according to ranking.”
Similar accounts have appeared in LA Weekly, and a Colorado-based Twin Peaks Girl named Andrea Brown wrote on her blog, “It is truly all about looks. We are graded every shift on our hair, makeup, nails, tan, and most importantly fitness. Based on these grades you are then put in a rank among all the other girls from first to last. You chose your serving sections and you get off first when you are highest on the rank…. We are also not allowed to eat off of the regular menu during our shifts because of its greasy and fattening food. Instead they offer us a special menu called the ‘spa menu’ that we may order from with only healthy options.”
Roxy and Mandy, run for your lives! You're working in a profession where personal appearance is extemely important. Sort of like acting, dancing, modeling, and real estate-selling.
The ultra-liberal website ThinkProgress reveals even more Twin Peaks crimes against feminist correctness:
An internal branding memo provided to ThinkProgress from a current employee at a Twin Peaks restaurant, who preferred to remain anonymous over fears about losing their job, backs up that claim. That employee said the memo was distributed to all the franchises nationwide, as well as handed out to waitresses.
According to the document, the restaurant wants to target guys “who love to have their ego stroked by beautiful girls,” and promises to provide an environment “that feeds their ego with the attention they crave.” They describe their typical customer as someone who likes “attention from beautiful girls and being recognized in front of the guys,” as well as someone who doesn’t want to be asked what he’s thinking….
Even worse, Twin Peaks promotes gender-stereotyping–which really bends ThinkProgress out of shape:
So-called “breastaurants” spark a lot of controversy for what many critics complain amounts to the objectification of women. Twin Peaks’ CEO, Randy DeWitt, refers to his female employees as “weapons of mass distraction.” The waitresses employed at Twin Peaks are given discounts at gyms, nail salons, and tanning salons, as well as a “diet menu” to help them avoid gaining any weight. Some of its locations hold “lingerie weeks” during which waitresses don their lacy underwear.
But the restaurant chain’s internal memo aimed at “guys-guys” is a reminder that deeply entrenched gender roles can also impact men. In a society where men are assumed to be “simple creatures” who never want to talk about what they’re thinking or feeling, there isn’t a lot of room for more nuanced explorations of masculinity — something that researchers confirm has demonstrably negative consequences for men’s health.
The bottom line: It's unhealthy for men to drink beer and look at pretty girls.
As a married woman who grew up with two brothers, I can attest to this: Most men aren't really interested in "more nuanced explorations of masculinity." They might want to talk about what they're thinking or feeling–but not at a bar where they're trying to relax and have some fun.
And they actually are "simple creatures." They're easy to make happy. And that may be one reason why Twin Peaks has grown into a $165 million operation in only 10 years.