FEATURES
26 2008 Guide to Tailgating
In honor of the great American tradition of beer, your favorite team and barbecue,
we give you the ultimate guide to tailgating. Expert advice, recipes, gadgets
and more to leave you the undisputed king of the grill.
36 NBA Preview
It's hard to believe the change of fortunes that led Boston and Los Angeles to
square off in 2007, but that's the past. Now it's time to take a look at what
we think 2008 is going to bring.
47 HOOTERS Ultimate College Football Roadtrip
It's fall. The air is crisp enough to have you huddle over the flames while your
grilling and it's time for college football. Join HOOTERS on the ultimate road
trip.
54 Something's Always Brewing in Milwaukee
We all know Milwaukee as the quintessential brew city. And now, there's more to
love as the Harley-Davidson Museum allows you to pay homage to 105 years of motorcycle
history.
58 Finger Eleven
From their early days as the Rainbow Butt Monkeys to today's success, learn how
the past two decades have shaped the sound, lives and friendships of this Canadian
alternative metal band.
118 Go, Green Racer, Go!
Corvette Racing proves that flex-fuel racing doesn't compromise in the win column
as their American Le Mans Series cars hold first place in the division running
on eco-friendly "grassoline".
122 D.B. Sweeney
The actor, who was one of the judges at our swimsuit pageant, has been touring
Army bases with his new movie "Two Tickets to Paradise" and agreed to
sit down with HOOTERS to talk about it. HOOTERS GIRLS
68 Fun In The Sun
Come see the results when the world's most beautiful HOOTERS Girls get the chance
to romp around a Florida resort.
20 Wingman
Martinis, movies and munchies — because we know what you need.
146 Bachelor Guy
Because somebody's gotta tell you these things.
140 The Great Outdoors
Adventurer Picks — Even if your version of "roughing it" is black
and white TV.
168 BACKTALK: Eric Durrance
He's hot on the music scene with his album full of old-school, heart-pulling ballads.
Hear what has shaped this musical storyteller and what he's never told anyone. SPORTS
60 Strange Sports
What do you mean you've never watched korball? Check out what we found to be as
fascinating as the Olympic Games.
62 From Melrose to Malkin HOOTERS on Hockey.
Burning questions from the ice.
142 What if...
Have you ever wondered what the sports world would be like if certain players
hadn't done certain things? So have we and here's a little speculation.
148 HOOTERS Fantasy Football Guide
If we could do it our way, here's who we'd pick.
150 All-World Series Teams
We've selected the best of the best to give you our vision of the perfect World
Series Team.
158 HOOTERS Sports
• NGA HOOTERS Tour
• Team Suzuki
• USAR
• Bass Fishing
• Watercraft SIDE ITEMS
12 HOOTERS Across America
16 News, Notes, Charities
32 Screen Shots
33 Tune In
34 Video Game
44 Cool Jobs
42 Gadget Guy
156 The Owl's Nest
164 Jokes
166 Locations
EDITORIAL NOTE
Raising the Bar
As we continue to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of HOOTERS, it is appropriate
to look back on just how little HOOTERS has changed through the years. Sure there
have been some menu additions, the installation of better quality LCD TVs, some
new songs were added to the approved music list and some of the building designs
have changed slightly. But the logo, the HOOTERS Girl uniform and the basic feel
of the restaurants remain the same. And, of course, chicken wings are still the
number one selling menu item.
Whether you walk into the original HOOTERS in Clearwater, Florida or the newest
location in Beijing, China, it feels and looks about the same. You are going to
find orders being thrown down the sling lines, cooks shaking wings and orange
shorts dominating the scenery. Of course, as successful as HOOTERS has been, it
only makes sense to stick with the basics. There are few busInesses, let alone
restaurants, that can match the sales growth and brand expansion HOOTERS has enjoyed
for two and a half decades.
With all that "dance with the one that brung ya" stuff said, I'd like
to mention a key change we've made. For most of the first 25 years, HOOTERS did
not serve distilled sprits or offer what is commonly known as a "Full Bar."
If you wanted to responsibly enjoy alcohol at HOOTERS you had beer or wine. We
figured most of our guests wanted a beer anyway, and it was far easier to train
the HOOTERS Girls working the bar to pull the right beer tap handle than it was
to make a Singapore Sling. However, about three years ago we noticed consumer
trends were headed in the direction of a full bar, allowing us to expand our demographic
appeal. About two years ago we hired consultants, some people with full bar experience
and started testing liquor. Today, almost all our company-owned stores have a
full bar and the franchisees will be finished rollino it out before the end of
the year. We have developed a "best-in-industry" training program and
installed a superior specialty drink menu with a fresh mint Mojito and high-quality
Margaritas. The necessary ingredients for the full bar have also given us the
ability to serve non-alcoholic smoothies and shakes.
The addition has expanded our appeal to those who prefer mixed drinks and has
added an important component to our business. We've only seen a slight decline
in beer sales and we have achieved a significant increase in sales that can be
attributed to our bar category. Best of all, it feels right. It took us twenty-five
years but it was worth the wait.
