De Marketing Mix van Hooters

Place
Hooters has more than 450 Restaurants all across the USA and some other countries. These restaurants are build in city centers with many potential customers. All the restaurants of Hooters are franchised. The restaurants are divided according the following structure

Hooters of America (Headquarter)--> All restaurants
Franchisee --> 1 (or more) restaurants


Promotion
There are 2 types of promotion. Local and national promotions.

- The nationals are being designed and coordinated by Hooters of America (HOA). The franchisees pay fees for sustaining there Hooters brand. One of these fees is the promotional fee, which out of all the franchisees combined make promotion all over America possible. The funds gathered this way help make TV-commercials, internet adds or bill-boards on a national scale a powerful way of expanding the brand and its popularity.

- Local promotions are being organized by both the main office, as well as the managing director of the franchise. Promotion such as stickers on the tables, posters or other indoor commercials are being regulated by the main office, for they are part of the interior and could affect the customer experience. Also sponsoring sports teams or events are being directed by the head company.

Outdoor promotions, which are focused on a single franchisee such as price-discounts, happy hours or coupons, can be coordinated by the managing director of the establishment.


Products
Hooters offers a wide variety of food and drinks from chicken wings to oysters and from salads to hamburgers. The price of food can be classified from low to midrange. The food quality is not high class nor junk food. The menu is not that different from the competitors it’s the service that differs Hooters from the rest. Hooters also offers some side ventures. These ventures are:
· Hooters monthly magazine
· Hooters merchandise like t-shirts, coffee mug and calendar
· Hooters hotels and a casino in Las Vegas
· Hooters television program: hooters damn dream girl competition
· Hooters has their own credit card

This is a commercial for the Hooters television show



Price
The price of the products Hooters offers can be classified as low to midrange. The appetizers (also known as Hooterstizers) are priced from $4.- to $8.50. Main courses are priced around 8 dollars for chicken wings, hamburgers, seafood as well for the sandwiches en salads depending the quantity and add-ons. The desserts are 4 dollars each and soft drinks are $2.49 (including refills). Hooters offers different kinds of beers with a price of approximately 4 dollar for 0.5 liter.


Staff (Personal)
The personal is probably the main factor which has made Hooters to what it is today. The Hooter-Girls are the number 1 factor which has attracted customers for over 26 years.
Applying: Whenever a girl wants a job as a Hooter-Girl, she has to apply for the job. According to law, everyone has to be able to apply for the job, even male contestants. All girls need to have a specific look, which is up to Hooters-standards. This is where Hooters is in a predicament, for it is most unlikely that a fat lady or a male applier will fit in hot pants and still give customers the feeling they’re being special. Luckily, Hooters has found a way around this, a loophole in the regulations. Everyone is allowed to fill in an application form, and is thanked for applying. “If you do not hear from us, assume we have hired a more suited contestant” is what Hooters will tell every applier. This way everyone has applied, but only the girls with the true Hooters-look can be hired.

Working: You need to be able to fit in a size S or smaller, for those are Hooter’s standards. After the application-process, when a girl is chosen, she will go on a 3-day training by a certified trainer. Here she will learn the basics of how to serve, but also how to act like a Hooter-Girl, as in how to make the customers feel like you’re all about them. After these days, the girl will be monitored for a week, to see how she is doing. Continuing from there will be a month-long probation. This is the final stage in the process, and if finished successfully, a final contract will be set up. If a girl is unable to serve properly or is unable to make the customer enjoy their stay as to Hooters-standards, she will be thanked and let go.

Other jobs: Of course there are a number of jobs where you do not have to have the Hooter-Girls look, such as cooks, managers and cleaning. These will be filled in as normal. People will be chosen for their qualities, work experience or education.