U.S. News - hooters

Sep

2012

3:25pm, EDT

Korean-American man sues Queens Hooters over racial slur on receipt

NBC New York

A worker at a Hooters in Queens, N.Y., resigned after identifying a Korean-American man and his girlfriend with a racial slur.

By NBCNewYork.com

A Korean-American man is suing a Hooters restaurant in Queens after a worker there identified him and his girlfriend on a receipt using a slur referring to Asians, they allege.

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Kisuk Cha, 25, and his girlfriend, both Korean immigrants, placed a to-go order at Hooters in Fresh Meadows, Queens on July 10, according to their lawyer Daniel D. Baek.

This story originally appeared on NBCNewYork.com.

After placing their order, the couple noticed their hostess and another worker standing at the computer giggling and "gawking at them," according to the lawsuit.

When their hostess handed them their receipt, it had the word "Chinx" printed in the space reserved for the customer's name.

"Here we are in Fresh Meadows, and we have large populations of Asian Americans — Korean Americans, Chinese Americans, Indian Americans, you name it," said Baek. "It's happening right here in Fresh Meadows. I'm shocked."

Cha told the New York Times he was so distraught that he lost his appetite and, when he got home, threw the food away.

The unemployed information technology specialist emigrated from Korea in 2000 and lives in Philadelphia, according to the Times.

Nicole Conboy, director of human resources for the holding company that owns the Fresh Meadows restaurant and three Hooters on Long Island, said the 17-year-old hostess admitted to the act and immediately resigned, the Times reports.

The company's lawyer wrote in a letter to Baek, "It does not reflect the manner in which the restaurant is operated," and said the worker's conduct was "deplorable" and "egregious."

Earlier this year, the Papa John's company had to apologize after a worker in a Manhattan restaurant printed "lady chinky eyes" on a receipt for an Asian-American customer. The worker was dismissed.

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Jun

2012

9:28am, EDT

Cops: Man secretly taped Hooters contestants changing

Police in Miami say Ronald Rolfes, 31, secretly videotaped beauty pageant contestants at a Hooters competition disrobing without their permission. WTVJ's Gilma Avalos reports.

By Karen Franklin, NBCMiami.com

A Georgia man was arrested after he secretly taped Hooters pageant contestants changing into their bikinis at the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, authorities said.

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Ronald Rolfes, 31, was arrested Sunday at the hotel and faces one count of video voyeurism. He was recording contestants for the 2012 Hooters International Pageant while they changed in the Splash 5 room, Miami Beach Police said.

Authorities found Rolfes sitting in a chair across from a camera, which was hidden by a backpack under a chair and gave him access to see behind a curtain, an arrest report said.

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Miami Beach Police, who were at the hotel for an unrelated call, were alerted to Rolfes after a woman approached the officers and said that a man was recording her and other women as they undressed. She said she noticed the camera recording her, took a photograph of it and then ran to find security.

Rolfes identified the camera, which was plugged into an outlet, and the bag as his own, the report said.

The Fontainebleau declined to comment and referred NBC 6 to Hooters.

Hooters said in a statement Monday that Waterbabies Bikinis, which made the swimwear that the contestants were using in the incident, is a third-party vendor that is not owned nor operated by Hooters.

Hooters said the safety and security of its employees is its top priority, and said it is fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate.

Police, who reviewed footage of the man setting up his camera, said Rolfes revealed his motive to them.

“Man to man I did it because I’ve never had a girlfriend,” Rolfes told an officer, according to the report.

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