There can only be one!
Hooters, a restaurant famous for hiring hot chicks to serve chicken wings, is suing a rival restaurant, Twin Peaks, for hiring hot chicks to serve chicken wings.
The "delightfully tacky yet unrefined" restaurant chain has filed a lawsuit in Georgia federal court this week accusing La Cima, the company behind Twin Peaks, and a former Hooters executive of stealing trade secrets.
The suit claims former Hooters vice president Joseph Hummel quit in July to join the Twin Peaks team, but took “sensitive business information” with him.
He allegedly downloaded and emailed a “substantial volume” of Hooters documents, including plans related to management, recruitment, distribution and sales.
However, it sounds like Hooters is mostly concerned with the threat of increased competition.
Twin Peaks, which boasts "eats, drinks, and scenic views" while featuring women wearing flannel bikini-like tops paired with tan hiker shorts, only has 15 restaurants in 5 states compared to Hooters' 400 locations across the nation.
However, it sounds like Hooters may be concerned with the growing threat of competition.
La Cima has announced plans to open 35 Twin Peaks franchises throughout the Southeast over the next 10 years and, according the suit, that "directly competes with [Hooters] in the market of casual dining restaurants with an all female waitstaff.”
They argue their "iconic" Hooters Girls are the "cornerstone of the [Hooters] concept."
Joseph Hummel on the other hand, says Twin Peaks differentiates itself from Hooters because it “brings a different feel, a different makeup of food.”
Innerestingly enough, La Cima filed a lawsuit in 2009 against a restaurant in Arkansas called Northern Exposure for infringing on Twin Peaks’ “trade dress.”
[Image via WENN.]
Tags: chicken wings, competition, franchise, georgia, hooters, joseph hummel, la cima, lawsuit, twin peaks
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