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Printer-Friendly ModeHooters restaurant to open near campus
January 16, 2006 —
Coming in the fall semester, SVSU students will not have to drive far down Bay Road to get their fill of chicken wings, beer, and scantily clad women. A new Hooters is coming to Kochville Township, just over a mile from campus.
Construction is scheduled to begin on the 5,000 square foot complex later this year. It will be located on the east side of Bay Road, next to Ethan Allen, and across the street from the recently opened Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Barbeque.
Popular with young adults and sports fans, the privately-owned Hooters will likely be more popular than the old destination in Old Town Saginaw, which was marred by an increasing crime rate in the city, as well as a location that left the establishment largely out of sight. The new Hooters franchise in Kochville will be owned by Developer Art McNeil, who also owns the popular Hooters in Bay City.
The past few years have seen further development of the Bay and Tittabawassee Road corridor, with a new Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, the aforementioned Famous Dave's, renovation of the Deja Vu exotic dancing club, and many new businesses. With the intersection of Bay and Tittabawassee roads having the highest traffic count in the county, businesses are continuing to flock to the area.
Some in the community feel that the addition of an establishment that features women in low cut shirts and biker shorts sends a negative message toward women. Janice Wolff, professor of English and gender studies, feels this sends the message that Kochville Township cares more about profit than it does about women's rights.
"The values are in favor of corporate entities instead of individual dignity," Wolff said, adding that she has received both negative and positive feedback for her outspoken stance on the issue. Wolff is contemplating including the new Hooters into a presentation at the Michigan Women's Studies Conference at Delta College this spring.
Hooters is approaching its 400th franchise, with eateries in 16 countries and 11 in Michigan.