Another day, another opportunity to blame millennials for the demise of... well, anything. This time, you can shit on the group for causing the potential downfall of boob-friendly bar and restaurant chain Hooters. According to a recent study from the fine folks over at Pornhub, millennials are less interested in breasts than their elders. To get specific: "Pornhub visitors between the ages of 18 to 24 are 19% less likely to search for breasts when compared to all other age groups, but visitors aged 55 to 64 are 17% more likely to search."
Millennials' porn preferences appear to be indicative of a wider trend. To use a fire portmanteau, "breastaurants" like Hooters and the more risque Twin Peaks are dealing with a loss of interest in breasts, which is affecting their business. The number of Hooters locations in the U.S. had already dropped by more than 7 percent from 2012 to 2016, and sales had stagnated, according to Business Insider.
Hooters has been trying to win over millennials for years; in 2012, the chain spiced up its image with a new decor and updated menu items, in an attempt to attract younger patrons and female customers. They even pivoted and opened up a fast-casual location called Hoots, which features fully-clothed female and male waiters.
In an interview with Mel Magazine, PornHub Vice President Corey Price joked, "Could it be that millennials aren’t into breasts because, simply, they like big butts and cannot lie?" More seriously, he continued, "It’s not our job to speculate but rather provide compelling data for our fans to digest and draw their own inferences from."
If Hooters wants to keep its doors open, maybe it should consider following in Pornhub's footsteps and invest in some research.
