Hooters employee reveals how much she makes from tips on top of $2.13 hourly wage

A Hooters employee has sparked a debate about staff pay after she revealed how much she makes in tips on top of her US$2.13 hourly wage.

Kirsten Songer, who revealed on TikTok that she works in a South Carolina branch of the restaurant chain, went viral after revealing how much she really earns in tips from working at Hooters.

“This is how much I make in a week at Hooters,” Songer said. “This is a really good week to show, ’cause I had some really great shifts and then some not-so-hot shifts.”

Indy100 totalled up the tips and calculated that she took home $1308 in tips for the week.

While the tips were generous, with one man tipping her $60 just for “talking to him”.

@theflathootersgirlDrop any questions you have about working at hooters 🙂 #hooters #thehootersway #bartender #server #tips #NightDoneRight #calendar♬ Super Mario Sunshine – Delfino Plaza – Super Guitar Bros

Commenters took to TikTok to share their surprise of the reality of working at Hooters, and how the staff make up their living largely through tipping culture.

“$2.13 is ridiculous. I don’t get how this can even be legal,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “That’s why it’s important to tip! That’s what we rely on!”

Meanwhile, the restaurant chain has received considerable backlash over its new uniform, which has been likened to underwear by staff.

Hooters has now said that it will allow its employees to chose which uniform they would prefer to wear after several female staff members took to social media to criticise the new clothing.

In a statement cited by the Independent, a spokesperson highlighted that the shorts were “the result of a collaboration with Hooters Girls and have been worn for months in several Texas markets with overwhelmingly positive feedback.”