Hooters Inc. Job Analysis: Promoter and General Manager Roles

Background and Overview

Coby Brooks, the President and CEO of Hooters Inc., goes undercover in the company's restaurants to inspect operations, general activities, employee behaviors, and management styles without disclosing his identity. Brooks disguises himself by shaving his goatee and wearing glasses. He spends five days in different Hooters restaurants, working with people from various organizational levels and job positions. During these five days, he observes numerous positive and negative aspects of restaurant operations. The following sections present a description and job analysis of two positions observed at Hooters restaurants.

On the second day, Coby Brooks worked with two employees from the Sales and Marketing department: Amanda and Brittney. Their primary responsibility was to promote the restaurant's business in the local area and surrounding neighborhoods by moving through markets and streets and offering free samples of boneless wings to passersby. Their job also required them to present themselves as professional and credible representatives of the restaurant chain.

To do so, they wore special uniforms in Hooters' brand colors — orange and white — and were expected to present themselves as pleasant and approachable personalities, since they interacted directly with potential customers. Greeting customers with a smile and persuading them to try Hooters' boneless wings and beer were central requirements of their role.

Job Position 1: Restaurant Promoter

Amanda and Brittney were not the only business promoters employed by the company; a specialized team existed within the Sales and Marketing department. However, during his undercover day, Coby Brooks spent the entire day in the streets and markets with these two employees specifically.

The positions held by Amanda and Brittney were at the lower, non-managerial level of the restaurant hierarchy. This type of position generally requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Restaurant business promoters in particular must be highly friendly and approachable so that they can persuade potential customers to try the foods and beverages offered by the company.

Amanda and Brittney were not only responsible for attracting customers by offering free beer and boneless wing samples, but also for convincing people to try the restaurant even if they did not typically prefer fast food or beer. This role is commonly known as sales representative, business development officer, or business promotions officer; it is sometimes grouped within the customer services department and referred to as a customer sales representative.

Job Analysis: Restaurant Promoter

Important interpersonal skills that restaurant promoters must possess include dynamism, the ability to make a strong first impression, good relationship-building skills, stress tolerance, thoroughness, organizational ability, persuasive communication skills, and the physical stamina to work long hours inside or outside the office as required by supervisors (Alonzo, 2007). An ideal candidate must have a strong aptitude for sales and customer service, as well as a genuine interest in building a career in that field (Zoltners, Sinha, & Lorimer, 2009).

Business promotion officers must also have strong marketing analysis skills. These skills are necessary for inspecting and reporting on future market potential in current target markets to their sales managers. Additionally, they must have an in-depth knowledge of their sales territory, which comes from understanding market dynamics — including social, cultural, demographic, and economic patterns (Sommerville, 2007).

Business promotion officers must also be able to analyze consumer behavior in their target markets, keeping in view customers' preferences with respect to these marketing dynamics (Alonzo, 2007; Shock, Bowen, & Stefanelli, 2004). In the case of Hooters restaurants, undercover CEO Coby Brooks observed that female consumers largely avoid the restaurant due to its treatment of women, while male consumers are drawn in by the beer and boneless wings. Business development officers must recognize this type of dynamic and communicate it as a significant business problem to higher officials (Zoltners, Sinha, & Lorimer, 2009).

Promoters must also maintain complete knowledge of the products and services they represent. Essential information they should have on hand at all times includes: ingredients used in food and beverage products, price ranges and discount offers, restaurant locations, operating hours, and available free samples (Shock, Bowen, & Stefanelli, 2004). Finally, these professionals should maintain ongoing contact with existing clients to gather feedback on the company's products and services, and to build long-term relationships — which is a key to success for any type of business (Zoltners, Sinha, & Lorimer, 2009).

Ideally, a business promotion officer should hold a college or university degree with coursework in business management, particularly in sales and marketing. However, candidates without a degree who possess hands-on experience in sales and marketing, or who hold a six-month to two-year vocational diploma in professional sales and marketing, may also be considered for restaurant business promoter positions (Sommerville, 2007).

On the third day, Coby Brooks worked as the assistant to the general manager, named Jimbo, at one of the restaurants. As general manager, Jimbo was responsible for overseeing all types of restaurant operations — from employee scheduling, restaurant environment, and uniform inspection, to administration and the assessment of marketing activities overall. Jimbo was portrayed as a complex personality: on one hand, someone who demeans female workers without cause; on the other, a highly driven professional who genuinely wants his restaurant to grow rapidly in the market.

The most notable feature of the general manager role is the authority and power the position carries within the organization. General manager is a higher-level, managerial position that carries full command and authority within the manager's area of responsibility. The general manager oversees all types of restaurant operations and is primarily accountable for achieving progressively better sales and operational performance year over year (Sommerville, 2007).

In addition, the general manager monitors employee schedules, restaurant work environment, menu offerings, promotional offers, discount and pricing policies, and other operational matters. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, food service managers play a central role in coordinating daily operations, staff supervision, and financial accountability across the hospitality sector.