It's

intrigued Foodie in the last week that a restaurant has

been the subject of a simmering debate throughout the

county.

When a

restaurant garners the kind of attention that Hooters

has, it always gets my interest. I wish the debate

centered around the food, but instead we're now looking

at moral issues when deciding where to spend our dining

dollars.

Well, since

I'm the resident restaurant curmudgeon, it's time for me

to weigh in on Hooters' efforts to locate in

Fayetteville.

First,

Hooters is already in the county. The headquarters for

the company's racing division is in Peachtree City. The

company also sponsors a golf tournament every year in the

county, featuring those scantily clad waitresses.

Second, the

restaurant does not feature stripping, dancing or any

other sexually oriented activity that has been bandied

about the town.

Yes, the

waitresses wear short-shorts and tight tee shirts, but

just walk into one of our local retail establishments

during the summer. The customers and sometimes the

workers are dressed just as provocatively as the Hooters

waitresses, so I guess we need to implement a county-wide

dress code to protect our residents from lewd thoughts.

Third, if

the people of the county don't want the restaurant, it

won't last. As the food guru, I've seen restaurants come

and go in this county.

If the food

and/or service aren't what the residents want, Hooters

will go "Bye, bye bye" as N-Sync sings. In my

one visit to the chain, I wasn't impressed with the food.

But, I'm not a big wings fan, so many residents may just

adore the food.

Fourth,

some folks would rather see other restaurants such as Red

Lobster come to the county. I would love to see this

happen. Red Lobster's outpost in Newnan is doing a

booming business and its new menu is excellent.

But, in

order for Red Lobster to come, you need to sell liquor.

Which would you rather see, Fayette County? Scantily clad

waitresses serving so-so food or a relatively nice

seafood place that serves "demon" liquor?

I guess

that's the subject for another column...