Original Hooters — Restaurant in Downers Grove

The "Leaky Cauldron, or better known as hooters" our waitress Katie affectionately called the dimly lit, brick-walled bar, wasn't exactly the original. In fact, it was a surprisingly popular dive in downtown Chicago, a haven for Potterheads and the magically inclined (or those who just liked a good, themed cocktail). Katie, with her bright red hair perpetually tied back in a messy bun and a smattering of freckles across her nose, was the bar's resident "Witch Weekly" pin-up, or at least, that's what her boss, a jovial, bald man named Barnaby, liked to call her. Tonight was a particularly chaotic Thursday. "Firewhisky Fridays" might be the official draw, but Thursdays were for the "Order of the Phoenix Pub Quiz," a raucous affair that drew in a mixed crowd of serious competitors and those who just wanted to yell "Expecto Patronum!" at the top of their lungs after a few Butterbeers. Katie navigated the crowded bar with the practiced grace of a Quidditch Seeker, dodging patrons attempting to cast "Wingardium Leviosa" on their empty glasses and weaving through tables littered with parchment quiz sheets and half-eaten "Treacle Tartlets." "Katie, another round of Polyjuice Potion for table seven!" Barnaby bellowed from behind the bar, gesturing towards a group of students from the nearby university, their faces flushed with excitement. "On it, Barnaby!" Katie replied, grabbing a shaker. The Polyjuice Potion, a deceptively green concoction of Midori, lime, and a dash of something mysteriously fizzy, was their most popular drink. As she mixed the potion, she overheard a snippet of conversation from the quiz table nearest the bar. "…and the answer is definitely Fluffy! Three heads, come on!" a young man with thick glasses argued, slamming his fist on the table. "No way, it's Norbert! Remember, Hagrid's dragon? He was smuggled out of Hogwarts!" a girl with bright pink hair countered, waving her hand emphatically. Katie smiled. She loved the passion. It was what made working at the Leaky Cauldron so much fun. She'd been a Potter fan since she was a kid, and the bar felt like a second home, a place where she could be herself, where her love for the wizarding world wasn't considered childish or strange. Suddenly, a small, nervous-looking man with a worn leather satchel approached the bar. "Excuse me," he stammered, his eyes darting around the room. "I'm looking for… a specific drink. A very… rare one." "We've got pretty much everything," Katie said, leaning forward. "Firewhisky, Butterbeer, Gillywater… what were you thinking?" The man hesitated, then whispered, "Felix Felicis." Katie's eyebrows shot up. Felix Felicis, liquid luck? That was a bold request, even for the Leaky Cauldron. "Sir, I'm afraid we don't serve that here. It's… incredibly difficult to make, and, well, technically illegal." "Please," the man pleaded, his voice trembling. "I'm in a desperate situation. I need a little… luck." Katie looked at him, her heart softening. He seemed genuinely distressed. "Look," she said, "I can't give you Felix Felicis. But I can make you something that might help. How about a 'Draught of Living Hope'? It's a mix of spiced rum, pomegranate, and a secret ingredient that's said to bring a little bit of optimism." The man hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Thank you." As Katie mixed the drink, she couldn't help but wonder what the man was running from. Was he a wizard in disguise? Or just someone who needed a little bit of magic in their life? She handed him the drink, the deep red liquid shimmering in the dim light. "Here you go," she said. "May it bring you a little...

This is my letter to the management at hooters in Downers Grove

Last night around 9pm I went to the Hooters in Downers Grove for some wings. After being seated in the bar no one came to serve me for 5 minutes. I asked one of the servers who walked by if they could see who my server was. She very rudely walked away as I was speaking to her and said "I will get them". Another 5 minutes walk by and no one comes to see me. I see a manager named Tony and tell him no one has come to take my order. He said "None of the girls will serve you because they think you are taking pictures of them" In shock utter shock like I have never felt at a business before, I give him my phone and show him my entire photo gallery. No Apology was made after I explain how extremely awkward and unpleasant this now is. He said he would have a server come over and I asked HIM to take care of me. During the meal he checked on me 2 times. The first to bring me my meal, and then to refill my water. At the end of the meal he did take the beer off of the the bill to which I asked him to put it back on. I explained to him as a member of the Hospitality industry for the past 12 years I do not ask for meals or items on my bill to be comped. All I ask for is a good quality product and to be treated with respect. In my 35 years of life I have never been made to feel more uncomfortable and disrespected in a restaurant and quite frankly any public situation. I am a huge believer in employees being made to feel comfortable and safe in their work place and for customers to feel the same. However, Hooters of Downers Grove, as an institution your employees and managers need to be trained on how to take a situation where their staff feels uncomfortable and to have management approach the customer in a TIMELY and professional manner, and especially after the customer proves that the team was sorely mistaken, find a way to immediately make the customer at ease again. Tony was not rude, he was very pleasant and I do believe he was responding under the scope of how he was trained. I believe Hooters of Downers Grove needs to spend more time training their staff on dealing with a situation like the one I...

I WILL NEVER COME HERE AGAIN, here's why: The other day I came in there to sit down for dinner. It was me and one other person and as we were walking in there was a sign on the door that stated they will not serve anyone if they are not wearing a mask. Both of us had completely blanked and forgotten our mask in another car. I decided I'd still walk in, see what they say and try to get a table. There was a family in front of us waiting to get seated, the hostess and multiple waitresses saw us and did not say a word about us not wearing masks. The family in front us of was seated and a waitress walking by asked if we were waiting for a table, we said yes and she told us to follow her to get seated. As we we're about to sit down at the table she brought us to, a bald man, who I assume is the manager, comes out of nowhere and tells us we need masks, politely we both said sorry and that we forgot them. The manager tells us with an attitude that without masks he cannot serve us. I told him "okay but we're about to sit down and order/eat food without a mask so what difference does it make at this point if we're already at the table?" He said "that does not matter" and that we need one, both me and my friend put our shirts over our face and the bald man said that is "not good enough". At this point I was pretty frustrated and so I said "seriously? why didn't anyone tell me this when I walked in and before I was seated?", he had nothing to say to this. I decided to walk out and drive 30 mins to another Hooters to place a to-go order. I wear a mask everywhere I go as I respect the policies businesses have, this just happened to be one time where I forgot one. Considering you aren't required to wear a mask while you are seated and eating, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to walk in without one. If the policies they have at Hooters regarding masks are so strict, why is the whole staff not trained properly to tell people to wear a mask BEFORE they are seated. He denied me service over something that they are not consistent in following themselves. Rude, untrained staff. That was the first and LAST...