When you have a dog you love, you probably don’t want to spend your free time away from them, even when you go out dining. While many restaurants now allow dogs, you’re not guaranteed that they’ll treat your pet the way you would.
According to one Philadelphia man with a pug named Roodabeguh, Hooters missed the mark when he went there to celebrate his dog’s birthday.
In his video, which got over 2.4 million views, TikTok creator @roodabeguh filmed an interaction with a Hooters server while his dog sat quietly by him at the table.
What Happened At Hooters?
In the video, the man first asks the server whether she forgot about his table.
“Be honest. Did you forget about us?” he asks.
The server says no, explaining that she is dealing with a large party at the same time. “I just have a party of 50 right now,” she tells him.
“That’s wild,” he says.
Then he asks whether they can order dessert. The Hooters server says yes, but adds that the birthday song may not happen.
“I don’t think we can sing Happy Birthday now,” she says.
When he asks why not, she points to how busy the restaurant is.
“The restaurant is full,” she says.
The man asks whether even one server could do it, and the server doesn’t think so, but suggests he ask the manager.
“I don’t want to ask,” he says.
He moves on to dessert, ordering key lime pie and funnel cake fries. He also asks whether they can put a candle in the dessert.
“Can you put a candle in it if you don’t have one? I brought some,” he says.
The server tells him they have candles and walks away to grab the desserts.
After she walks away, the man sighs in disbelief. “Wow, bro,” he says.
Viewers Were Split
In the comments section, some viewers thought the server still should have helped make the dog’s birthday feel special.
“As a server you still have to sing… even if it means doing it alone,” one person wrote. “I’ve done it plenty of times.”
Another viewer said they would have stopped everything for the pug.
“I would actually stop everything to sing happy birthday to a dog,” they wrote.
Others, however, thought the server deserved some grace.
“Be kind, she is stressed,” one commenter said.
Are Dogs Allowed At Hooters?
Hooters’ dog policy appears to vary by location. Regular pets generally are not allowed inside restaurants because of health rules, but some Hooters locations allow dogs in outdoor patio areas. Service dogs, on the other hand, are allowed inside.
Some locations even appear to lean into being dog-friendly. At one Long Beach location, for example, several dog owners have said they brought their dogs and were treated well, with staff offering water bowls before even taking their order. A West Coast manager also described one Hooters location as dog-friendly on Yelp.
Some locations go further. One Hooters in Winnipeg, Canada, has a dog menu, where owners can order items like bacon, chicken, or doggie ice cream for their pet.
In previous videos from the TikToker, it appears Hooters servers treated him and Roodabeguh warmly, petting the pug and giving him attention.
Singing “Happy Birthday,” however, is a different story. It may be a well-known restaurant tradition, but it is not exactly a requirement. If the restaurant is slammed, a server may say no, just like the Hooters server did here.
BroBible has reached out to Hooters and @roodabeguh via email for comment.