Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands were part of my travel territory when I worked in MIT’s admissions office. I know, it’s tough duty, but somebody had to do it.

I went to the Hooter’s Restaurant in San Juan on one of my visits. Actually, I was with some other admissions officers and I remember the steamed Alaskan crab legs. I swear, that stayed on my mind about the restaurant more than anything else.

A new Hooter’s Restaurant recently opened up in Costa Mesa. It’s right on the 405 and it drew my attention. So I stopped there for lunch today on the way back from Los Angeles.

They’ve made this one a “sports bar” by putting televisions everywhere. When I got there the AFC Championship game between Pittsburgh and Denver was just starting. The place was beginning to fill up with an array of sports hungry fans.

I gotta tell you – Hooter’s is even tackier than I remember. And I don’t understand how they continue to get away with only hiring cetain types for the wait staff.

The “style” of this Hooter’s is a bit over the top. The wait staff – all women – yada yada yada – periodically stop by and sit down for brief little chats. Each waitress carries a Sharpie pen and “autograph” a napkin that the first waitress laid out and folded at the table. It’s sort of like giving you their collective autographs as a souvenir to accompany the experience. I guess this is a friendly tactic to drive up the tips. I found it annoying because I really did want to enjoy my steamed crab legs.

The first waitress to come my way introduced herself at “Christina” but her nametag read “Kim.” Although I’m a teacher I didn’t feel that it was my duty to point out to her that “K – I – M” didn’t spell “Christina.”

Besides the tackiness, I have to tell you that the crab legs are quite tasty.