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Tempe eatery attracts with skimpy outfits, hearty food
Geri Koeppel
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 21, 2005 03:20 PM
One of Tempe's hottest new bar/restaurants isn't on Mill Avenue, or anywhere near the Arizona State University campus.
The Tilted Kilt has one other location, inside the swinging Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. This one opened May 23 in a previously sleepy area near Warner and Kyrene roads across the street from The Home Depot.
It's booming, with waits at weekday lunchtimes and happy hours as well as weekend evenings.
"My two concerns three weeks into opening with no money spent on advertising are parking and fire code," said General Manager Paul Powell.
He says the secret is the premium customer service.
"Smiles, eye contact, relationship building and having fun" are key, Powell said. And that's all there, customers say.
But quiz them - the ones who will give their names, that is - and they'll admit the waitresses in tiny plaid miniskirts, white knee socks and push-up plaid bra tops covered by a tight-fitting white blouse tied in front are part of the appeal. The garb shows off cleavage, bare midriffs and the dimples in the servers' lower backs.
"I like the free snacks and the waitresses," said Jim Templin of Gilbert. "It's better scenery than where I normally go for happy hour. I think they show more skin here than Hooters."
His friend, Graeme Pritchard of Chandler, said the beer is better and the pub atmosphere more authentic at Fibber Magees in Chandler.
"But this place has the obvious attractions," he says, smiling.
Employee Maren McKenna of Tempe said when she first saw the uniforms, "I was like, oh my God."
Now, she said, "I think it's cute."
Manager Kim Lick said servers average about $150 a shift in tips and can earn $250 on weekends.
Despite the skimpy outfits, the place hasn't sparked protest or debate like Hooters did when it opened at 48th Street and Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee Foothills in January 2001. However, the Tilted Kilt doesn't have the name recognition here, either.
The owner, a local self-made millionaire, bought the Arizona franchise rights and plans to open six more in the next five years, Powell said.
The owner wanted to cater not to the glitzy nightclub crowd, he said, but to everyday workers in the area: The service writers from the Tempe Autoplex, cashiers from Ikea, office workers from the Arizona Cardinals facility.
In addition to "the obvious attractions," the Tilted Kilt features darts, table shuffleboard, a 9-foot pool table, video games and 11 large-screen TVs. The beer list includes microbrews from Four Peaks Brewing Company and imports like Smithwick's Irish Ale, Guinness and Harp.
You won't find shepherd's pie or bangers and mash on this American menu, but it does offer hearty sandwiches, salads, pizza, fish and chips, chicken wings and desserts.
The bar hopes to attract men and women, Powell said, but the ratio isn't even yet. At noon on a recent day, the number of female workers far outnumbered female customers. And one recent evening about 6, a hesitant fifty-something couple walked in, took a look around and retreated to the parking lot.
But as happy hour progresses and on weekends, the crowd is mixed.
"I like it because it's a great sports bar with a great mix of age groups," said Cindy Nuetzman of Ahwatukee Foothills. "The environment is really friendly, casual, fun. The two times I've been here I've had great service."
Her boyfriend Michael Coconate, also of Ahwatukee, said, "There's really nothing that's around the area that's like it. And the employees aren't all that bad to look at."
