Bottomless Brunch

[OP83]

I will qualify my 'AIBU' by saying that I believe strongly in personal freedom (and responsibility) but...

My partner showed my a video yesterday of a 'Bottomless brunch in the buff' (or something like that) that someone had shared.

In summary, it was a bar/restaurant, absolutely PACKED full of women of all ages, all drinking, some (many) seemingly drunk, being served by (and pawing over) young men in, effectively, underwear. It genuinely looked like a scene from the last days of Rome, except this was in the UK, in 2022, before lunchtime and actively promoted.

I don't like to be one of those 'what if it was the other way around' types but I'll make an exception. Can you imagine a bar packed full of men, drunk before lunchtime, touching up half-naked young waitresses...and this being sold as a concept?! Not saying this doesn't happen anywhere but certainly not publicly advertised in high-street bars!

This aside, with all the 'responsible drinking' messages about, how is the promotion of limitless booze to be consumed before lunchtime even allowed?

On a more practical note, if you goto a bottomless brunch and get your money's worth (which most of the time you have to drink like a sailor to achieve), what the hell do you do afterwards? I like a drink but can't imagine wandering out of a bar half-cut at midday...what do you do with the rest of your day?

I guess I don't really know what my AIBU is except: Am I being unreasonable to think that bottomless brunches are a shameless marketing ploy to fill venues with non-typical clientele and shift loads of booze at a time when nobody would usually consider drinking?

It is incredibly sad that "equality" to many means men being groped and developing eating disorders and body image issues rather than these things stopping for women.

I'm all for a bit of day drinking sometimes. In fact at my age I prefer to go out for an afternoon sesh. OP is quite correct about the outrage if the situation was reversed and it was a bar full of men pawing over semi naked women.

Yes I do know strip and lap dancing clubs exist as well as Hooters, and yes there is outrage about them too.

I went to a ‘West End Musicals’ bottomless brunch last year, for someone’s birthday. I was also confuddled to discover it didn’t actually involve brunch, but was instead a small unpleasant burger and chips at 2pm, and that the bottomless part just referred to alcohol not food. The performers were good though, so it was fun. I was very glad that the half naked waiters one that was initially suggested was vetoed though.

Surprised to see a pp describing Hooters as a family restaurant! I went to one of those with a bunch of colleagues in the US, donkeys years ago, when over there for work. Yes the waitresses wore vests and shorts, but they all had massive fake boobs barely contained within the very cropped and very plunging vests, and the shorts were more what I’d describe as hot pants.

The waitresses fawned over the men in the party (presumably to generate good tips?) while being quite brusque with the women. It was all unbelievably sexist and like something out of the 70s. I can’t believe these places still exist. Maybe they’ve changed though; this was a few years ago. If so, good. But as the whole concept was based on leering at boobs, I still find the idea of it as a family restaurant quite… odd.

thats a breakfast buffet... many places do that.

Brunch is not normally all day food.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I consider myself a little more educated now.

In summary, 'bottomless brunch' isn't necessarily brunch, the food isn't bottomless and the alcohol is usually limited. Sounds like a disingenuous (albeit catchy) name to me and a genius of marketing. If people enjoy it though then awesome, maybe I'm missing out.

For those mentioning Hooters, in honesty, I've never been to one but it always looked like a regular sports bar with bartenders in hotpants and crop-tops but I might be wrong.

The 'male v female' strippers debate wasn't, I assure you, at the core of my comment. Back in my naive days (about 2 hours ago) when I believed that it really was 'bottomless' alcohol at 'brunch' time it just seemed like an odd combination for a high street venue.

As an aside, and not to make any point, just something this made me think of. I've got a (male) friend who's an MMA fighter but does a bit of stripping & 'butler in the buff' sorta-thing for some extra money. I can honestly say that it's hard sometimes to determine if he's been fighting or at a hen-do based on the scratches and stuff he picks up!

what do you do with the rest of your day?

Persevere! Find a pub, keep drinking

You’re being unreasonable about bottomless brunches. Not hugely my bag but nothing wrong with them. There’s also nothing wrong with a business encouraging people to use their services and spend money at a time when they might otherwise be quiet - that’s business.

You’re right about the semi-naked men. It’s not acceptable.

Is bottomless referring to the gents trousers

I haven't read many comments but I think this is my favourite

Hooters isn't even that bad. The girls wear long sleeved tops and short shorts admittedly but I've seen less worn by young local girls queuing to get chicken in out local chicken place!

You can’t think of better places to regularly bring your kids than a hooters?

It might not be X rated but it’s whole purpose is to leer at boobs, hardly a family restaurant to most people 😂

I must be the minority MN'er who thinks that a bottomless brunches sound like a right laff. Against all mn principles of only a tiny sherry at Christmas.

I love a long lunch. It’s got to be good food though and normal waiters

It must be for the hen party crowd to some extent - combining two things that people go for

Bottomless brunches are crap because they take a perfectly decent concept (very boozy lunch), package it up and sell it at substandard quality with very weird gender stereotypes attached. At most of them the food is crap and the booze is limited in both type and amount, and the general vibe seems to be "staycation hen party".

Thing is I can go and have a fantastic lunch with any amount of drinks I want at any restaurant and it hits the exact spot "bottomless brunches" purport to hit. I'm all for a very boozy lunch and stumbling into the sunshine at 3pm a lot more tipsy than intended.

Can't really get worked up about the stripper aspect.

I think you’ve summed it up pretty well there @gannett

Agreed. Like I said previously, I'm partial to a boozy lunch but rather have it on my terms, choose what I eat and drink and not be tied to rules and timings.

There is something a little liberating, and a bit odd, leaving a pub a little hazy when people are still out shopping though :)

There boobs are not remotely out, hell the vest top Im wearing now from the primark range shows more... I can tell a lot of people have never been lol.

And we go to lots of places, not short of any ideas thank you but their food is pretty unique (never been somewhere else that sells the same proper american heavy menu), I'm just not small minded and making bizaare assumptions about a sports bar.

Hooters is famous as 'sexy' because it was for the dress standards of the south usa (conservative and bible heavy) 40 years ago when it opened.

Teen girls and their mams wear far less coverage in fashion clothes walking dont the high street in summer now lol.