Earlier this month, an unlikely banner in the parking lot of Mill Valley’s recently closed Whole Foods caused a kerfuffle: “Mill Valley Proudly Welcomes Hooters,” it brashly declared. While this was ultimately determined to be a prank, another North Bay town has now become the supposed target for a location of the chain, as first reported by the Press Democrat Thursday. On Monday, photos of signs announcing a Hooters opening in Healdsburg made the rounds on Facebook.
“Well the Rite Aide vacant building is becoming a HOOTERS!” read a Facebook post with the photos, leading to a flurry of surprised comments. One photo showed a supposed California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control application to sell alcohol at “521 Healdsburg Ave.” that was reportedly posted at the 525 Healdsburg Ave. location of the former Rite Aid, which closed in August. Public records on the Alcoholic Beverage Control website show no applications for a Hooters at either address.
“It is a prank,” Ray Holley, a spokesperson for the city of Healdsburg, told SFGATE by phone, adding that the city’s planning and building departments had no record of a planned Hooters at that location. “And if that retail space was to be converted to eating, dining with an alcohol license, stuff like that, we would know.”
Open positions listed on the sign include “Perkie Blonde Servers” and “Need dude to clean dishes.” When SFGATE called the number listed on the sign “For Employment Opportunities,” it was not Hooters that picked up, but an unfortunate person who had been targeted by the prank. A representative of the Healdsburg Police Department said that the department is aware of the hoax, but is not investigating it…