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Twin Peaks 'breastaurant' servers sue chain for sexual exploitation

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Former employees of “breastaurant” chain Twin Peaks are suing the company, claiming “it’s run very much like a commercial sex ring, torn from a pimp’s playbook.”

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The 34 onetime employees — including two men — are claiming sexual harassment, discrimination and the “sexual exploitation of young women.”

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The lawsuit was filed in US District Court for Northern District of Illinois on Thursday.

“Twin Peaks developed an image where, on the outside, it appears to be a place where young women happily work in revealing clothing while earning large tips,” the lawsuit alleges, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“In reality, young women across America are being demeaned, abused and exploited for the financial and sexual benefit of men.”

Photos submitted to the Equal Opportunity Commission from the former Twin Peaks servers.
Photos submitted to the Equal Opportunity Commission from the former Twin Peaks servers. Photo by HANDOUT /EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT COMMISSION

Twin Peaks is essentially a sports bar that promises “scenic views.”

Its servers are typically scantily-clad young women and its marketing skews masculine, with slogans like “Welcome to the lodge, MANTALITY.”

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Among the allegations:

— Management turned a blind eye to the sexual harassment of its servers by customers.

— Servers were punished —or rewarded — based on their appearance, and the suit claims the “Twin Peaks Girls” had their looks assessed before every shift.

— Women whop were judged as fat were put on probation and had to endure rounds of fat shaming.

—The “breastauraunt’s” head office also played a role in the judgement with photos sent to HQ where the employees would be judged.

Managers assigned a “tone grade” to the women, ranging from 1 to 10.

Bikini Day at a Missouri Twin Peaks.
Bikini Day at a Missouri Twin Peaks. Photo by TWIN PEAKS /INSTAGRAM

“Girls with the higher rank get to pick the most lucrative sections first, leaving girls with the lower rankings in the slow, less-lucrative sections, sometimes leaving the low-ranking girls with no tips at the end of a shift,” the lawsuit alleges.

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The lawsuit also singles out the company’s only female, vice president of talent management, Lexi Burns.

The suit claims Burns acts like a pimp’s top girl “similar to other commercial sex rings that profit off exploiting young women.”

File photo of Twin Peaks servers.
File photo of Twin Peaks servers. Photo by HANDOUT /TWIN PEAKS

In addition, the suit complains about the attire the women were forced to wear with events like “panties parties”. The chain’s sign off agreement doesn’t inform the women  that they consent to buying and wearing lingerie, bikinis and “exposing her buttocks and nipples.”

Four African-American female plaintiffs also claimed racial discrimination saying they were forced to adhere to “white beauty standards” with one of the women called “Donna Summers” because of her hair.

The plaintiffs are seeking back pay and unspecified damages.

bhunter@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @HunterTOSun

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