It’s a crisp spring night, and the 25 televisions at Hooters are showing baseball, hockey and basketball. For decades, the chain has provided a haven for men who like to congregate over cold beer, hot chicken wings and hotter waitresses. On a night like this, the Hooters in East Brunswick, N.J., should be packed. And it is. But in addition to the guys watching sports, the place is filled with children and their parents.

Beneath a sign that reads “Caution: Blondes Thinking,” a 6-year-old girl sips soda through a bendy straw. Nearby, members of a middle school baseball team wolf down funnel fries at a table printed with Hooters swimsuit calendar girls. In a corner, a server wearing hot pants hands balloons and crayons to young girls fresh off a dance performance.

Three 26-year-old men, who have stopped in after a day of golf, are surveying the scene from a high-top table. “We’re surprised there are so many kids here,” says Robbie Holmes, who works in construction. “We weren’t expecting baseball teams and families. It’s crazy.”