Chicago Tribune

'We did not sign up to work at a strip club': Former servers allege sexual harassment at Twin Peaks 'breastaurant'

CHICAGO - When Sarah Blaylock joined the staff of Twin Peaks in Orland Park, a Chicago suburb, she signed an agreement that laid out the expectations for a "Twin Peaks Girl."

She said she understood that the lodge-themed restaurant chain wanted its all-female waitstaff to be physically fit and well-groomed. She said she felt comfortable wearing the uniform provided: a tight T-shirt that showed some cleavage and a narrow strip of midriff below her belly button, plus a pair of short khaki shorts and knee-high mountain boots.

But about six months after the restaurant's April 2016 grand opening, the environment changed, Blaylock and other former workers allege in charges filed against Twin Peaks with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In a new pre-shift regimen, the women were lined up, graded on the tautness of their bodies and those with higher scores got to serve the best sections of the restaurant, the charges assert. On certain occasions, the workers allege, they were required to wear lingerie and bikinis, which one Valentine's Day weekend resulted in police issuing Blaylock and other servers citations for indecent exposure.

"It was very degrading, and very sad," Blaylock, 28, said during an interview alongside her attorney and three other former Orland Park colleagues. "And it took a lot out of each and every one of

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune3 min read
Cody Bellinger Headed To IL With Fractured Ribs; Cubs Recall Pete Crow-Armstrong From Triple-A
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger sounded hopeful Tuesday that his collision with the outfield wall wouldn’t cause him to miss much, if any, time. That optimism did not last long. Bellinger became the latest Cub to head to the inju
Chicago Tribune3 min read
Gov. JB Pritzker Says ‘Evolution Of The Leadership’ Needed At CTA
SPRINGFIELD, Il. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for an “evolution of the leadership” at the CTA, as embattled agency President Dorval Carter has looked to Springfield for solutions to a looming budget crisis. Carter has found himself in the hot seat as
Chicago Tribune10 min read
After 25 Years Of Selling Tamales In Chicago, An Undocumented Immigrant Mother Returns To Mexico Without Her Family
Claudia Perez’s children could count on one hand the number of times they had seen their father cry. The day their mother left was one of them. Perez had worked her whole life for a dream that did not come true: Save enough money to take her family b

Related Books & Audiobooks