Waitresses serving cappuccino in bikinis: US questions controversial custom

In her short career, Barcelona-born singer Bb Trickz has left us with some great quotes. Her favorite: “I go to the beach and show my tits because I’m European.” She has travelled a lot, and has realized that there are places where toplessness is frowned upon. One of those places is the United States: in some cities, it is forbidden for women to show their breasts in public. However, there are no restrictions on serving hamburgers or pints of beer in a bikini, a bra or clothes with a tight neckline. These businesses are very popular in the U.S. There are erotic burger joints and even places where lattes are served in by bikini-clad baristas.

The dynamic is the same: the customer stops, engages in a brief flirtation, pays a higher than usual price for a latte, leaves a tip of between $5 and $20 depending on the quality of the conversation, his mood, and the waitress’s attire, and then goes on his way. In some establishments, they even offer a brief dance or a photo.

These businesses are especially popular in the northwestern United States, particularly in Washington and Oregon. Interestingly, the origin of these types of establishments is in Seattle. According to Seattle Gay News, Mary Keller Wynn was the first to introduce this format when she opened the Natte Latte coffee shop in 1999. Wynn’s waitresses dressed provocatively — white tank tops and bright pink shorts — but not in bikinis. “That would have been taking it a little too far for my comfort level,” she explained in an interview with NPR in 2017. “We were already doing a pretty good job with what we were marketing.”

The trend, Seattle Gay News reports, quickly evolved into edgier offerings that included bikinis and lingerie, based on the mantra that “sex sells.” Then came Dreamboyz Espresso. After a bikini-clad coffee shop closed due to lack of clientele, the owners came up with a creative solution: If women in swimsuits weren’t bringing in enough business, how about shirtless men? Dreamboyz Espresso was born, opening on September 13, 2019, and becoming the only coffee shop in Washington State staffed by shirtless men.

These coffee shops have sparked social and legislative conflicts. Media outlets, neighborhood associations, and other groups have criticized the objectification of women, while others defend the right of workers to choose their clothing and increase their income thanks to high tips. In several cities, regulations have been implemented that prohibit workers from wearing bikinis, in part due to the discovery of undercover cases of prostitution. In addition, multiple incidents of harassment, indecent exposure, and even attempted kidnappings have been reported. For example, in Auburn, Washington, a customer tried to kidnap a waitress in 2023. In another case, an ex-convict tried to rape an employee in 2018.

In a sense, erotic coffee shops are a sophisticated version of chain restaurants like Hooters and Twin Peaks, known colloquially as “brestaurants,” whose formula combines hearty food, beer, and scantily clad girls. In the United States, these businesses continue to be economically solvent. According to an article by Jezebel, they represent the pinnacle of “bro” culture, a type of camaraderie that, like energy, is neither created nor destroyed, but only transformed.

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