From Pines waitress to Hooters cover girl — and now, a mission to give back
When Selena Sanchez applied to work as a waitress at her hometown’s Hooters restaurant in 2017, she wore a blazer and slicked back her curls in hopes she’d look professional enough to land the job.
“I walked in thinking I would like to be the face of Hooters and represent [the brand],” she said she thought to herself moments before she was hired on the spot and asked to work her first shift the next day.
Eight years later, she’s championing the sports bar’s mission to spread breast cancer awareness in its most coveted role — the 2026 Hooters Calendar cover girl.
Sanchez, 27, is a Cuban-American born and raised in Pembroke Pines, a city she considers so close-knit she admitted, “When I was growing up, my friends were my neighbors.”
Just 18 when she joined Hooters, she says the similar family values shared between the Pines location’s employees and its customers was one of the main draws to working there.
Running into her old schoolmates from Pines Middle School and MacArthur High School while serving wasn’t uncommon, she said, and the all-female wait staff was like a sisterhood that “looks out for one another.”
But the eatery’s commitment to community service, Sanchez says, is what’s kept her working there for nearly a decade.
“I want to keep giving back to the community like I’ve always been doing already, with or without Hooters. ... Now, with cover girl, I’m hoping we can bring other charities and events and make a difference.”
The Hooters calendar tradition dates to 1986, when the sports bar chain launched its inaugural edition with actress and model Lynne Austin — deemed the original Hooters girl — gracing its cover.
Though it started as a marketing strategy to make the brand more recognizable, it turned charitable in 2002 with the creation of the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund, named after a longtime Hooters girl who battled the disease.
The chain’s “Give A Hoot” annual fundraising campaign starts with the $16 calendar’s launch on Oct. 1, which donates $1 of each sale to a local cancer initiative. This year’s recipient is Moffitt Cancer Center, headquartered in Tampa with a satellite clinic in Pembroke Pines.
Also part of the campaign are curated “Pink Drink” cocktail menus, opportunities to “pink up” a check through a direct cash donation or hyperlocal breast cancer awareness events hosted at select Hooters locations.
Roughly $8.7 million has been raised for cancer research to date, according to the chain’s social media accounts.
That’s why when Sanchez was approached about auditioning for the calendar her first year, she jumped at the chance to be a part of something bigger than herself.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a dream. I’d love to audition,’” she said. “It’s awesome. It’s just all these beautiful women coming together and supporting us women. I love that.”
Thousands of girls apply to make the spread each year, but only 200 make the final cut, according to Hooters’ website. The application is fully online, Sanchez says, and requires candidates submit their basic information and several photos of themselves with their hair and makeup done.
But it’s not all about looks. Sanchez’s character, her colleague Kristi Quarles points out, has played an equally important role in making her the ideal Hooters girl, an image the chain describes as the “surfer girl-next-door” with a “bubbly outgoing personality.”
“Selena is a breath of fresh air that is always up for anything,” said Quarles, who heads Hooters of South Florida’s marketing and public affairs. “She is the first to agree to visit the children’s hospital, deliver Hooters calendars to the veterans home or help decorate the store for the holidays. She bleeds orange and truly has made a family at Hooters and, in return, she is our family.”
Though Sanchez’s first calendar appearance didn’t come until 2023 — when she scored a spot in its “May” section — she had spent the previous six years of her career participating in charity events such as KISS Country 99.9’s radiothon for Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital and Metropolitan Ministries’ donation drives to underserved families.
Landing the cover of the 2026 edition, which was shot during sunrise in Bimini, came as a surprise to the 27-year-old, who was originally told she’d be featured as “Miss June” in the calendar. She saw the front-page feature as a chance to leverage its perks and widespread circulation for good.
“I just want everyone to know that when they are buying this calendar, they know why they’re buying it. ... I want the calendar to show its value.”
In addition to supporting cancer research, a calendar purchase includes over $100 in Hooters coupons for each month and the chance to meet a featured Hooters girl if purchased in-store.
Customers who’d like their copy autographed by the models can attend the Pembroke Pines restaurant’s signing event on Nov. 9 or stay tuned for future tour dates this fall across Hooters’ South Florida locations.
Sanchez welcomes all, charities and regulars alike, to get a peek into the heart of the Hooters girl mission.
“When we walk in, everyone’s like, ‘The girls are here.’ ... We are here to show a difference that we do care and we’d like to provide and just make an effort for them,” she said.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 12:52 PM.
