Girls Gotta Eat: The Snack — RIP Hooters, Meghan Sussex, and Men Ruining Dating Shows

Date: March 13, 2025
Hosts: Ashley Hesseltine & Rayna Greenberg
Podcast Network: Dear Media

Episode Overview

In this lighter Thursday "Snack" edition, Ashley and Rayna dish out a comedic take on recent pop culture shake-ups, focusing on the wave of familiar stores and restaurants closing (RIP Hooters, Red Lobster, Joann Fabrics), the online roasting of Meghan Markle’s lifestyle show, millennial chain-restaurant nostalgia, reality TV’s never-ending chaos, and the ongoing issues with dating shows (especially men on them). The episode also critiques the treatment of women in celebrity culture, with shout outs to Millie Bobby Brown, Rihanna, and the shifting standards in pop media. Stick around for quick pop culture headlines, TV recs, and the hosts’ all-time top moments from "Love Is Blind."

Main Discussion & Topics

1. Retail Nostalgia & Store Closures

[01:39–13:07]

• Mass Retail Shutdowns: The hosts take on the recent Newsweek report about the tidal wave of store closures—over 7,400 in 2024, possibly doubling in 2025.
• Highly Personal Memories:
  • Rayna mourns Joann Fabrics—“I took sewing all four years of high school. I was like a big ass sewer. I learned to knit. I love to knit. I was Joanne a lot.” [04:05]
  • Both reminisce about using stores like Party City and hitting chain restaurants for special events (Ashley: “Red Lobster was next tier up.” [06:08])
• Economic Sadness: They acknowledge that while it’s easy to dismiss big chains, it’s a crisis for workers:
  • Ashley: “You can’t just like go to the other fabric store down the street, that’s closed too...You can’t just go from Red Lobster to Olive Garden.” [04:47]
• Memorable Moments:
  • Family chain-restaurant chaos stories: Ashley’s brother injures himself replicating a joke at Red Lobster [07:11]; Rayna’s brother vomits at Bravo on Father’s Day [08:18].
• List of Losses: Joann Fabrics, 99 Cent Store, Party City, Big Lots, Red Lobster, Forever 21, Express, and Hooters.

2. RIP: Hooters & Millennial Restaurant Lore

[11:03–13:07]

• Hooters’ Decline: Hooters faces bankruptcy, prompting nostalgia and jokes about its unique pantyhose (Ashley: “You got to go to Hooters and get the... Hooters girls wear the pantyhose.” [12:36]).
• Rayna: “Primarily suggested that I work at Hooters 100 and I... had nothing against it. Maybe we just didn't have one in Bloomington, Indiana in college.” [11:34]
• Discussion on “Hooters to OnlyFans pipeline”:
  • Ashley: “Do you think there’s a pipeline from girls who worked at Hooters and they have OnlyFans now?” [11:43]

3. Fyre Festival 2: The Non-Existent Sequel

[13:07–15:55]

• Isla Mujeres’ Tourism Board: The town officially denies any involvement with Fyre Festival 2, despite tickets being sold (at $1,400+ each).
• Billy McFarland’s Audacity:
  • Rayna: “He’s out of his mind.” [14:12]
  • Ashley: “Can you imagine if you and I were like, guys, we're doing a show at Madison Square Garden in June and then Madison Square Garden's like, they're not.” [13:23]
• Consumer Caution:
  • Rayna: “If you guys were dumb enough to buy these tickets…” [15:31]

4. Millie Bobby Brown Calls Out Sexist Criticism

[15:57–21:15]

• Social Media Scrutiny:
  • Millie’s long Instagram post addresses the internet's refusal to let her "grow up."
  • Rayna: “She says… I hate that men are doing this, but why are women taking this and then giving light to it? She uses their names.” [17:32]
• Hosts Applaud the Clapback:
  • Ashley: “Are these writers proud of this? Like, how can you write these headlines or write these articles? ...This is not the 90s... I find it really wild that we're still here in 2025.” [18:12]
• Theme of Evolving Culture: The segment reflects on the improved, but still flawed, state of celebrity coverage, particularly for young women.

5. Celebrity Clapbacks: Rihanna’s Viral Comment

[21:15–22:39]

• Rihanna on IG:
  • After a user criticized her children’s names, Rihanna replied, “Okay, Tatiana. Cool name.” [21:37]
  • Ashley: “When she gets in those comments, I'm like, oh, we are so back.” [22:06]
• Celeb Commentary: They discuss the culture of public clapbacks, referencing “comments by celebs,” Kardashians, and pop culture memes (“Damn Gina!” “Damn Daniel!”).

6. Meghan Markle’s Netflix Debut: Unrelatability Dissected

[27:40–35:58]

• With Love, Meghan:
  • The new show is drilled by media outlets (esp. for its inauthentic vibes).
  • Rayna: “Meghan Markle Pioneers New Frontiers on Unrelatability. And the article is scathing.” [28:48]
  • Both critique its “crisis of not knowing what the show is,” and that it's not filmed at her house but a $5M rental.
  • Ashley: “If the recipes are complicated…she's unapproachable... If they're too simple, then it's basic and boring. And why did the show get made?...She can't win.” [29:41]
• Broader Gender Commentary:
  • Ashley: “I always have a problem when people seem so excited to tear down a woman regardless of what they've done.” [30:12]
  • Rayna: “Do ask yourself why you hate her so much and what it's rooted in.” [33:31]

7. Reality TV — The Baldwins & Love Is Blind

[35:58–52:02]

• The Baldwins on Reality TV:
  • New show (Alec & Hilaria): “It was supposed to be a redemption arc and a look behind the curtain. But, like, they seem pretty contentious with each other… it's a very serious trial that he's going through for killing somebody.” [37:41]
• Love Is Blind Recap & Reunion:
  • Strong, articulate women reject subpar male matches, sometimes over politics: “These men are not up to par. Is it a red flag that a man wants to go on a reality show in the first place? Yeah, kind of...” [38:44]
  • Virginia’s standout moment: “She won the reunion. She wiped the floor with that man. And she did it with so much poise, grace.” [40:54]
• Commentary on Gendered Reality TV Standards:
  • Ashley: “This is not just exclusive to these men on the show. This is how men always act. They think about what they want to accomplish in that moment... they don't think 10 steps down the road like women do.” [44:10]
  • Rayna: “People just don't want to rip men down the way they want to rip women down.” [45:23]

8. All-Time Love Is Blind Moments

[45:51–52:02]

Ashley & Rayna list their top 15 most iconic moments. Timestamps mark their generation-defining favorites:

• Jet Ski grand exits, Giannina’s epic wedding fall, the infamous Cuties scene, Tiffany snoozing during a proposal, “Kate Spade-gate,” and Lauren & Cameron’s proposal.
• “That moment when Netflix couldn’t run a live finale—group chat chaos!” [48:18]
• “Lauren and Cameron’s proposal...I was like, Rainey, you’re not going to believe this.” [51:02]

9. Quick TV Recommendations & Pop Culture Headlines

[52:02–57:44]

• TV Picks:
  • “Apple Cider Vinegar” (true-crime/health scam drama, Netflix)
  • “Running Point” (Kate Hudson-led comedy, Apple TV+)
  • Giulio Gallarotti’s standup special “On the Map” (YouTube)
  • “Starting Five” NBA docuseries (Netflix)
• Notables:
  • Olivia Culpo’s baby news, Timberlake’s DUI-cop awarded “officer of the year,” Anna Kendrick’s icy response about working with Blake Lively (“Oh, you know.” [56:26]), and Jax Taylor’s public battle with addiction.

10. Lightning Round News Bites

[57:44–end]

• Kylie Jenner & Carrie Coon endorse nipple cream for lips.
• Ashley: “If it's good for your cracked nipples, it's good for your cracked lips.” [57:25]
• “Maybe we’ll make a nipple cream slash lip gloss.” [57:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Primarily suggested that I work at Hooters 100 and I...had nothing to...nothing against it.” – Rayna [11:34]
• “If you guys were dumb enough to buy these tickets…” – Rayna on Fyre Festival 2 [15:31]
• “You can’t just go from Red Lobster to Olive Garden, you know, like, it’s not going to be so easy.” – Ashley [04:47]
• “Are these writers proud of this? ...This is not the 90s.” – Ashley on media critique of Millie Bobby Brown [18:12]
• “Okay, Tatiana. Cool name.” – Rihanna’s viral clapback [21:37]
• “She can’t win for losing. There’s nothing she could have done…that would have satisfied people.” – Rayna on Meghan Markle [31:03]
• “She wiped the floor with that man...with so much poise, grace.” – Rayna on Virginia from Love Is Blind [40:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Retail rant & nostalgia: [01:39–13:07]
• Hooters closing & 2000s culture: [11:03–13:07]
• Fyre Fest 2 “scam” callout: [13:07–15:55]
• Millie Bobby Brown’s statement: [15:57–21:15]
• Rihanna’s IG clapback: [21:15–22:39]
• Meghan Markle’s show & pop feminism: [27:40–35:58]
• Reality TV deep dives (Baldwins & Love Is Blind): [35:58–52:02]
• Favorite Love Is Blind moments: [45:51–52:02]
• TV/pop culture recs: [52:02–55:37]
• Headlines & lightning round: [55:37–end]

Tone & Style

Light, irreverent, razor-sharp, and gossipy, with affectionate nostalgia and a critical feminist edge.

Takeaway

Ashley and Rayna offer cathartic commiseration for millennials watching their favorite spots disappear, hilariously unpack the modern minefield of female celebrity, and call out consistent double standards in dating – all with the signature GGE blend of humor and realness.