CBS gives Hooters the spotlight in ‘Undercover Boss' reality show

"I went undetected," said Brooks, whose much brasher father built the company before relinquishing the CEO title to him in 2003.

Brooks said as a high school and college student he washed dishes and did other jobs at a Hooters in Myrtle Beach, S.C. But two decades later, it's not any easier. "I forgot how hot it could get in the kitchen and how much running around you can do," he said.

Overall, though, he said it was "a great experiment."

"I met a lot of great people," he said. "I'd do it again."

He readily admitted, though, that there was one job he wasn't eligible to take on. "I'll never be," he said, with a chuckle, "a Hooters girl."

CBS management is banking that this type of inspirational show will work well during a recession, when employees want to show their bosses how hard they're working during tough times. The network placed the debut episode, featuring Waste Management, in the cushy post-Super Bowl slot last week, drawing a sizable 38.5 million viewers.

This is not a risk-free venture for Hooters. Brooks said Hooters relinquished all rights to CBS in terms of how the show would be edited in return for 10 million to 15 million sets of eyeballs the chain otherwise wouldn't have gotten. In fact, Brooks won't see the episode until Sunday, like everybody else.

But he's confident Hooters will turn out just fine.

"CBS is a very reputable network," Brooks said. "We didn't have anything to hide, so why not?"

On TV

"Undercover Boss," CBS, 9 p.m. Sundays