The CEO of Bikinis bar-chain in Texas offered an employee breast implants if she promised to work harder. That promise wasn’t the juicy detail from a sexual harassment suit, it was a segment on CBS’ heartwarming show, Undercover Boss. The CEO was Doug Guller, a prominent restauranteur in Texas. He was the subject of the December 28 edition of the show where he went undercover at Bikinis, his bar-and-grill chain that he calls “breastaurants.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Fired an Employee for Not Wearing a Bikini Top on TV
In his episode of Undercover Boss during the segment where the CEO brings in people he/she worked with and reveals his/her true identity, Guller had a unique approach. He fired one employee, Jessica, because she refused to wear a bikini top on camera on the show (she regularly wore it to work but didn’t feel comfortable doing it on TV, you can watch the horrific episode above, skip to 30 minutes to see the debrief bit). Guller though, did say that he would help her find a new job. Then in an astonishing piece of television, Guller offered an employee a breast augmentation if she promised to work harder over the next six months. While this was airing, the official Undercover Boss Twitter account tweeted this:
What a wonderful moment on #UndercoverBoss! #TryNotToCry
2. He Owns the Trademark to the Term ‘Breastaurant’
His Bikinis chain owns the trademark to the term “breastaurant.” The patent claim was registered in 2012. The Daily Mail reported that since the economic meltdown of 2008, “breastaurants” had been doing significantly better than non-breast based restaurants such as Applebee’s and Bennigan’s. The fasted growing restaurant chain in American in 2013 was a “breastaurant” chain known as Twin Peaks, reported in the New York Post.
3. He Owns 14 Restaurant/Bars in Texas
The Scoot Inn, one of Guller’s establishments in Austin. (Facebook)
According to his Facebook page, Guller is a multi-faceted CEO. He owns music venue Schroeder Hall as well as Texas bars Vinyl, Guller Hall and Upstairs on Trinity. He lives in Austin, Texas, but grew up in Cincinnati, and as his next business venture is planning to bring Chicago restaurant staple, Gino’s East, to Texas. Guller meanwhile has also purchased parts of land in Bankersmith, Texas, and renamed the area “Bikinis.” He had installed himself as mayor of the town.
4. Guller Had a Failed Internet Startup Back in 1996
He’s been an entrepreneur since his early 20s after he graduated from Villanova University with a degree in finance, according to his LinkedIn page. Guller had a failed Internet startup in 1996 which was a precursor to websites such as Grubhub and Seamless, his specialized in ordering pizza online. Since setting up Bikinis in 2006, he hasn’t looked back with locations in Texas and Oklahoma.
5. Guller Calls Himself a ‘Big Family Guy’
@DougGuller group (Austin TX) our 1st to Scotland in 2014! @PremierGolfLLC loved @CullodenHouse and @Gleneagleshotel http://t.co/CflHL3Y6m4
In an interview in January 2014, Guller described himself as a “big family guy.” Though the interview doesn’t mention a wife or girlfriend or any of his own children. He does talk about his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and trips they all took to Scotland and Ireland. In that interview, he described his first job as “picking up dog crap,” his guilty pleasure as “massage,” and his favorite book as “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.
