The Hooters restaurant located in the brand-new Plaza Mango near the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela has become one of Costa Rica’s most visited restaurants. Getting a table at this casual dining eatery usually involves waiting for a minutes, but on Wednesday night this place was nearly standing-room only as tabloid media reporters and photographers jockeyed for position during the presentation of the 13 waitresses who will compete in the Hooters’ Road to Vegas Bikini Contest.

One of the 13 Hooters Girls introduced earlier this week in Alajuela will be chosen to represent Costa Rica at the Hooters International Swimsuit Contest in Las Vegas, which is scheduled to take place at the franchise’s own resort and casino in July. The contestants were dressed in the iconic and diminutive waitress uniform that Hooters Girls around the world are known for. Those who would like to see these gorgeous Ticas seductively sashay down a runway in bikinis will have to wait until March 29^th.

Soon after reports about Wednesday night’s event were posted online, social media netizens in Costa Rica were quick to chime in with their opinions about the Hooters world. Moderators of social networks and online newspapers rushed to censor numerous comments that were rather vulgar, profane and offensive.

Even the comments that did not involve profanity were filled with innuendo about the moral pulchritude of the pageant contestants and reports of their alleged involvement in salacious, extracurricular activities with some of the foreign diners they wait on. Some discussions quickly took on a more personal tone as social media netizens slandered each other and even issued threats of bodily harm and extortion. At the time this report was filed, moderators had done a good job cleaning up, but some outlets such as daily tabloid Diario Extra were still falling victim to social media ugliness.

Tickets to the Hooters’ Road to Vegas Bikini Contest, which will be held at the Martino Hotel in La Garita, province of Alajuela, have a cover price of 23,000 colones (about $46). The event has a capacity of 150 spectators, and even before the contestants had been announced, 50 percent of the available tickets had already been sold. Tickets and information about the event are available at any of the Hooters restaurants in Costa Rica.