Despite a warning that “you will get sexually harassed every night,” a former Coyote Ugly worker revealed that the job provides “great money” and “awesome friendships.”
Though she did provide the caveat that this comes from her experience in a Panama City Beach, Florida, Coyote Ugly 10 years ago, TikTok creator Randi Burkett (@randigaylord_) gave an engaging presentation on life as a Coyote Ugly bartender and dancer during that time.
It’s also gained some online traction, getting more than 515,000 views in the two days since going up on Wednesday. In a nearly 8.5-minute video (did you know TikTok’s could go that long?), Randi shares quite a bit about life at Coyote Ugly, which touts itself on its website as “the most famous bar on the planet.”
The establishment’s distinctive ethos, which includes female bartenders doing choreographed dance routines on the bar and serving attitude along with drinks, has gained it a following and inspired a 2000 movie called, predictably enough, Coyote Ugly.
“First of all, you have to audition,” Randi warned. “You can’t just go apply for the job and get it.” She described the process at the time, which began at 10 p.m. and was largely there to make sure prospective workers had the requisite “thick skin” to interact with clientele. Throughout the video, she mentioned that patrons sometimes tended to test boundaries to the point of groping female workers, though she was also clear that security was good about protecting the workers.
“You’re not working in a regular bar,” she pointed out. “You’re working at Coyote Ugly; there is a stigma that comes along with that.”
@randigaylord_ I do miss dancing #coyoteuglysaloon #coyoteuglybar #pcb #panamacitybeach #springbreak #coyoteuglypcb ♬ original sound – Randiburkett
She also gave several tips along the way for female customers who wanted to try bartop dancing in exchange for shots. “You know whenever you get up on the bar, you get free shots? I just want y’all to know those free shots are like the cheapest of the cheapest of the cheapest, the nastiest liquor, and they mix it with water.”
While she advised, “Have fun; I’m not hatin’ on it,” she also advised those who want to make that move, “Please wear underwear because you can see everything.” She also counseled, “Also, the bartenders will make bets on how fast it takes you to fall off the bar. It’s a game, so just stay vigilant and try really hard not to fall off the bar.” She then described several instances of just that happening that did not sound pleasant.
As one commenter, going by the username FriedButterOnAStick, noted, “Do I want to be a CU bartender? No, did I listen intently and watch the whole thing? Yes.”
Fans of the video included one who said, “My mom had to have a meeting with my 1st grade teacher bc I said I wanted to be a coyote when I grew up.”
But at least one warned not to expect the experience the movie might have prepared you for. “I went to the coyote bar in pcb last year and it was a bunch of edm songs they were dancing too… completely not the vibe like the movie.”
Or, perhaps even worse, another shared, “I went to Coyote Ugly in PC a couple months ago and not a single bartender was dancing.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and to Coyote Ugly via email.
