FOREST GROVE, Ore. - Some people are steaming mad about a new bikini barista stand and many sounded off at a packed a City Council meeting Monday night.
Bikini barista stands have popped up all over Oregon. But when Dream Girls Espresso opened in Forest Grove, some people protested saying it's near a convenience store where kids hang out.
The meeting was standing room only. Councilors listened to public testimony but did not decide anything at the meeting. They referred the testimony to staff for further research.
One opponent of the bikini barista stand told councilors that the business misled the city, saying they were told one thing but the business did another. Another person called the stand "a public nuisance" and is harmful to other businesses by driving customers away.
Scantily clad coffee servers are one thing, but Kris Coca read a statement from her daughter who interviewed to work at Dream Girls Espresso.
"He said I had good customer service skills, but I had to be more of a player - to flirt with the customers," Coca read from the statement. "I was asked if I'd be comfortable wearing a lace thong and nipple pasties."
The owner of Dream Girls Espresso, Leah Sizemore, told councilors she's banned the skimpiest outfits to help appease critics.
"We have instructed the employees at the Forest Grove location to only wear bikini and lingerie-type attire," she said.
Sizemore says the women are just serving coffee and aren't breaking any laws.
The city's attorney, Paul Elsner, advised the Council during the meeting that the city can't regulate the bikini barista business and Oregon's Constitution allows free expression, including expression at businesses.
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