Bodacious Mannequin wins Fight to Remain the Mascot of Ohio Barbecue Restaurant

by Susan Davis on 09/07/09 at 5:29 am

At Least KT's is dressed

A well-endowed, life-sized mannequin standing outside a barbecue restaurant in suburban Cincinnati has been garnering more than her share of attention.

For the last few months, K-T’s Barbecue, in Reading, Ohio, has been fighting for the right to display a scantily clad mannequin outside of the restaurant.  What started as a clever marketing idea and a unique way to generate business in a down economy,  turned into a very public fight for the eatery’s owner, Kenny Tessel.  Some folks found the bosomy sign holder, nicknamed “Bar-Bee-Q,” a bit more bodacious than what they wanted to see on Reading’s main thoroughfare, so in May, the town’s Design Review Board set limits on where she can stand and what she can wear.

“The mannequin is sensational and tasteless,” said Chris Broerman, a Reading resident, during an interview with WCPO Television. “Not the image residents in Reading want in their neighborhood.”

“Miss Q,” who is often seen dressed in shorts and a bikini top, has increased K-T’s Barbecue business by more than 40 percent since she became a beacon for this hometown restaurant favorite.  Considering the state of the economy, this surge in sales is unprecedented, especially since more people are cutting out discretionary dining expenditures.

“I’m a small business guy and I needed to stay alive and stay open,” Tessel said in an interview with TV station WCPO.  “And she’s created this opportunity for me.”

Tessel already had to pay for two permits to keep “Miss Q” on the street, and has a petition with 800 names supporting keeping “Miss Q” in her original attire — more than 500 of them new customers, who were drawn in by the curvaceous mascot.  So Tessel appealed the ruling and the restrictions enacted by the Design Review Board at a meeting on Monday night.

After hearing arguments on both sides, the Design Review Board ruled in Tessel’s favor.   The busty “Miss Q” can return to her place of prominence, wearing her signature, skimpy bikini.   Needless to say, Tessel (and his happy customers) are thrilled.