Jodee Berry was 26 years old and waiting tables at a Hooters in Panama City Beach, Florida.
In April 2001, there was a contest. Whoever sold the most beer would be entered into a drawing, and the prize was a new Toyota.
She sold more than anyone else at her location. And in early May, her name was drawn.
They blindfolded her. They led her to the parking lot, with the Florida sun on her face and the promise of four wheels waiting for her. Imagine those steps. Imagine what a woman who works on her feet for eight hours thinks is waiting at the end.
They took off the blindfold. There was no car. There was a Yoda doll, the one from Star Wars. A Toy Yoda. Toyota, as a joke.
The manager laughed. She didn’t.
A week later, she quit. And then she did what no one expected a waitress up against a chain to do: she sued. For breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation, in Bay County court.
The company that owned the restaurant said it would fight the case. Its spokesperson said there had never been any agreement to give away a car. According to Hooters, it was all an April Fools’ Day joke.
A year passed. In May 2002, they reached a settlement. The amount remains secret. But her lawyer, David Noll, made a remark that went around the world: with that money, she could choose “any kind of Toyota she wanted”.
The laughter lasted a minute. She had the last word.
