Barmaid Riley outside the Petersham Inn, which has caused a controversy. Picture: Craig Wilson

New female licensee Bianca McDonald and her team came up with the idea as a “creative and funny” way to attract women patrons to the Petersham Inn after she took over in late June.

The Petersham Inn has recently been reopened as a sports bar. Picture: Craig WilsonSource:News Corp Australia

However the move has backfired, with a post on the Inner West Mums Facebook page attracting more than 100 comments about the offensive poster, which includes a beautiful woman seductively eating a slice of pizza.

“Totally appalled! That is absolutely outrageous in this day and age,” one woman wrote.

“No wonder there are so many self-esteem issues in girls and objectivity with males,” another comment said.

“It’s offensive and wrong. How do I explain it to my two daughters?” wrote another.

But others saw the humour.

“That is actually quite funny,” one said. “I wonder what they will say if my 39 week pregnant big arse rocked in and asked for a free meal.”

“I want to turn up in my most alluring outfit (stained trackies, old band t-shirt, broken Birkenstocks) and demand my free parma,” another woman wrote.

Licensee Bianca McDonald says the idea was a “creative and funny” way to bring in customers.Source:News Corp Australia

The hotel, on the corner of Parramatta Rd and Phillip St, came under new management in June and relaunched as an American-style sports bar, with 42 big screens.

It also has a “gentleman’s club” known as the Strip Inn, which has a separate entrance to the public bar, with topless waitresses and strip shows.

“The sign was meant to be lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek and to create a spirit of fun for the patrons, as well to bring local women into the pub,” Ms McDonald said.

“There are so many boring signs out there, why not have a bit of fun with it all?”

The interior of the Petersham Inn, which has created controversy among local women.Source:News Corp Australia

Ms McDonald said the pub uses the “urban dictionary” to define whether a girl is hot, and had only received one formal complaint so far.

“The joke is that when a girl comes to the bar the bar girls um and ah about whether she passes the test of the urban definition of ‘hot’, then after some deliberation (about five seconds) they pass the test and get a free meal with any drink purchase.”

Ms McDonald said pubs were for the most part drinking dens for males, and her team took what they believed to be a creative and fun way of attracting more women to the pub.

“We did not and do not see any harm in that, nor was the intention to offend,” she said. “We are disappointed though, if some women are offended and we would like to offer those women the free meal with a drink anyway. When was the last time that women were offered a better deal than men? I say the Petersham Inn is more women-friendly than other pubs.

“A lot of women have come to the pub and they really like it. They like that the public bar and the other areas have remained completely separate from other entertainment, so they only need to see what they want to see. They also love all the upgrades and the friendly atmosphere.”

Ms McDonald said she was disappointed the pub had only given away three “hot girls” meals so far and was considering moving the poster to the busier Parramatta Rd side.

“We sort of wondered if we would get bowled over in the rush for free meals, but not just yet,” she said. “If we do get loads of hot girls come in we can work toward doing events for the girls, such as male reviews and hens nights.”