Florida-based restaurant chain Hooters abruptly closed over 30 locations across multiple states, including six in Florida.
These new closures come after the chain filed for bankruptcy back in March. Hooters told USA TODAY on June 4 that the closed stores were company-owned and called the decision to close them a “difficult one.”
“Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model,” the company said. “We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand.”
Following the closures, Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC (the Buyer group) released a statement saying both parties still expect approximately 200 domestic and 60 international Hooters restaurants to remain open.
They reiterated that the restructuring transactions allow the Buyer Group to acquire more than 100 HOA-owned restaurants and are still proceeding as contemplated.
“We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand,” Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc. on behalf of the Buyer Group. “The Buyer Group has been extremely impressed with the restaurant-level employees of the restaurants they are acquiring and are excited to welcome them into the Hooters Inc. and Attila Wings organizations.”
Hooters restaurant on South Florida has closed and there ios anticipation that something new will be moving in Monday September 30 2024, in Lakeland Fl. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
The following locations were confirmed by the USA TODAY Network to be closed:
The chain also closed four Florida locations last year:
Hooters waitress Liberty Phan carries out a Buffalo Platter of wings Friday afternoon and the new restaurant on Call Field Road. The eatery opened Monday and Friday was their first day for lunch service. Hooters Opens 1
According to company lore, the first Hooters opened in Clearwater in 1983, when “six businessmen with no restaurant experience whatsoever got together to open a place they couldn’t get kicked out of.“
At its height, it was the largest chain in the “brestaurant” genre of restaurants that advertise attractive waitresses in tight shirts and shorts.
“Hooters Girls” wear white tank tops with the “Hootie the Owl” logo and short orange shorts, plus tan pantyhose and reflect what an old version of the employees’ handbook (published by the Smoking Gun) called “the look of the ‘All American Cheerleader, Surfer, Girl Next Door.”
Hooters is renowned for wings, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and beer, the annual Hooters Girls calendar and the Miss Hooters Pageant. The chain once had more than 430 locations worldwide, a casino hotel in Las Vegas, a TV show, and even an airline called “Hooters Air.”
Hooters is also famous for multiple lawsuits over discriminatoryhiring practices and for going through a long list of owners. Most recently, in 2019, Hooters was sold to Nord Bay Capital and TriArtisan Capital Advisors.
The chain has had a rocky few years, with the loss of walk-in traffic during the pandemic and rising food costs. Last year, Hooters shuttered at least 40 locations nationwide, including four in Florida. One of them, in Lakeland, was said by locals to have been the second Hooters ever opened, in 1984.
However, Hooters Inc., which markets itself under originalhooters.com, owns and operates 13 locations in the Tampa area and 13 more in the Chicago area.
Hooters is offering a buy six wings, get six wings free deal at its Southwest Florida restaurants, including Naples, Cape Coral and Fort Myers.
Beachplace, 17 S Atlantic Blvd Suite 304, Fort Lauderdale
