it's the first afternoon of March Madness and the original Hooters restaurant in clear water, Florida, is buzzing. There are plenty of men enjoying the hoops on the bar area, unsurprising for a chain that has gained — and nurtured — a reputation for catering to the ID of the American male.
But in a booth away from the din, Sherrie lippy, 67, and her friend Karen Stevenson, 61, who's just flown in from Indianapolis, are waiting for two plates of wings. Eating at Hooters is a tradition for lippy when she's hosting out of towers.
it's because of the atmosphere she said see as many women here as men sometimes
Indeed, at this restaurant and one nearby in Tampa — despite the air of testosterone charged lasciviousness that the Hooters brand and its very name conjures — mixed groups of men and women and a few scattered families with kids made for a varied demographic of customers that afternoon
No more bikini nights at Hooters: To save restaurants chain from bankruptcy, founders plan to attract families
According to Bloomberg, what hurt the brand, as the founders see it, were decisions by its private equity overlords that took it away from its roots as a beach destination offering good food and good service that was also family friendly.
No more bikini nights at Hooters: To save restaurants chain from bankruptcy, founders plan to attract families.
it's the first afternoon of March Madness and the original Hooters restaurant in clear water, Florida, is buzzing. There are plenty of men enjoying the hoops on Ti in the bar area, unsurprising for a chain that has gained — and nurtured — a reputation for catering to the ID of the American male.
But in a booth away from the din, Sherrie lippy, 67, and her friend Karen Stevenson, 61, who's just flown in from Indianapolis, are waiting for two plates of wings. Eating at Hooters tradition for lippy when she hosting out of towers.
Novak Djokovic wanted other players to step up by putting their names on tennis antitrust lawsuit
Karnataka Bandh today: 'State govt using police to suppress us,' says Chairman of Labour Council
Exclusive | India is a very thirsty’ nation! Kevin Pietersen explains investment in Ardent Alcobev
Is Chipotle closing in 2025? What we know
“It’s because of the atmosphere she said. “I see as many women here as men sometimes
Indeed, at this restaurant and one nearby in Tampa despite the air of testosterone charged lasciviousness that the Hooters brand and its very name conjures mixed groups of men and women and a few scattered families with kids made for a varied demographic of customers that afternoon.
Also read | International Whisky Day 2025 | 10 popular brands that you must add to your home bar
The ability of those locations, among 22 still owned by the local men who founded the brand in 1983, to draw a crowd beyond what might be considered a core client le underpins a plan taking shape to save the sputtering chain. If successful, the same Florida founders who sold off the Hooters brand over two decades ago will retake control after the company undergoes a spin through bankruptcy.
Their pitch began last year, as the latest private equity owners of Hooters of America — the corporate entity that now owns the brand — shuttered locations and struggled to manage a roughly $350 million debt load. Neil Keefer, chief executive officer of the founder owned unit, Mac Hospitality Group, saw a way to turn things around: Take charge and apply what has worked for them in their restaurants in Florida and Illinois to the brand nationwide
I'm calling it a re hooterization Keefer, seated at a table at the clear water location as the Brigham Young and Virginia Commonwealth men's basketball teams faced off in the background, said in an interview.
What hurt the brand, as the founders see it, were decisions by its private equity overlords that took it away from its roots as a beach destination offering good food and good service that was also family friendly. Helping crystallize that view: a 2021 decision by Hooters of America to introduce new waitress uniforms that looked more like underwear than the retro jogging shorts the original Hooters referenced, along with theme nights where servers wore only bikinis.
"You go to some parts of the country and people say, oh I could never go to Hooters, my wife would kill me Keefer said. The depressing to us. We want to change that.
Managing the fine line between edgy and family friendly is part of their secret sauce. And the current era may work in the company's favor as it seeks to stabilize the business nationwide. With the playbook for mainstream American culture undergoing a broad rewrite, more customers may be willing to overlook the risqué association Hooters carries with it in some regions of the country, especially if it delivers on the experience.
there are so many opportunities now for entertainment said Aaron Allen, a restaurant industry analyst with his own consulting firm and over 30 years of advisory experience. Speaking broadly about the sector, Allen cited new dining chains with features like pickle ball and golf among attention rivals for themed restaurants like Hooters. for a business to be successful and sustainable, it helps to appeal to more than just men.
Hooters, of course, was battered by the pandemic like the rest of the industry, and is contending with the same pressures that pushed casual dining chains like Red Lobster and TGI Friday's into bankruptcy in 2024. Elevated inflation eroded Americans willingness to dine out, and for years now people have been shifting toward speedier and cheaper options. In the third quarter of 2024, same store sales were down across the Hooters system on an annual basis, according to a person familiar with the results.
You must be logged in to post a comment.