Hooters is abruptly closing more restaurants: See the list of doomed locations in several states
Sports-bar chain Hooters has abruptly closed a number of locations across multiple states as its bankruptcy process continues.
The restaurant closures come just over two months after Hooters of America, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. At the time, the company did not announce any closures but said it was reviewing its 'operational footprint.'
Here's what you need to know about the latest Hooters restaurant closures.
Which Hooters locations have closed?
At least 23 Hooters restaurants appear to have recently closed, according to a Fast Company review of pre-recorded phone messages and Google listings. The locations have also been removed from the store locator tool on the Hooters website. The list was reported earlier by USA Today. The closures impact Hooters' locations in at least 12 states.
Florida
Sanford
Orlando (Kirkman Road)
Kissimmee (Osceola Parkway)
Melbourne (Babcock Street)
Georgia
Atlanta (Peachtree Road)
Douglasville (Douglas Blvd)
Duluth (Gwinnett Drive)
Valdosta
Indiana
Indianapolis (US-31)
Illinois
Rockford
Kentucky
Newport
Michigan
Flint (Miller Road)
Taylor
Missouri
St. Louis (7th Street)
North Carolina
Charlotte (South Blvd)
South Carolina
Columbia
Rock Hill
Tennessee
Murfreesboro
Memphis (Peabody Pl)
Nashville (Largo Drive)
Texas
Grapevine
Houston (Farm to Market 1960 Road)
San Marcos
USA Today has also noted that two additional stores—Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Madison, Wisconsin—have been delisted from the Hooters website, suggesting their closures.
What has Hooters said about the restaurant closures?
Fast Company has reached out to Hooters of America for comment on the reported closures and to ask for a full list and closure dates. We will update this post if we hear back.
In a statement to USA Today, the company said that the closures were of company-owned stores and were a 'difficult decision.'
'Here to stay'
When it announced its bankruptcy in March 2025, Hooters of America published an FAQ about the restructuring, with one point stating that Hooters was 'here to stay.'
However, as Fast Company reported at the time, the company's press release on the matter left open the possibility that Hooters of America may indeed shutter locations as the bankruptcy process continued.
'As part of the Company's broader business transformation and planning, Hooters is evaluating the Company's operational footprint as part of its financial restructuring process to position itself to invest its resources in its strongest assets moving forward,' the company stated in the release.
It now appears that the company has indeed evaluated its operational footprint and has decided it is necessary for some stores to close.
Why did Hooters file for bankruptcy?
It's important to note that while in March there were 410 Hooters restaurants in 38 states and 24 countries, they aren't all owned by the same company.
In America, many are owned by Hooters of America, which also owns the Hooters brand. However, the remainder of the locations in America are operated by franchisees, including Hooters Inc., which is one of the largest franchisees of the Hooters brand. Hooters Inc. is owned by the brand's original co-founders.
It's Hooters of America that sought bankruptcy protection and not Hooters Inc. or any other Hooters franchisee. As part of its bankruptcy process, Hooters of America plans to divest its ownership of physical Hooters stores and sell many of them to existing franchisees.
Hooters of America, LLC will then continue to operate as essentially a licensing company. It will strictly license its restaurants to franchisees and will cease operating locations directly.
Hooters' transition from a partially directly owned restaurant chain to an entirely franchise-owned model comes after Hooters of America has faced struggles for years.
Many restaurant chains, including Red Lobster, Tijuana Flats, Buca di Beppo, and Roti, have turned to bankruptcy as they have faced similar struggles. Those struggles include higher costs due to inflationary pressures as well as reduced foot traffic from cost-conscious consumers cutting back on discretionary spending, such as dining out.
Hooters of America, LLC says it expects its bankruptcy proceeding to wrap up this summer. On June 10, the company will attend a conditional disclosure statement hearing and will face several additional hearings throughout the summer until August.
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