Hooters cancels ‘bikini nights' as it plots family friendly relaunch

Telegraph

01-04-2025

Hooters, the US fast food chain known for its scantily clad waitresses, is planning to relaunch as a family-friendly restaurant after filing for bankruptcy protection.
Waitresses will be trained to greet female diners first and 'bikini nights', where staff serve customers dressed only in swimwear, are to be axed as part of the turnaround plans.
It comes after Hooters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a Texas court on Monday, which will protect it from liquidation while bosses finalise a rescue deal.
The chain, which was founded in the 1980s, has struggled in recent years after running up debts during the pandemic under private equity owners. Hooters has also struggled to adapt to changing attitudes in the wake of the MeToo movement.
Over the years, the restaurant chain has faced repeated accusations of sexism and misogyny for hiring of young female staff and requiring them to wear skimpy work uniforms. In 2021 it was criticised by female staff for shortening the length of their shorts.
Influential voices on the US Right have also blamed what they see as 'woke' ideas promoted by the Biden administration for the chain's struggles.
The Washington Free Beacon, a Conservative online publication, last month claimed Hooters' decline 'coincided with the Democratic Party's malicious efforts to shame men for liking boobs and denounce attractive women for embracing 'body positivity''.
The company has around 300 restaurants, half of which are run by parent company, Hooters of America, while the rest are run by franchisees, including Hooters Inc, a group run by the company's original founders.
Neil Kiefer, who runs Hooters Inc, is now plotting a rescue deal for the entire chain. He told Bloomberg News: 'You go to some parts of the country and people say, 'Oh, I could never go to Hooters, my wife would kill me.' That's depressing to us. We want to change that.'
Known for its scantily-clad 'Hooters Girls' and deep-fried bar food, the chain was founded in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983 by a group of businessmen with no prior restaurant industry experience.
Drawing its name from an American slang term for breasts, the chain's slogan is 'Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined'.
Hooters was founded on April Fool's Day, reflecting the fact that the founders thought it would fail. However, the business grew into one of the US's most well-known restaurant chains.
It was sold to private equity in 2019, shortly before pandemic shutdowns battered the business. Hooters of America has since run up debts of $376m (£291m).
Other US 'fast casual' chains have also struggled in the wake of the pandemic. Red Lobster and TGI Fridays have both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in recent years.
Hooters has made numerous attempts to break into the UK market over years with limited success.
It opened sites in Bristol and Cardiff in 2010 but closed them two years later. A plan to open in Newcastle in 2015 was abandoned after police claimed it would attract too many stag and hen parties.
The opening of a restaurant in Liverpool in 2022 faced criticisms from the then mayor Joanne Anderson, who called Hooters an 'infamously sexually objectifying and misogynistic environment'.
As well as scrapping 'bikini nights', Hooters wants to get waitresses to attend to tables within one minute of seating them and plans to use fresher ingredients such as real butter in its buffalo sauce as part of its turnaround plans.