Hooters is a Florida original. Will restaurants close? What to know about looming bankruptcy
The popular sports-bar-restaurant chain is reportedly gearing up to file for bankruptcy in the next few months to restructure its debt, according to Bloomberg. That doesn't mean the struggling company is going under, but if successful it could still mean changes in management and a further reduction in locations.
Hooters has not officially commented, but the chain has had a rocky few years with the loss of walk-in traffic during the pandemic and the rising costs of food. 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.
'Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores,' the Atlanta-based sports bar chain said at the time in a statement to Nation's Restaurant News.
Over four decades since they opened the first one in Clearwater, Hooters has more than 320 Hooters in 25 countries and 251 in the U.S., although the chain's "about us" page still lists 420 in 29 countries.
Some Hooters locations, including 11 in South Florida, are operated by LTP Management, a franchisee of Hooters of America, spokesperson Ilona Wolpin said in 2024. The "Original Hooters" website, which still uses the original slogan "Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined," shows two new locations opening in Florida this summer.
Florida remains the home to 44 Hooters, more than any other state. Texas is the closest, with 39.
Big Lots, Family Dollar, Red Lobster: Which retail, restaurant chains have closed Florida locations in 2024?
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," according to company lore. 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. At one time, the chain had more than 430 locations worldwide, a casino hotel in Las Vegas, a TV show, and even an airline called "Hooters Air."
The company has long supported local charities, marathons and local services, and for years it sponsored NASCAR drivers. However, longtime partner Hendrick Motorsports dropped them last year, saying the restaurant chain "has not been able to meet its business obligations." The Hooters logo had adorned Chase Elliott's No. 9 Chevrolet.
Hooters is also famous for multiple lawsuits over discriminatory hiring 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.
Hooters closed four Florida locations last year:
Hooters, Gainesville, 3105 SW 34th St.
Hooters, Lakeland, 3437 South Florida Ave.
Hooters, Orange Park, 1740 Wells Road
Hooters, West Palm Beach, 2020 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
Beachplace, 17 S Atlantic Blvd Suite 304, Fort Lauderdale
Boca Raton, 2240 NW 19th St Suite 1101-A
Bradenton, 4908 14th St W
Brandon, 10023 E Adamo Dr
Cape Coral, 3120 Del Prado Blvd S
Clearwater, 2800 Gulf to Bay Blvd (the original)
Clearwater Beach, 381 Mandalay Ave
Coral Way, 3301 SW 22nd St Unit 104, Miami
Daytona Beach, 2100 W International Speedway Blvd
Destin, 15015 Emerald Coast Pkwy
Doral, 8695 NW 13th Terrace, Miami
Ft. Lauderdale - Cypress Creek, 6345 N Andrews Ave
Fort Myers, 4411 Cleveland Ave
Fort Myers Beach, 4411 Cleveland Ave
Hialeah, 680 W 49th St
Jacksonville San Jose, 8938 San Jose Blvd
Jacksonville Southside, 4521 Southside Blvd
Kissimmee East, 1201 W Osceola Pkwy
Kissimmee West, 8207 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
Lake Buena Vista, 8510 Palm Pkwy, Orlando
Lakeland II, 3400 US Hwy 98 N
Madiera Beach, 192 Johns Pass, Boardwalk Pl W
Melbourne, 877 S Babcock St
Melbourne West, 695 Palm Bay Rd NE
Naples, 3625 Gateway Ln
Ocala, 2711 SW 27th Ave
Odessa, 16070 State Rd 54
Orlando Airport, 7222 Augusta National Dr
Orlando I Drive, 8801 International Dr
Orlando Kirkman, 5300 FL-435
Panama City Beach, 12709 Front Beach Rd
Pembroke Pines, 7990 Pines Blvd
Pensacola Beach, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd
Port Charlotte, 1360 Tamiami Trail
Port Richey, 5336 Treadway Dr
Sanford, 550 Towne Center Cir
Sarasota, 6507 S Tamiami Trail
Spring Hill, 3437 Commercial Way
St. Petersburg, 4125 4th St N
Sunrise, 3805 N University Dr
Tallahassee, 2000 N Monroe St
Tampa, 4215 W. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa North, 13606 Bruce B Downs Blvd
South Tampa, 4420 West Gandy Blvd
Like many other restaurant chains such as Red Lobster, Tijuana Flats, Burger King, Appleby's, Cracker Barrel, and the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Hooters took a hit during the pandemic and is suffering from the recent rise in food costs.
During the pandemic, Hooters pivoted to take-out sales. In 2021, Hooter of America (HOA) Brands CEO Sal Melilli told Business Insider that to-go sales were 30% of their business, up from 20% pre-pandemic, and the company was emphasizing their fast-casual chain Hoots.
Hooters has expanded in other ways. The original founders of the company maintain the rights to five counties in Florida and announced last year that three new Hooters were coming to The Villages in Central Florida, with another three opening in Las Vegas, according to a press release. Their website lists two opening this summer, at 700 Kristine Way in The Villages and 25245 Wesley Chapel Blvd in Lutz.
"With new Hooters restaurants opening domestically and internationally, new Hooters frozen products launching at grocery stores, and the Hooters footprint expanding into new markets with both company and franchise locations, this brand of 41 years remains highly resilient and relevant," a Hooters representative told the Palm Beach Post. "We look forward to continuing to serve our guests at home, on the go and at our restaurants here in the U.S. and around the globe."
Contributing: Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune/USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hooters bankruptcy possible. Which Florida locations closed?
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