It happened. Hooters, the cheeky worldwide American dining restaurant that started in Florida, has filed for bankruptcy to address its $376 million debt.
But don’t worry, you’ll still be able to get chicken wings and watch the game.
There are a couple of different Hooters companies and franchisees in the mix here. The bulk of the restaurants — more than 151 Hooters, including 29 in Florida — are owned and operated by Hooters of America. Franchisees own another 154, mostly in the United States.
Hooters Inc. is a franchisee run by people who originally founded Hooters in Clearwater more than four decades ago. They currently own and operate 11 locations in the Tampa area, along with 11 Hooters and two Hoots locations in the Chicago area. Another 15 Hooters in South Florida are owned by Hooters of South Florida.
As part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Hooters of America will sell more than 100 corporate-owned locations to Hooters Inc. and another franchisee, Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC, named collectively in the filing as the “Buyer Group,” according to a release. Management and support will be supplied by Hooters Brand Management, LLC (HBM).
“For many years now, the Hooters brand has been owned by private equity firms and other groups with no history or experience with the Hooters brand,” said Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc. “As a result of these transactions, the Hooters brand will once again be in the hands of highly experienced Hooters franchisees and we will be well-positioned to return this iconic brand to its historic success.
“On behalf of all Hooters employees, customers and franchisees, the Buyer Group is excited and optimistic about our future plans for the Hooters brand.”
Kiefer told Bloomberg News last week that he wanted a “re-Hooterization” of the chain after private equity executives moved away from the fun, beachside feel toward even skimpier server outfits and themed bikini nights.
“You go to some parts of the country and people say, ‘Oh I could never go to Hooters, my wife would kill me,”’ Kiefer said. “That’s depressing to us. We want to change that.”
The Buying Group already collectively owns and operates over 30% of the domestic franchised Hooters locations, and 14 of them are among the 30 highest-volume Hooters restaurants, the company said. In 2024, their average restaurant revenue was more than double that of the Hooters of America-owned locations.
Hooters said it expects to complete the deal and emerge from bankruptcy in three to four months. The company has lined up about $35 million in financing from its existing lender group to complete the bankruptcy transaction.
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,” Hooters of America said at the time in a statement to Nation’s Restaurant News.
However, Hooters Inc,. which markets itself under orignalhooters.com, owns and operates 13 locations in the Tampa area and 13 more in the Chicago area.
Florida remains the home to, all together, 57 Hooters, more than any other state. Texas is the closest, with 39.
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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:
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Beachplace, 17 S Atlantic Blvd Suite 304, Fort Lauderdale
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Boca Raton, 2240 NW 19th St Suite 1101-A
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Bradenton, 4908 14th St W
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Brandon, 10023 E Adamo Dr
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Cape Coral, 3120 Del Prado Blvd S
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Clearwater, 2800 Gulf to Bay Blvd (the original)
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Clearwater Beach, 381 Mandalay Ave
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Coral Way, 3301 SW 22nd St Unit 104, Miami
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Daytona Beach, 2100 W International Speedway Blvd
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Destin, 15015 Emerald Coast Pkwy
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Doral, 8695 NW 13th Terrace, Miami
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Ft. Lauderdale – Cypress Creek, 6345 N Andrews Ave
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Fort Myers, 4411 Cleveland Ave
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Fort Myers Beach, 4411 Cleveland Ave
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Hialeah, 680 W 49th St
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Jacksonville San Jose, 8938 San Jose Blvd
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Jacksonville Southside, 4521 Southside Blvd
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Kissimmee East, 1201 W Osceola Pkwy
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Kissimmee West, 8207 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy
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Lake Buena Vista, 8510 Palm Pkwy, Orlando
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Lakeland II, 3400 US Hwy 98 N
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Madiera Beach, 192 Johns Pass, Boardwalk Pl W
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Melbourne, 877 S Babcock St
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Melbourne West, 695 Palm Bay Rd NE
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Naples, 3625 Gateway Ln
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Ocala, 2711 SW 27th Ave
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Odessa, 16070 State Rd 54
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Orlando Airport, 7222 Augusta National Dr
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Orlando I Drive, 8801 International Dr
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Orlando Kirkman, 5300 FL-435
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Panama City Beach, 12709 Front Beach Rd
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Pembroke Pines, 7990 Pines Blvd
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Pensacola Beach, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd
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Port Charlotte, 1360 Tamiami Trail
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Port Richey, 5336 Treadway Dr
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Sanford, 550 Towne Center Cir
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Sarasota, 6507 S Tamiami Trail
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Spring Hill, 3437 Commercial Way
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St. Petersburg, 4125 4th St N
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Sunrise, 3805 N University Dr
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Tallahassee, 2000 N Monroe St
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Tampa, 4215 W. Hillsborough Ave
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Tampa North, 13606 Bruce B Downs Blvd
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South Tampa, 4420 West Gandy Blvd
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The Villages: 700 Kristine Way (coming summer 2025)
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Wesley Chapel: 25245 Wesley Chapel Blvd, Lutz (coming summer 2025)
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 sets plans to sell 100 locations. What to know
