A HOOTERS boss has revealed the shocking truth behind the restaurant rebrand he wants to be “delightfully tacky”.
The chain fell into bankruptcy earlier this year, but is now with a plan to change things, starting with the shorts.
A Hooters boss has revealed the shocking truth behind the restaurant rebrand he wants to be “delightfully tacky”[/caption]
The chain fell into bankruptcy earlier this year, but is now with a plan to change things, starting with the shorts[/caption]
Hooters franchise owner Neil Kiefer, 73, is arguing in bankruptcy court right now that he is the man to manage all of the remaining Hooters spots in the US.
He currently owns nearly two dozen Hooters restaurants.
Earlier this year, the company that owned 50 spots filed for bankruptcy, something Kiefer wants to take advantage of.
The franchisee owner wants to take over 50 of the bankruptcy locations and partner with another operator who would take on an additional 50.
Then, Kiefer would become CEO and oversee the entire chain.
He has spent the majority of his career running restaurants, and he even knew the original Hooters founders.
Times are changing, and Kiefer believes that Hooters needs to reflect that going forward.
He wants to fix up the locations that are run down, update the menu and make the chain “delightfully tacky”.
This will put waitresses in orange shorts instead of the bikini-style bottoms the chain is known for.
Kiefer explained: “I don’t think you’re going to see a bunch of butt cheeks hanging out.”
If a bankruptcy judge in Dallas, Texas, approves the sale to Kiefer in the coming weeks, the chain will become “re-Hooterized”, as Kiefer puts it.
Expanding on his pitch, Kiefer said he wants to turn Hooters into a “beach-themed oasis”.
He also highlighted the versatility of Hooters as a brand, and showed that he understands what the brand can do.
Kiefer continued: “Get fired, go to Hooters. Get a new job, go to Hooters.
Full list of Hooters store closures
The following Hooters locations have already closed:
Alabama
- Hooters, Huntsville, 4729 NW University
- Hooters, Birmingham, 1278 Oak Grove Rd
Florida
- 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
Kentucky
- Hooters, Louisville, 4948 Dixie Highway
- Hooters, Richmond, 241 Eastern Bypass
Georgia
- Hooters, Brunswick, 10355 Canal Crossing
- Hooters, Hiram, 5464 Wendy Bagwell Pkwy
- Hooters, Macon, 112 Riverside Parkway
- Hoots Wings by Hooters, Atlanta, 935 Memorial Drive NE, Suite 310
- Hooters, McDonough, 1858 Jonesboro Road
Illinois
- Hooters, Springfield, 3241 Horizon Drive
Indiana
- Hooters, Castleton, 6426 E. 82nd St
- Hooters, Clarksville, 941 Lewis & Clark Pkwy
Maryland
- Hooters, Baltimore, 301 Light St 1445
Missouri
- Hooters, Florissant, 2765 N. Highway 67
- Hooters, Independence, 19850 E. Valley View Pkwy
- Hooters, North Kansas City, 6411 Barry Rd
North Carolina
- Hooters, Greenville, 316 S.W. Greenville Blvd
- Hooters, Jacksonville, 463 Western Blvd
- Hooters, Charlotte, 123 W. Trade Street
Oklahoma
- Hooters, Oklahoma City, 13320 N Pennsylvania Ave
South Carolina
- Hooters, Columbia, 7711 Two Notch Road
Tennessee
- Hooters, Memphis, 7535 Winchester Road
Texas
- Hooters, Beaumont, 850 Interstate 10
- Hooters, Laredo, 5706 San Bernardo Avenue
- Hooters, Houston, 2519 Southwest Parkway
- Hooters, Baytown, 4710 I-10 East
- Hooters, Arlington, 5821 West I-20
- Hooters, Wichita Falls, 3701 Call Field Road
- Hooters, Lewisville, 1960 S. Stemmons
- Hooters, San Antonio, 849 E. Commerce St., Ste. 105
- Hooters, Bryan, 960 N. Earl Rudder Fwy
- Hooters, Lubbock, 4950 S. Loop 289
- Hooters, Galveston, 6028 Heards Lane
- Hooters, Waco, 3921 S. Jack Kultgen Freeway
- Hooters, Fort Worth Downtown, 150 Throckmorton, Suite 132
- Hooters, McAllen, 410 E. Expressway 83
- Hooters, San Angelo, 4384 Sherwood Way
- Hooters, Seabrook, 1818 NASA Road 1
- Hooters, Wichita Falls, 3701 Call Field Rd
Virginia
- Hooters, Manassas, 8503 Rixlew Drive
“You know it wasn’t fine dining by any stretch of the imagination, but good, quality food.”
HOOTERS GIRLS
Hooters has come under fire for the waitress uniforms for years, something which Kiefer has already said he wanted to change.
At some of the Hooters he already owns, he has had to deny that the shorts were being hiked up.
Even the current job description for a so-called “Hooters girl” asks for women who have the “ability to maintain attractive fit & image”.
But waitresses have defended the chain from scrutiny, including Mikayla Flanagan, 25.
She said: “There’s so much more than the little outfits.”
But she also claimed that Hooters girls need to be “camera-ready” at all times because a customer could ask for a picture.
Expanding on his pitch, Kiefer said he wants to turn Hooters into a “beach-themed oasis”[/caption]
