Casual dining restaurant chain Hooters – known for its iconic wings and the signature Hooters Girls – has announced the closure of several locations across the United States.
The closures appear to impact Hooters locations in 14 states. According to Hooters' owner Nord Bay Capital, economic challenges such as rising food, labor and rent costs are to blame for the shutdown of so-called "under-performing stores."
But based on a report by Richmond, Virginia news channel WRIC 8, up to 41 locations may have closed recently. While the precise dates of closure for each establishment remain unclear, these locations have been removed from Hooters' official website and are now listed as permanently closed on Google. Moreover, the social media accounts for the now-defunct locations appear to have been deactivated. (Related: America is in the middle of a "restaurant apocalypse," an ominous sign for the U.S. economy.)
Here are the locations that have permanently closed as of late, per WRIC 8:
- Alabama: Homewood and Huntsville
- Florida: Gainesville, Orange Park, South Lakeland and West Palm Beach
- Georgia: Brunswick, Hiram, Macon and Madison Yards
- Illinois: Springfield
- Indiana: Castleton and Clarksville
- Kentucky: Dixie Highway and Richmond
- Maryland: Harborplace
- Missouri: Florissant, Independence and North Kansas City
- North Carolina: Greenville, Jacksonville and Uptown Charlotte
- Oklahoma: Penn Avenue in Oklahoma City
- South Carolina: 1148 Columbia East
- Tennessee: 3569 Memphis SE
- Texas: Arlington South, Baytown, Beaumont, Bryan, Fort Worth Downtown, Galveston, Kirby, Laredo, Lewisville, Lubbock, McAllen, San Angelo, Seabrook, Waco and Wichita Falls
- Virginia: Manassas
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"Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of under-performing stores. Ensuring the well-being of our staff is our priority in these rare instances," the company said in a June 24 statement.
"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. 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."
Hooters isn't alone; many restaurants also scaling back
Citing data from food service research firm Technomic's Ignite platform, Nation's Restaurant News said Hooters had operated 333 locations in 2018. But by the end of 2023, this number declined to 293 – contrasting with competitors that saw peak growth during the same period.
The closure announcement places Hooters among several restaurant chains that have scaled back operations recently. Seafood chain Rubio's closed 48 locations in California alone. Rival seafood chain Red Lobster, known for its unlimited seafood promotion and popcorn shrimp, also shuttered several branches after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
According to 100 Percent Fed Up, Red Lobster blamed "a difficult macroeconomic environment, a bloated and under-performing restaurant footprint, failed or ill-advised strategic initiatives and increased competition" as the reasons for its bankruptcy filing. Days before, the 56-year-old chain shuttered almost 100 locations across the country, amid massive losses triggered by its unlimited shrimp promotion.
Head over to Collapse.news for more stories about restaurant closures in the United States.
Watch this news report that features Hooters Girls from the Wichita Falls, Texas location reacting to the restaurant's unexpected closure.
This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.
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