Hooters is gearing up for a major resurgence, with the company’s new leader identifying a key, spicy element as crucial to its future success.
Founded 42 years ago, Hooters boasts 420 locations across 42 states and was once a quintessential American dining staple during its peak in the late 1990s.
Known for their signature attire—low-cut white tops and tight orange shorts—waitstaff served a straightforward menu to fans of NASCAR and beer enthusiasts, helping the chain’s value soar to $1.2 billion by 2009.
However, the once-thriving chain has encountered significant challenges in recent years.
Hooters of America, responsible for operating the majority of the chain’s establishments in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. This move aimed to restructure $376 million in debt and close down locations that were not performing well.
Now at the helm is Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc, who is a close associate of the restaurant’s founders from Florida, leading the charge to rejuvenate the brand.
His company, which previously ran 20 restaurants, purchased roughly 130 locations out of bankruptcy in October and is now steering the company back to the chain’s original vision.
‘We want to get the brand right again everywhere,’ he told Fox Business.
The restaurant is rebooting its restaurant designs, fixing its menu, and addressing servers’ concerns about their uniforms
Hooters, the original American ‘breastaurant,’ is trying to stage a comeback by leaning into its iconic past
Kiefer is rolling out a nationwide refresh across about 130 US restaurants and 60 international sites, representing roughly $700 million in annual sales.
His focus started with the food. Specifically, he narrowed in on the restaurant’s iconic sauce.
The butter-based sauce — complete with distilled vinegar and red cayenne peppers — was growing inconsistent at different locations before the bankruptcy, Kiefer said.
‘They had a substitute sauce, which was not the real sauce,’ he told the publication. ‘It’s the craveable thing that makes our food so good.’
The menu — which will now feature the legendary hand-breaded wing recipe, Grade AA butter sauces, fresh salads, and wild-caught fish — reflects a streamlined approach to food quality.
Then, he focused on the server’s outfits.
Kiefer said several women had expressed embarrassment at the restaurant’s increasingly skimpy work attire, in which managers had asked the women to hike their shorts and shorten their crops.
He said: ‘They really weren’t given a choice.’
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In 2023, SNL aired a sketch featuring Sydney Sweeney as a Hooters waitress who receives an enormous number of tips playing on the chain’s steamy vibe. The sketch, penned by cast member Chloe Fineman, sparked debate over its sexualized undertone
Marie recommended others apply to the chain while showing off her cash
Restaurants are also undergoing $300,000 renovations to modernize interiors while keeping the chain’s signature ‘delightfully tacky’ vibe intact.
For Hooters, the comeback is as much about nostalgia as it is about survival.
The classic uniforms, buttery wings, and kitschy décor that made the chain a household name are back — this time with a more family-friendly, franchise-focused approach.
Whether the chain can weather a challenging economic climate for mid-tier restaurants remains to be seen, but at least parents won’t need to shield their children’s eyes as the brand flaps back into action.
And while Hooters’ uniforms have long been the subject of fascination and controversy, the chain’s tongue-in-cheek marketing has raked in a killing for its staff.
Maia Marie, a 24-year-old waitress, shocked her 25,000 social media fans when she raked in a hefty chunk of change on just one half shift.
‘I ended up walking out of there with $451,’ Marie said in a viral TikTok video last year that was viewed 3.8 million times. So, over a full shift, it would likely be double that.’
