Hooters Abruptly Closes Many Restaurants: Was Your Location Affected?

“After careful consideration of what is needed to best position our company for the future, Hooters made the difficult decision to close certain company-owned locations,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

The company did not reveal the list of restaurant closures or how it informed employees about the closures. According to local reports, the affected locations include several in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

‘Our renowned Hooters restaurants are here to stay‘

Blavity reported that Hooters, known for its all-female waitstaff dressed in the signature orange and white uniform, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. At the time, the company had a restructuring agreement to sell 100 corporate-led locations to two Hooters franchisee groups, which would assume operations in the Chicago and Tampa, Florida, areas.

Hooters was among several other beloved restaurant chains that also filed for bankruptcy and closed locations nationwide. Many consumers have opted out of dine-in eateries due to the economy and high inflation costs. However, the popular chicken wing chain said maintaining its “financial foundation” was crucial to keeping the brand on track.

“Our renowned Hooters restaurants are here to stay. Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in our efforts to reinforce Hooters’ financial foundation and continue delivering the guest-obsessed hospitality experience and delicious food our customers and communities have come to expect,” Hooters of America CEO Sal Melilli said in a March news release.

How many Hooters locations are left?

Hooters was founded in 1983. Since then, there are about 420 locations across 29 countries, according to its website.

As of February, there are 254 locations in the United States, per ScrapeHero.

Complete list of Hooters closures

USA Today confirmed the list of Hooters restaurant closures in these cities:

• Sanford, Florida
• Orlando, Florida – Kirkman Road
• Kissimmee, Florida – Osceola Parkway
• Melbourne, Florida
• Atlanta – Downtown
• Douglasville, Georgia
• Gwinnett, Georgia
• Valdosta, Georgia
• Greenwood, Indiana
• Rockford, Illinois
• Newport, Kentucky
• Flint, Michigan
• Taylor, Michigan
• St. Louis, Missouri – Downtown
• Charlotte, North Carolina – South Boulevard
• Columbia, South Carolina
• Rock Hill, South Carolina
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Memphis, Tennessee – Downtown
• Nashville, Tennessee – Harding Place
• Grapevine, Texas
• Houston – 120 FM 1960 W
• San Marcos, Texas