Hooters founders start 're-Hooterization' with original garb

Emily Graffeo, Bloomberg News on Nov 3, 2025

Published in Women

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The men who founded the Hooters restaurant chain in Florida in 1983 have finalized their reacquisition of the brand, promising to return it to its beachy roots after it went through bankruptcy.

Their first steps in what they call a “re-Hooterization” of the chain after its failure this year: a simplified menu, renewed focus on local communities — and server uniforms that “return the original look,” the founding group said in a statement Monday.

“We’re not just acquiring restaurants — we’re taking back the Hooters name to show the world who we really are,” Neil Kiefer, chief executive officer of Hooters Inc., said in the statement.

The acquisition of Hooters of America, the private equity-controlled entity that owned the brand, closed Friday.

The Florida businessmen who founded the brand, and sold it off over two decades ago, have blasted decisions by its private equity owners. They say the new owners took it away from its beginnings as a beachy destination that offered good food and service that also was family-friendly.

One example was a 2021 decision by Hooters of America to introduce controversial waitress uniforms with skimpier shorts than the retro jogging style the original Hooters referenced. Most franchisees refused to adopt the new look, but company-owned stores did.

Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, saying a “liquidity crunch” prevented it from making necessary investments. The founding group, which still operated roughly a score of locations, took control of the brand as part of the bankruptcy plan.

Hooters Inc. will acquire 111 restaurants across the US as part of the deal. Along with its partners from Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC, the group will own about 140 of the 198 domestic Hooters, according to the statement.

The founders’ group will take over more locations at a challenging time for the broader industry. Hooters was among the iconic restaurant brands, like Red Lobster and TGI Friday’s, that struggled in the wake of the pandemic and elevated inflation, which led Americans to eat out less frequently.

The new menu will bring back Hooters’ handbreaded wing recipe and wing sauces, and include wild-caught fish as well as salads made with in-house dressings, according to the statement.

(With assistance from Stefani Reynolds.)