Hooters, the eating place chain identified for its hen wings, its all-female serving group of workers in revealing outfits and its slogan — “delightfully cheesy, but unrefined” — has filed for chapter in a Texas court docket, the corporate introduced on Monday.
Below the chapter settlement, a bunch that incorporates the corporate’s founders — who independently run a few 3rd of the franchised places in america — will purchase the company-owned eating places in america from the non-public fairness company that owns the chain.
The difficult chapter submitting is a solution to stay lots of the eating places open.
“Our famend Hooters eating places are right here to stick,” the corporate mentioned in its announcement. Right through the chapter court cases, Hooters eating places will proceed running — as the corporate mentioned on a web site explaining the transaction, “It’s at all times cling time at Hooters.”
Hooters, pleased with its Buffalo hen wings however well-known for the low-cut tops and vibrant orange scorching pants worn through its waitresses, has greater than 400 places throughout 42 states and 29 nations. A few of the ones eating places, together with the world places, are run as franchises and might not be suffering from the chapter procedure, the corporate mentioned.
After the method is finished, all the chain’s places might be franchises.
Studies that Hooters used to be making an allowance for submitting for chapter had been swirling for weeks, and primary seemed in Bloomberg Information. Ultimate summer season, Hooters closed dozens of eating places.
This week, Neil Kiefer, the executive govt of an impartial corporation that runs a bunch of unique Hooters eating places, informed Bloomberg that he used to be making plans what he known as a “re-Hooterization,” or rebrand, which would come with finishing the chain’s “bikini nights.”
Mr. Kiefer is one of the proposed patrons of Hooters places from their personal fairness house owners. “As we glance towards the long run, we’re dedicated to restoring the Hooters emblem again to its roots,” he mentioned in a remark saying the chapter procedure.
The rebrand will goal to present Hooters a extra healthy symbol. In 2021, the corporate confronted backlash after converting its uniforms to incorporate shorts that have been so tiny that they resembled lingerie. Hooters temporarily reverted its coverage, giving group of workers individuals a collection of what shorts to put on.
Hooters isn’t the one well-known eating chain to fight during the last few years, partially on account of fallout from pandemic closures and inflation squeezing shoppers’ budgets. In November, TGI Friday’s filed for chapter coverage, and remaining Might, Purple Lobster, the American seafood staple, did the similar.
Hooters began 42 years in the past, when “six businessmen with completely no earlier eating place revel in were given in combination and made up our minds to open a spot they couldn’t get kicked out of,” consistent with the chain’s website online. The primary location opened in Clearwater, Fla., in October 1983.
The chain grew frequently, and its wide-eyed owl emblem and orange lettering changed into ubiquitous within the Nineties and early 2000s, each on its many eating places and in pop culture. In its heyday, Hooters’ branding might be observed at shovel racing competitions, on an area soccer crew and at a professional golfing excursion, to call a couple of. It even seemed on an airline, Hooters Air, which operated for 3 years, from 2003 to 2006.