Hooters restaurants are going back to the basics, a process the company called “re-Hooterization” in a press release Monday. That includes server uniforms that are going back to the “original look,” the company said.
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Earlier this year, Audacy reported that Hooters – a chain of restaurants known primarily for Buffalo wings and the “Hooters Girl” servers – had entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last Friday, Hooters Inc. “finalized a historic acquisition of Hooters of America (HOA)” and with the closing, “Original Hooters along with their partners from Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC will own approximately 140 of the 198 domestic Hooters restaurants.”
Hooters opened its first location in Clearwater, Fla., in 1983 with a “delightfully tacky” theme. Three years later, it launched its first Hooters Calendar. Over the years, the company expanded nationwide and internationally and its “Girls of Hooters” have been featured in Playboy.
While the Hooters uniforms are now iconic (you might have even seen some out over Halloween weekend) a change that came in 2021 ruffled some feathers and made some staffers uncomfortable, according to Newsweek. It said new shorts were met with a “wave of negative reactions from female employees on TikTok.”
Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., told Fox News Digital this year that uniform changes were in store. He explained that the uniforms would be “athletic” and “not so much sexual,” a look harkening back to the first uniforms in the 1980s.
“You don’t want to have a butt cheek in your plate,” he told the outlet.
Kiefer also noted that Hooters restaurants are often places where families grab a bite to eat. Going forward the company wants to embrace that, and connections with the local community.
“What has always made Hooters special are the thousands of iconic World Famous Hooters Girls,” said the Monday press release. “As part of the change, all server uniforms will return the original look while staying true to the brand’s original beachy vibe and heritage.”
Changes have already started rolling out at Hooters locations nationwide. Other updates include a simplified menu, “with the return of fan-favorite dishes including Hooters’ legendary handbreaded wing recipe and wing sauces using Grade AA butter, wild- caught fish options, fresh cut salads, ranch and bleu cheese dressings made in house daily, and more,” the release sad.
“We’re not just acquiring restaurants — we’re taking back the Hooters name to show the world who we really are,” said Kiefer. He added that they want the restaurants to be a place “where everyone feels welcome.”
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