Hooters has shut down over 30 of its restaurants across the US, just months after filing for bankruptcy.
The popular restaurant chain, known for its wings and all-female waitstaff, confirmed that closures are underway in at least seven states, including Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
"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 Wednesday.
The closures follow Hooters' filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, as the company seeks to restructure and address $376 million in debt, according to USA Today.
At the time, the company had promised that its locations were "here to stay," while announcing plans to sell all 150 company-owned restaurants to a franchise group backed by the chain's founders.
Despite that assurance, restaurants began shutting their doors throughout 2024, and the pace has continued to increase. Affected locations include downtown restaurants in major cities such as Atlanta, St. Louis, Detroit, and Nashville.
4 Georgia Hooters locations abruptly close amid nationwide closures. Here's where https://t.co/h2tXHqG0z0
— Savannah Now (@SavannahNow) June 5, 2025
Hooters Closes Florida and Texas Locations Amid Industry Slump
In Florida alone, closures hit Sanford, Orlando, and Tallahassee, while multiple restaurants also closed in Texas, including in Houston, Grapevine, and San Marcos.
According to the NY Post, the company had earlier launched a "re-Hooterization" plan to freshen up its image and attract more families.
Changes included improved food quality and faster service. However, that wasn't enough to counter the rising food costs and declining customer traffic.
Hooters is just one of several casual dining chains facing hard times. In the past year, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy and closed at least 50 locations.
TGI Fridays and Bahama Breeze also shut down numerous stores. Italian chain Buca di Beppo followed suit, closing around 20 locations earlier this year.
A report from Technomic showed that restaurant sales grew by just 3% last year — the slowest growth rate in a decade, not counting the pandemic.
More than half of major restaurant chains failed to keep up with inflation, which rose 4% for food services.
As of now, Hooters has not released a complete list of the closed stores or shared when employees were told. Some restaurant pages have vanished from the company's website, while others play automated phone messages confirming the shutdowns.
Join the Conversation