Hooters has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Their CEO hopes to redeem the beloved establishment with a more family-friendly approach moving forward.
Per Men’s Journal, get ready for more restaurant and less “breastaurant.”
Those words come straight from Neil Kiefer, CEO of HMC Hospitality Group, which is the parent company of the Hooters brand.
Kiefer will start by eliminating Hooters’ famous “Bikini Night.” That’s the one night of the week where waitresses ditch their already-skimpy orange shorts and babydoll shirts and walk around in two-piece swimsuits instead.
The CEO wants to change the aura that surrounds the Hooters brand.
“You go to some parts of the country and people say, ‘Oh, I could never go to Hooters, my wife would kill me,’ that’s depressing to us. We want to change that.”
Almost cinematically, Hooters was established on April 1, 1983, and filed for bankruptcy 42 years later, almost to the day. Their bankruptcy filing is dated March 31, 2025.
According to the USA Leaders, there have been several things that led Hooters to bankruptcy. The company experienced rising expenses, like most restaurants have since the pandemic. They have also accumulated a debt of roughly $300 million.
In 2024, Hooters began closing some of their underperforming locations — 40 of them to be exact. Then came the rumor of bankruptcy.
They have also battled multiple lawsuits in recent years. There was the recently-settled lawsuit with Hendrick Motorsports over alleged unpaid bills, and another settlement for $250,000 over race and color discrimination allegations.
While that isn’t a ton of money to such a large chain, it’s a red mark on their brand name.
In the next 90 or so days, Hooters will continue operating as normal, but they begin restructuring how their restaurants work. The CEO used the term “re-Hooterization” to describe what they’re doing.
At least 100 ompany-owned Hooters restaurants across America are slated to be sold. But while the future of the restaurant may feel up in the air to patrons, Hooters insists that they will reemerge as a new restaurant that is completely family-friendly.
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