Hooters abruptly closes restaurants in multiple states amid bankruptcy restructuring: ‘Never easy’

Hooters has closed more than 30 of its restaurants in multiple states this week, according to reports.

The Atlanta-based Hooters of America locations that closed were corporately owned.

“Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model,” the company told USA Today in a statement. 

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“We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand.”

Hooters of America recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of an effort to enable a founder-led buyout and restructuring of the popular restaurant chain.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hooters of America for a list of the locations that closed.

USA Today reported that restaurants in at least 10 states have shut down, including in Florida and Texas.

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Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., the Clearwater, Florida-based company that founded the Hooters concept in 1983, told Fox News Digital in April that his group plans to “clean these stores up” and “change the culture.”

Closing certain underperforming locations was always part of the plan, according to a news release from Hooters Inc.

Hooters Inc. owns and operates 22 Hooters restaurants in Florida and Illinois, with two more locations slated to open in Florida later this year.

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Along with another existing franchisee, the Hooters buyer group collectively controls over 30% of the domestic locations, including 14 of the 30 highest-volume restaurants, according to a March 31 news release announcing the restructuring plan.

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Once the restructuring has been approved by a bankruptcy court, the buyer group anticipates operating about 130 Hooters restaurants – roughly 65% of the domestic Hooters locations.

“We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand,” Kiefer told Fox News Digital. 

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“Decisions about store closures are never easy to make, but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible.”