Hooters of America

What Hooters of America does

Hooters of America, LLC is a privately held casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida and now operating from corporate offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Clearwater. The company operates and franchises approximately 200 Hooters locations across 38 U.S. states and 27 international countries following its October 2025 emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, down from a historical peak of over 430 restaurants. The chain serves the broad consumer market with a menu anchored by hand-breaded chicken wings, burgers, seafood, and sports-bar staples, and historically differentiates through a distinctive server culture and 40+ years of brand heritage.

The business operates across multiple revenue streams including company-owned restaurant sales, franchise royalties, merchandise (HootersGear.com), gift cards, catering through EZCater, and sports marketing sponsorships. The technology stack is light and largely outsourced: a mobile ordering app branded 'Hooters To Go' (built on Olo's platform per the Android package identifier), the Punchh-powered HootClub Rewards loyalty program with four membership tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Orange), StoredValue for gift card processing, and EZCater for B2B catering. Pricing is unit-based with frequent promotional offers including the $9.99 Burger Monday and limited-time wing sauces.

The company underwent a major ownership and strategic inflection in 2025. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025 with $376M in funded debt and $358.9M in FY2024 revenue from 151 company-owned stores, then was acquired out of bankruptcy on October 31, 2025 by its original founders — organized as Hooters Inc. and led by CEO Neil Kiefer (CEO since 1992) — together with franchise partner Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC. The new ownership is implementing a 're-Hooterization' strategy that reverts server uniforms, simplifies the menu, and repositions the brand as a family-friendly beach-themed dining destination, reversing what the founders describe as a more sexualized positioning that took hold under previous private equity owner TriArtisan Capital Advisors.

Name

Hooters of America

Legal name

Hooters of America, LLC

Website

https://hooters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Hooters of America is a private casual dining chain operating ~200 Hooters restaurants across 38 U.S. states and 27 countries. Founded in 1983, it sells wings, burgers, and seafood via dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, and franchising, recently emerging from Chapter 11 under founder-led ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Concession & Stadium / Arena Catering (THAFAIAG)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Chicken wings
• Sports bar dining
• Restaurant franchising
• Food catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining Sales: Revenue from dine-in customers at company-owned and franchised Hooters locations
2. Takeout and Delivery Orders: Revenue from mobile app orders, online ordering, and third-party delivery aggregators
3. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise licensing fees and ongoing royalties from franchise operators
4. Merchandise Sales: Sales of Hooters branded merchandise including apparel, gift cards, and collectibles through HootersGear.com and in-restaurant
5. Catering Services: Catering and party pack orders for events
6. Sports Marketing and Sponsorships: Revenue from sports marketing partnerships, event sponsorships, and local promotions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hooters of America operates and franchises a casual dining restaurant chain featuring hand-breaded chicken wings, burgers, seafood, sandwiches, and salads served in a beach-themed, sports-viewing environment. The company also generates revenue through franchising royalties, branded merchandise (HootersGear.com), gift cards, catering, the HootClub Rewards loyalty program, and the Hooters To Go mobile ordering platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hoots: A separate restaurant concept operated by Original Hooters group - two Hoots locations in Chicagoland.
• Hoots Wings by Hooters

Products and services

• Hooters Restaurants (Casual Dining)
• HootClub Rewards
• Hooters To Go Mobile App
• HootersGear.com Merchandise Store
• Hooters Gift Cards
• Hooters Catering
• Hooters World Wing Eating Championship
• Miss Hooters International Pageant
• Hooters Menu - World Famous Wings
• All-American Summer Menu
• Burger Monday Promotion

Quantifiable outcome

• Free appetizer after every 8 qualifying visits for Bronze/Silver/Gold tiers
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hoot Owl Restaurants LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC is a franchise partner that co-acquired Hooters of America with Original Hooters founders. They own and operate over 60 domestic Hooters locations with original restaurants in PA, DE, and NJ. The partnership represents the founder-led takeover of the brand from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, operating the majority of domestic locations across the US.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Lake TahoeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity outreach partner for Hooters International Pageant events, receiving support through community service initiatives.
• League to Save Lake TahoeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental nonprofit partner for Hooters International Pageant community outreach programs.
• V Foundation for Cancer ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHooters annual 'Give A Hoot' breast cancer fundraising campaign benefits the V Foundation, having raised over $720,000 for cancer research.
• Chase Elliott (NASCAR Driver)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNASCAR driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, representing the brand in motorsports sponsorship.
• John Daly (Professional Golfer)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLegendary golfer with extended partnership for two more years (as of May 2025), promoting Hooters brand through golf associations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chili's Grill & Bar: Major casual dining chain operated by Brinker International with ~1,200+ US locations. Overlaps with Hooters on casual dining occasions and recently emphasized value and burger promotions competing with Hooters' Burger Monday.
• Dave & Buster's: Eatertainment concept combining casual dining with arcade gaming. Competes with Hooters for group outings, sports viewing, and casual dining entertainment occasions but adds amusement revenue streams.
• Applebee's: Largest US casual dining chain with ~1,500+ locations under Dine Brands. Competes with Hooters for casual dining occasions but operates a much broader menu and family-friendly positioning rather than sports bar focus.
• BJ's Restaurant: Casual dining chain with ~200+ locations known for deep dish pizza, burgers, and craft beer. Competes with Hooters on casual dining occasions and sports bar positioning, with overlapping sports-viewing customer base.
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers: Casual dining chain specializing in gourmet burgers with ~500+ US locations. Competes with Hooters on the burger occasion and casual family dining, but lacks Hooters' sports bar / wing specialization.

Direct peers

• Wingstop: Public fast-casual wing specialist with ~2,000+ locations and strong digital ordering adoption. Directly competes with Hooters on the wing occasion and represents the digital-first, delivery-optimized model Hooters must compete against.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Largest direct competitor in the US casual dining sports bar / chicken wing category. Operates ~1,200+ locations under Inspire Brands (Arby's parent) and competes head-to-head with Hooters on wings, sports viewing, and family/casual dining occasions.
• Tilted Kilt: Celtic-themed sports pub with similar server-culture branding and casual dining menu. A scaled-down direct comparable to Hooters with overlapping target demographics and sports bar positioning.
• Brick House Tavern + Tap: Sports bar casual dining chain with locations primarily in the US. Competes directly with Hooters on sports viewing, casual dining, and similar male 21-49 demographic; smaller scale but highly comparable concept.
• Twin Peaks Restaurant: Lodge-themed sports bar chain with similar server-culture concept. Operates ~100+ locations and is the closest direct comparable to Hooters in terms of brand identity, target demo, and sports bar positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hooters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/hooters
• Facebookfacebook.com/hooters
• Instagraminstagram.com/hooters
• TikToktiktok.com/@hooters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hooters of America