Hooters Is Getting A Family-Friendly Makeover

Hooters is looking for a new identity as they discontinue their famous “bikini nights”.

This comes as the iconic restaurant chain is redefining its image to regain control after looming bankruptcy and the closure of several restaurants across the nation.

“I’m calling it re-Hooterization,” Neil Kiefer, CEO of HCM Hospitality Group, said in a Bloomberg report.

That’s the word Neil Kiefer, CEO of HMC Hospitality Group—the parent company of the group of men who created the Hooters brand—is using to describe the planned family-friendly makeover of the so-called “breastaurant.” 

“You go to some parts of the country and people say, ‘Oh, I could never go to Hooters, my wife would kill me,’” Kiefer said. “That’s depressing to us. We want to change that.”

In June of 2024, over 40 Hooters locations nationwide closed their doors due to “pressure from current market conditions,” according to a statement. Hooters is currently considering filing for bankruptcy.

In 2021, Hooters unveiled a new uniform featuring “wedgie” micro shorts that resembled bikini bottoms more than actual shorts. The updated uniform was met with scrutiny, as waitresses called it “porn” and questioned how much of their skin could even be covered by the skimpy material.

In response to the outrage, Hooters reversed its previous instructions that forced the waitresses to sport the new look.

“As we continue to listen and update the image of the Hooters Girls, we are clarifying that they have the option to choose from traditional uniforms or the new ones,” a spokesperson told Business Insider at the time.