Hooters abruptly closes dozens of locations across US, including these in Florida – MASHAHER

Floridians rocked from abruptly losing their Red Lobsters last month must now deal with the latest chain to close locations: Hooters.

“Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores,” the Atlanta-based sports bar chain said in a statement to Nation’s Restaurant News.

A list of closed locations has not been provided by local media outlets have found about 40 Hooters restaurants closed around the country, including at least four in Florida and six in Texas. One of them, in Lakeland, Florida, is said by locals to be the second Hooters ever opened, in 1984.

Over four decades since they opened the first one in Clearwater, Hooters has more than 420 Hooters in 29 countries, according to the company website. Some Hooters locations, including 15 in South Florida, are operated by LTP Management, a Franchisee of Hooters of America, according to spokesperson Ilona Wolpin, and are not subject to these shutdowns.

Which Hooters locations closed in Florida?

Comparing last year’s list of Hooters locations in Florida vs. the current one, and checking Google listings, these Hooters are no longer open.

Where is Hooters still open in Florida?

• Beachplace, 17 S Atlantic Blvd Suite 304, Fort Lauderdale

• Boca Raton, 2240 NW 19th St Suite 1101-A

• Bradenton, 4908 14th St W

• Brandon, 10023 E Adamo Dr

• Cape Coral, 3120 Del Prado Blvd S

• Clearwater, 2800 Gulf to Bay Blvd (the original)

• Clearwater Beach, 381 Mandalay Ave

• Coral Way, 3301 SW 22nd St Unit 104, Miami

• Daytona Beach, 2100 W International Speedway Blvd

• Destin, 15015 Emerald Coast Pkwy

• Doral, 8695 NW 13th Terrace, Miami

• Ft. Lauderdale – Cypress Creek, 6345 N Andrews Ave

• Fort Myers, 4411 Cleveland Ave

• Fort Myers Beach, 4411 Cleveland Ave

• Hialeah, 680 W 49th St

• Jacksonville San Jose, 8938 San Jose Blvd

• Jacksonville Southside, 4521 Southside Blvd

• Kissimmee East, 1201 W Osceola Pkwy

• Kissimmee West, 8207 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy

• Lake Buena Vista, 8510 Palm Pkwy, Orlando

• Lakeland II, 3400 US Hwy 98 N

• Madiera Beach, 192 Johns Pass, Boardwalk Pl W

• Melbourne, 877 S Babcock St

• Melbourne West, 695 Palm Bay Rd NE

• Naples, 3625 Gateway Ln

• Ocala,  2711 SW 27th Ave

• Odessa, 16070 State Rd 54

• Orlando Airport, 7222 Augusta National Dr

• Orlando I Drive, 8801 International Dr

• Orlando Kirkman, 5300 FL-435

• Panama City Beach, 12709 Front Beach Rd

• Pembroke Pines, 7990 Pines Blvd

• Pensacola Beach, 400 Quietwater Beach Rd

• Port Charlotte, 1360 Tamiami Trail

• Port Richey, 5336 Treadway Dr

• Sanford, 550 Towne Center Cir

• Sarasota, 6507 S Tamiami Trail

• Spring Hill, 3437 Commercial Way

• St. Petersburg, 4125 4th St N

• Sunrise, 3805 N University Dr

• Tallahassee, 2000 N Monroe St

• Tampa, 4215 W. Hillsborough Ave

• Tampa North, 13606 Bruce B Downs Blvd

• South Tampa, 4420 West Gandy Blvd

What is Hooters?

The first Hooters opened in Clearwater in 1983, the brainchild of six businessmen and the largest chain in the “brestaurant” genre of restaurants that advertise attractive waitresses in tight shirts and shorts.

“Hooters Girls” wear white tank tops with the “Hootie the Owl” logo and short orange shorts, plus tan pantyhose and reflect what an old version of the employees’ handbook (published by the Smoking Gun) called “the look of the ‘All American Cheerleader, Surfer, Girl Next Door.”

Hooters is known for wings, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, and beer, the annual Hooters Girls calendar, the Miss Hooters Pageant, and for sponsoring NASCAR drivers. This year, Hooters is sponsoring Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports. The company also often supports local charities, sponsors marathons and contributes to local services.

It’s also famous for multiple lawsuits over discriminatory hiring practices and for going through a long list of owners. Most recently, in 2019, Hooters was sold to Nord Bay Capital and TriArtisan Capital Advisors.

Contributing: Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune/USA TODAY Network-Florida

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Hooters closing locations ‘underperforming’ in Florida, US