ATLANTA, July 17 (Our Florida Times) — Hooters is trying to make a simple point about its future: the chain says children and families are not a new audience, but part of what it has always been.
That message has become part of Hooters’ turnaround after a bankruptcy filing and a change in ownership. Company leaders say they want the brand to look more like the beach-themed restaurant they say it was built to be, with food, hospitality and a relaxed setting at the center.
What Hooters says it is trying to be
Neil Kiefer, Hooters’ CEO, has said the company wants to restore what he describes as the original concept: a beach-themed place built around Hooters Girls, food and a place to relax. He has also said the chain is moving away from what he called oversexualized or “renegade” stores and putting more emphasis on food, hospitality and community involvement.
In comments to PEOPLE, Kiefer said Hooters is “a neighborhood place that many families frequent, and singles and couples,” and said, “we have been that way always.” He also said that if people have been to Hooters in places such as Chicago, Tampa Bay or South Florida, they would see “tons of families, tons of children.”
Michela DellaMonica, a company representative, told USA TODAY that the shift is a “return to our roots,” not a major reinvention. She said the brand sees the original Hooters as a family-oriented restaurant and that family-focused promotions, including children’s deals, are planned.
Kiefer has also said the company wants more consistency across its remaining restaurants. In earlier reporting, he said the chain would stop weekly bikini nights. He said the swimsuit calendar and the Miss Hooters International Pageant would stay.
Why Chapter 11 matters here
The company’s message comes after Hooters of America entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April as part of a founder-led buyout and restructuring effort. Chapter 11 is a legal process that lets a company keep operating while it reorganizes its debts.
For Hooters, the bankruptcy was not just about finances. It also became part of a larger effort to define what the brand should be now, and who it should be for.
What South Florida employees say
In South Florida, workers told Fox News Digital that the family-friendly pitch sounds familiar rather than new.
Gracie Williams, who said she has worked for Hooters for nearly six years and was identified in the report as the July cover model, said: “Here in South Florida, nothing is changing for us.” She added, “We are the same Hooters girls that we have been from the start.”
Williams and fellow employee Micayla Williams said families have long been part of the crowd at their Fort Lauderdale locations. They said they see families, teenagers, older customers and kids, especially during the day and at beach-area restaurants.
“We get families. We get elderly people. We get teenagers, even kids,” Gracie Williams said. “We are always building an oasis for others to come.”
For the South Florida workers, the company’s new language sounds less like a sharp turn and more like a corporate reset. Their point is that the local restaurants never stopped serving the kinds of customers Hooters now wants to spotlight.
Why this matters for diners
For people who know Hooters mainly as a national chain with a specific image, the company’s new message is a reminder that restaurant brands can mean different things in different places. In South Florida, employees say the locations have long been community spots where beachgoers, families and regulars all mix.
That makes the chain’s comeback effort less about inventing a new identity and more about choosing which parts of its old one to put back in front.
