Copyright Business Insider
Changes are likely coming to a Hooters restaurant near you as the chain puts bankruptcy behind it. Hooters Inc. said Monday that it had finalized its acquisition of Hooters of America. The transaction closed on Friday, the companies said — roughly seven months after Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy. Hooters Inc., which also calls itself "Original Hooters," now owns about 140 Hooters locations around the US. With another 60 international locations, the new network will have about $700 million in systemwide sales, according to the company. The men at the helm of Hooters Inc. aren't strangers to the chain — they founded its first location in Florida in 1983. "We're not just acquiring restaurants — we're taking back the Hooters name to show the world who we really are," Hooters Inc. CEO Neil Kiefer said in a statement. Kiefer and the other founders are making changes right away as part of what the company calls a "re-Hooterization." Among their first actions: Revamping servers' uniforms to "return the original look" of Hooters' waitstaff. The chain said it will also debut a "simplified" menu with salad dressings made fresh at individual restaurants and handbreaded chicken wings, it said in its statement. "Post acquisition, Original Hooters is focused on restaurant upgrades, exceptional service, equipment enhancements, and a streamlined menu built around better, higher-quality ingredients," the company said in a statement. Wrestler Hulk Hogan's beer brand, Real American Beer, also organized a bid for Hooters, Business Insider reported earlier this year. Hogan died in July.
