Bankrupt casual dining chain closes 30 more locations (see where)

The earliest memory I have of me and my family dining in a restaurant was at a cruise ship from Cyprus to Jerusalem. I was seven years old, and I remember it specifically because they were serving soup in huge cups.

This was funny to me. They explained that it was because the ship is constantly swaying and it’s more practical to avoid soup spilling. It was a bit less funny, but still very interesting.

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Even though almost everything that is new is interesting when you are a kid, full of life and eager to explore, dining at a luxurious restaurant was really special. We were all dressed up, behaving nicely, and served all this delicious food we never tried before.

Now I understand what made that soup in a cup dinner so precious was sharing it with the family.

Then, all of a sudden, difficult times came, and we rarely traveled or ate at a restaurant.

A lot has changed since then and the one that is dealing with the challenging times right now is the restaurant industry.

Related: Domino’s and Pizza Hut rival makes ‘first-in-decade’ menu change

If the Covid pandemic didn’t shut a restaurant down, it has, at the bare minimum, heavily impacted its operations.

Now, in a post-pandemic environment, restaurants, diners, fast food chains and other hospitality establishments are dealing with rising costs of labor, food and supplies due to inflation, high interest rates on debt, and shifting consumer trends.

Many major restaurants and fast-food chains went bankrupt

It seems that almost every second there’s another dinner going bankrupt, shutting down locations. And some of those are really huge chains, or iconic local places that have stolen the hearts of their neighbors.

The post-pandemic and inflation-infected environment is killing even the establishments that have been around for four or more decades. Imagine that.

Related: Beloved local family diner closing after nearly 40 years

For example, the famous Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 on May 19, 2024, closed 120 restaurants and still operates about 545 locations.

Then there’s TGI Friday, which has around 600 franchises worldwide, among which 213 U.S. locations, before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Nov. 2024.

More recently, beloved Mexican chain Fernando’s Mexican Cuisine closed all locations without filing for bankruptcy.
Then we shouldn’t forget Texas-based Bar Louie’s, Massachusetts-based Bertucci’s, Sticky Fingers Rib House, Planta, Fog City, Park Plaza, Hooters and many more.

More Restaurants:

• Beloved Mexican restaurant closing iconic location after 63 years
• Major restaurant chain quietly closes several locations
• Iconic restaurant closing its doors after 32 years

Now, one of these widely popular bankrupt restaurants has abruptly closed many locations.

Hooters suddenly closes 30 locations

On March 31, 2024, Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its business. The company announced a plan to sell over 100 of its locations to two franchise groups—Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC., reported TheStreet’s Kirk O’Neill.

Hooters of America reached an agreement for a new company Hooters Brand Management (run by the buyers) to take over the majority of the support services for the franchises.

Related: Popular local Dairy Queen rival suddenly closing, no bankruptcy

The decades-old brand known for delicious chicken wings did not announce any closures.

On June 4, however, Hooters confirmed a “difficult decision” to close 30 locations, reported USA Today. There are around 305 Hooters locations, including 151 owned and operated by the company itself and 154 run by franchisees.

“After careful consideration of what is needed to best position our company for the future, Hooters made the difficult decision to close certain company-owned locations,” a company spokesperson told CNN.

These are the locations that shut down:

• Sanford, Florida
• Orlando, Florida – Kirkman Road
• Kissimmee, Florida – Osceola Parkway
• Melbourne, Florida
• Atlanta, Georgia – Downtown
• Douglasville, Georgia
• Gwinnett, Georgia
• Valdosta, Georgia
• Greenwood, Indiana
• Rockford, Illinois
• Newport, Kentucky
• Flint, Michigan
• Taylor, Michigan
• St. Louis, Missouri – Downtown
• Charlotte, North Carolina – South Boulevard
• Columbia, South Carolina
• Rock Hill, South Carolina
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Memphis, Tennessee – Downtown
• Nashville, Tennessee – Harding Place
• Grapevine, Texas
• Houston, Texas – 120 FM 1960 W
• San Marcos, Texas

Even though these are not the first closures for Hooters, as it has shut down a dozen locations in early 2024, the legendary restaurant chain says it is here to stay.

“Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model,” Hooters told The USA Today. “We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand.”

Related: Bankruptcy forces iconic ice cream chain to close 500 locations

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