Hooters says kids, families are part of its comeback as waitresses insist they've always been welcome
When the original founders of Hooters took back control of the iconic restaurant chain last year after its corporate bankruptcy, they promised to return it to its roots.That meant dialing back what founding member and Hooters Inc. CEO Neil Kiefer described as an oversexualized image, reemphasizing the food and hospitality, and broadening the brand's appeal to families and younger customers after years in which some corporate locations had become, in his words, "little boys' club stores."But at the South Florida Hooters locations, which have always been operated by the original ownership group, the servers who greet customers every day say they've been appealing to families and children all along.HISTORY OF HOOTERS: 5 FACTS YOU LIKELY NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE RESTAURANT CHAIN"Here in South Florida, nothing is changing for us," Gracie Williams, who has worked for Hooters for nearly six years, told Fox News Digital."We are the same Hooters girls that we have been from the start," said the 24-year-old waitress and bartender who also happens to grace the July cover of this year's Hooters calendar.Micayla Williams, 21, who has worked for Hooters for about two years, echoed that sentiment.HOOTERS DITCHING BIKINI NIGHTS FOR OVER-60 CROWD AND FAMILIES"Nothing's really changed for our locations," she said.
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When the original founders of Hooters took back control of the iconic restaurant chain last year after its corporate bankruptcy, they promised to return it to its roots.That meant dialing back what founding member and Hooters Inc. CEO Neil Kiefer described as an oversexualized image, reemphasizing the food and hospitality, and broadening the brand's appeal to families and younger customers after years in which some corporate locations had become, in his words, "little boys' club stores."But at the South Florida Hooters locations, which have always been operated by the original ownership group, the servers who greet customers every day say they've been appealing to families and children all along.HISTORY OF HOOTERS: 5 FACTS YOU LIKELY NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE RESTAURANT CHAIN"Here in South Florida, nothing is changing for us," Gracie Williams, who has worked for Hooters for nearly six years, told Fox News Digital."We are the same Hooters girls that we have been from the start," said the 24-year-old waitress and bartender who also happens to grace the July cover of this year's Hooters calendar.Micayla Williams, 21, who has worked for Hooters for about two years, echoed that sentiment.HOOTERS DITCHING BIKINI NIGHTS FOR OVER-60 CROWD AND FAMILIES"Nothing's really changed for our locations," she said. We get teenagers, even kids."Their perspective offers a regional counterpoint to the national conversation surrounding Hooters. As Hooters works to reshape public perception, employees at its two Fort Lauderdale locations say they've long served a broader customer base than the brand's reputation might suggest.Kiefer said restoring that broader appeal consistently throughout all remaining restaurants is central to the company's strategy."We're starting to build that broad base of consumer appeal again, like we have in the original Hooters," Kiefer told Fox News Digital last year.TIKTOK-FAMOUS HOOTERS GILRS BUILT VIRAL FOLLOWING, BUT LANDLORD HAD FINAL SAY ABOUT THEIR FUTUREThe emphasis is on hospitality, food and community involvement, Kiefer said, while moving away from what he described as "renegade stores" that had become "oversexualized."In South Florida, community involvement has always been the formula, the Hooters girls told Fox News Digital.But Gracie Williams doesn't ignore the element that has defined the brand for decades."We're always building an oasis for others to come," she said.
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- What's the story?
- When the original founders of Hooters took back control of the iconic restaurant chain last year after its corporate bankruptcy, they promised to return it to its roots.That meant dialing back what founding member and Hooters Inc. CEO Neil Kiefer described as an oversexualized image, reemphasizing the food and hospitality, and broadening the brand's appeal to families and younger customers after years in which some corporate locations had become, in his words, "little boys' club stores."But at the South Florida Hooters locations, which have always been operated by the original ownership group, the servers who greet customers every day say they've been appealing to families and children all along.HISTORY OF HOOTERS: 5 FACTS YOU LIKELY NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE RESTAURANT CHAIN"Here in South Florida, nothing is changing for us," Gracie Williams, who has worked for Hooters for nearly six years, told Fox News Digital."We are the same Hooters girls that we have been from the start," said the 24-year-old waitress and bartender who also happens to grace the July cover of this year's Hooters calendar.Micayla Williams, 21, who has worked for Hooters for about two years, echoed that sentiment.HOOTERS DITCHING BIKINI NIGHTS FOR OVER-60 CROWD AND FAMILIES"Nothing's really changed for our locations," she said.
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Hooters says kids, families are part of its comeback as waitresses insist they've always been welcome
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