Seniors flock to surprising new Hooters restaurant in Florida retirement paradise: 'I'd come back'
In The Villages, Florida, Hooters opened its doors on Monday, becoming the first new location since Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year as part of an effort to enable a founder-led buyout and restructuring of the popular restaurant chain.
Hooters fans lined up early for the opening of the new restaurant in The Villages, an age-restricted community located about 45 miles northwest of Orlando.
Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., the Clearwater, Florida-based company that founded the Hooters concept in 1983, told Fox News Digital previously that his group, along with another franchisee, intends to take over the Hooters brand.
"The residents of The Villages have asked for Hooters, and we are excited to open our doors," Kiefer said in a previous interview. "We look forward to serving great food in a fun atmosphere and being a part of The Villages community."
Social media video showed a steady flow of customers when the doors opened for the first time.
After more than 30 Hooters locations throughout the country abruptly closed in June, the grand opening of The Villages restaurant could signify a turning point for the original so-called "breastaurant" chain.
Kiefer said his group intends to "change the culture" of Hooters after the corporate-run restaurants strayed from the original founders' vision and made changes that were inconsistent with the brand.
Those changes included uniform modifications and standards that differed from location to location.
He said the iconic orange shorts, as conceived in the 1980s, were "more of an athletic look."
"Somewhere along the line," Kiefer said, Atlanta-based Hooters of America "went to the more revealing" shorts, "which to us does not jibe with a neighborhood restaurant that some families choose to frequent."
A husband and wife who chronicle Florida life on social media attended the grand opening of The Villages location and documented their experience in a video they shared on their YouTube page.
It had over 9,000 views as of Thursday morning.
Alex and Tember Fowler told Fox News Digital they moved to Florida in 2020.
They "decided to start showing everyone all there is to do" in the Sunshine State, which led them to create The Altem Life website and social media handles.
Alex Fowler revealed that the last Hooters they went to has since closed and was "not a very good one."
But their experience at the location in The Villages was mostly positive.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle
They spoke highly of the wings and curly fries and said the service was "excellent."
"They're pretty much double-teaming every table, which is also helping everything out," Alex Fowler said.
The one negative, he said, was that Hooters charged for refills on flavored teas, although they were told before they ordered them.
"They used to not do that," he said.
Overall, though, their Hooters experience was positive, they said.
"I have to say, it earned my trust back in Hooters because I thought everything was very good," Alex Fowler said.
"Probably one of the better openings we've been to," Tember Fowler added.
One woman who dined there on the opening day agreed, telling the Fowlers, "I'd come back."
Along with another existing franchisee, the Hooters buyer group collectively controls over 30% of the domestic locations, including 14 of the 30 highest-volume restaurants, according to a March 31 news release announcing the restructuring plan.
Once the restructuring has been approved by a bankruptcy court, the buyer group anticipates operating about 130 Hooters restaurants – roughly 65% of the domestic Hooters locations.
Another Hooters location is scheduled to open in Wesley Chapel, Florida, sometime this fall, the company said.
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