Latest news with #NeilKiefer
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Seniors flock to surprising new Hooters restaurant in Florida retirement paradise: 'I'd come back'
Hooters is making the residents of a Florida retirement community happy. 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 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.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hooters Makes Big Announcement After Abruptly Closing Over 30 Locations
On June 4 news broke that iconic restaurant chain Hooters abruptly closed more than 30 locations across 14 states. "Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model," the company said in a statement to 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." In a statement on the chain's website, Hooters made it clear the company isn't going out of business. "Hooters is here to stay, and with a stronger financial foundation and streamlined operations on the other side of this process, we will be well-positioned to continue delivering the guest-obsessed hospitality experience and delicious food our valued customers and communities have come to expect well into the future," a statement on the website read. Just a day later, Hooters revealed restructuring plans that would allow Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC to acquire more then 100 HOA-owned restaurants. In a press release, the company said it expected the store closures would occur before the transaction was finalized while it still expects approximately 200 domestic Hooters restaurants and 60 international Hooters restaurants to remain open. "We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand," Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc. said in a statement on behalf of the Buyer Group. "Decisions about store closures are never easy to make but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible. The Buyer Group has been extremely impressed with the restaurant-level employees of the restaurants they are acquiring and are excited to welcome them into the Hooters Inc. and Attila Wings organizations."Hooters Makes Big Announcement After Abruptly Closing Over 30 Locations first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 5, 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan wants to reimagine Hooters restaurants as his Real American Beer brand makes a new bid to save the chain
Hulk Hogan's beer brand is leading a bid for Hooters' restaurants. Real American Beer was previously interested in acquiring the Hooters' brand name. Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. Hulk Hogan's beer brand is making a bigger bid to save Hooters of America and get the chain growing again. Real American Beer is spearheading a bid for the entire Hooters of America business, including the chain's restaurants, Business Insider has learned. The chain filed for bankruptcy in March. The beer brand, founded in 2024 by wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, expressed interest last month in Hooters' brand name, BI reported. Since then, Real American has assembled a team with broader experience, including running restaurant chains, CEO Terri Francis told BI. "Hulk Hogan and Real American Beer are fully committed to protecting and revitalizing the iconic American brand Hooters," Francis said. Hogan and Real American have "assembled a world-class team" to handle multiple elements of the Hooters business, including real estate, franchising, brand building, and social media marketing, she told BI. The parties overseeing Hooters' bankruptcy would need to approve the bid, and its terms could change. The latest bid puts Hulk's company in direct competition with a proposal led by Hooters Inc., which oversees some franchised Hooters locations and is run by CEO Neil Kiefer, one of Hooters' original cofounders. If successful, the Real American-led bid would aim to grow the Hooters business, including through new revenue streams like merchandise, a person familiar with the bid told BI. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the bid. It would also find a strategy that could get more diners, especially people in their 20s and 30s, stopping by Hooters' restaurants. "Cheap beer and fattening wings aren't the food or drink of the younger generation," the person said. "Hulk can solve that." The Real American bid faces some challenges. For one, Real American would have to find another entity to own the Hooters locations since US liquor laws prevent alcohol brands from owning restaurants. Another challenge is satisfying Hooters of America bondholders, the person familiar with Real American's bid said. Under current plans, Hooters of America would continue paying bondholders what they're owed, according to bankruptcy filings. The company entered bankruptcy with $376 million in debt. Real American's bid, meanwhile, assumes that Hooters' debt holders would need to settle for less than what Hooters owes them in order to make investments in the business and avoid another bankruptcy in the future, the person familiar with Real American's plans said. "It is an uphill struggle as long as someone is bidding the full value of the bonds," the person said, referring to Hooters Inc.'s bid. Hooters Inc. and Hooters of America did not respond to requests for comment from BI. Hooters' founders opened their first restaurant in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida — the birthplace and home of Hulk Hogan. The chain grew to hundreds of restaurants, including many outside the US, over the next few decades. In the early 2000s, Hooters also briefly operated an airline, Hooters Air. Since 2019, the chain has been owned by private equity firms Nord Bay Capital and TriArtisan Capital Advisors. Last year, Hooters closed about 40 locations, citing declining sales. When it filed for bankruptcy this spring, Hooters of America had about 300 locations. Last week, the company identified about 30 more restaurants that it plans to shutter. Real American is hoping that it can reverse Hooters' fortunes. "This isn't about preserving nostalgia," Francis said of the bid that the company is leading. "It's about unlocking Hooters' next era of growth." Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at abitter@ Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hooters Makes Big Announcement Following Sudden Restaurant Closures
Hooters Makes Big Announcement Following Sudden Restaurant Closures originally appeared on Parade. Hooters is issuing an important reminder and teasing a big update to come amid the news that the restaurant chain suddenly shuttered dozens of company-owned locations this week. Early on Thursday morning, mere hours after the chain went viral for what it called a "difficult decision" to close several storefronts across multiple states, Hooters reiterated that the restaurant company isn't going anywhere and it intends to bring back what "initially drove its success" in the first place: the original uniforms and recipes. The iconic wing spot said the sudden closure of company-owned stores in several states on Wednesday, June 4, was part of a larger restructuring plan that will allow more than 100 company-owned Hooters restaurants to continue serving fans today and going forward. Related: As Hooters of America (HOA) announced in April, it is working on a "historic deal" that would allow Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants (or the "Buyer Group") to acquire more than 100 HOA-owned restaurants. The conversations are ongoing, but before the acquisition is finalized, all parties agreed that this set of store closures would occur first. HOA explained in the June 5 announcement that by transferring the company-owned restaurants to this group of operators, which it said is comprised of "existing Hooters franchisees, including the original Hooters founders" and people who have "each been in the Hooters system for over 30 years," it will put the rest of the company-owned restaurants "in the hands of the best possible operators to maximize their future success." Not only that, but the Buyer Group said it intends to "return Hooters to the core principles that initially drove its success, including some of its original recipes and original Hooters Girls uniforms." "We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand," Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc. said in a statement on behalf of the Buyer Group. "Decisions about store closures are never easy to make but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible." "The Buyer Group has been extremely impressed with the restaurant-level employees of the restaurants they are acquiring and are excited to welcome them into the Hooters Inc. and Attila Wings organizations," the statement concluded. The acquisition of Hooters of America is expected to conclude by the end of the summer and the companies say that after the transaction has been finalized, it will still operate approximately 200 domestic Hooters restaurants (or about 65 percent of all Hooters locations in the U.S.) and an additional 60 restaurants around the world. Hooters franchises, including those restaurants located outside the U.S., will continue to be operated by franchisees and license partners. Next: Hooters Makes Big Announcement Following Sudden Restaurant Closures first appeared on Parade on Jun 5, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fox News
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Hooters abruptly closes restaurants in multiple states amid bankruptcy restructuring: 'Never easy'
Hooters has closed more than 30 of its restaurants in multiple states this week, according to reports. The Atlanta-based Hooters of America locations that closed were corporately owned. "Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model," the company told USA Today in a statement. "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." Hooters of America recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of an effort to enable a founder-led buyout and restructuring of the popular restaurant chain. Fox News Digital reached out to Hooters of America for a list of the locations that closed. USA Today reported that restaurants in at least 10 states have shut down, including in Florida and Texas. Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., the Clearwater, Florida-based company that founded the Hooters concept in 1983, told Fox News Digital in April that his group plans to "clean these stores up" and "change the culture." Closing certain underperforming locations was always part of the plan, according to a news release from Hooters Inc. Hooters Inc. owns and operates 22 Hooters restaurants in Florida and Illinois, with two more locations slated to open in Florida later this year. 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. "We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand," Kiefer told Fox News Digital. "Decisions about store closures are never easy to make, but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible."
