“It was the breast of times, it was the worst of times.” — with apologies to Charles Dickens. Hooters is still the sugar daddy of the breastaurant business with its patented babes and booze formula.
But last week, the public got a sneak peek into the chain’s sagging fortunes when the company abruptly shuttered 40 restaurants. At its peak, the chain had 600 locations. With the recent cuts, Hooters is down to 293 outlets.
That includes outlets in downtown Toronto, at Pearson International Airport, and locations in Niagara Falls and Montreal. Still, the company is putting its breast foot forward, saying Hooters is “highly resilient and relevant.” “Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores,” a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
“We look forward to continuing to serve our guests at home, on the go and at our restaurants here in the U.S. and around the globe.
” Even among the most unreconstructed men, Hooters can seem passe and cringe-worthy. Hooters hires attractive female servers (no men) who don revealing uniforms that rev up the sex appeal. In-house bikini contests, calendars and other initiatives have fattened the bottom line.
But it wasn’t all glory. The chain was controversial and blasted as sexist. Lawsuits from scantily-clad staffers and the public alike gave Hooters a black eye.
Founded in 1983 by six buddies who liked the wine, women a.
