Restaurant known for scantily clad servers announces ‘comeback’ and uniform change after bankruptcy this year
A restaurant chain founded in 1983 was one of the many that filed for bankruptcy this year. But, they’re back and better, according to new owners.
Hooters of America, who owns the restaurant Hooters, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March of this year to address the $376 million in debt. Dozens of locations closed in both 2024 and 2025.
As the company has officially successfully exited bankruptcy now, they’re ready for a comeback under new ownership, Hooters Inc., along with some plans to rebrand.
According to Business Insider, changes are happening right away. And first up is revamping servers’ uniforms to “return the original look” of Hooters’ waitstaff to be more family-friendly and beach-forward. In the 80s, servers wore more “modest” uniforms, such as orange Dolphin-style shorts and white tops, instead of the black or orange, tighter bikini-style shorts adopted by previous owners. A new “simplified” menu will also debut, focusing on salads with homemade dressings and of course, head-breaded chicken wings.
Original 1980s Hooters uniforms
The last Hooters in Central Ohio closed over a decade ago, but there were plans years ago to bring a slew of new Hooter’s here again. Now that it’s rebranding itself, we’ll see if that happens. In the mean time, you can check out Hooters’ new menu (and uniforms) in Dayton, Mason, and Toledo.
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