Hooters closes multiple locations nationwide

Restaurant chain Hooters, famous for its wings and scantily clad waitresses, has closed multiple underperforming locations nationwide.

The chain has not disclosed the exact number of closures.

Hooters pinned the blame for the closures on the wider state of the economy but is touting new openings and the launch of grocery store products as signs that the brand itself is doing fine.

“Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores,” the company told Nation’s Restaurant News this week.

“With new Hooters restaurants opening domestically and internationally, new Hooters frozen products launching at grocery stores, and the Hooters footprint expanding … this brand of 41 years remains highly resilient,” the company said.

Nation’s Restaurant News and NewsNation each estimated that the number of closures at around 40. States listed by NewsNation as having had Hooters branches closed include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

In a study conducted by professional services network KPMG released June 18, 41% of American consumers said they plan on spending less on restaurants this summer. On average, surveyed consumers think they will spend 9% less on eating out over the course of the summer.