Hooters, the US-based restaurant chain identified for hen wings and workers sporting skimpy outfits, has filed for chapter safety.
HOA Restaurant Group filed the movement for Chapter 11 safety on Monday within the North Texas Chapter Court docket in Dallas.
The corporate bumped into monetary woes as its money owed mounted, but it surely says it intends to remain open and resolve its troubles inside months. A bunch of the corporate’s unique founders that personal nearly a 3rd of Hooters’ US areas, together with about half of its largest quantity eating places, plans to purchase and function extra of the shops, Hooters mentioned in a information launch.
“Our famend Hooters eating places are right here to remain and we’re taking motion to strengthen our enterprise to higher serve our valued prospects over the long run,” the corporate mentioned in a discover on its web site.
Hooters, based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia, was based in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983. Bother had been brewing for some time.
The restaurant chain had sponsored the No. 9 NASCAR automobile pushed by Chase Elliott since 2017, however final 12 months, Hendrick Motorsports ended its ties to the long-time sponsor as a result of it was not assembly its monetary commitments.
Its enterprise technique has confronted challenges over time, together with lawsuits over its hiring of solely “Hooters Ladies” to serve prospects.
Final 12 months it agreed to pay $250,000 (€298.946.3) and supply different aid to settle a race and color discrimination lawsuit introduced by the US Equal Employment Alternative Fee in opposition to a Hooters outlet in Greensboro, North Carolina.
In 2022, the restaurant refuted claims it was shutting down and rebranding because of altering buyer tastes.
In 2019, the Hooters hotel-casino off the Las Vegas Strip was bought to an Indian resort firm and rebranded because the OYO Lodge and On line casino.
In 2017, the corporate tried opening a restaurant that didn’t function wait workers in tight tops, as a take a look at of a special method to its unique idea.