“Hooters makes you happy” was a lyric to a jingle from a series of 1990s television commercials about the Florida-founded restaurant chain.
It’s one of the memorable catchphrases shared by once-loyal Hooters patrons during an era when the brand was appealing to single men and families alike.
Now, amid bankruptcy proceedings, the founding group — along with another franchisee — announced a plan earlier this year to reclaim control of the brand, which Hooters Inc. CEO Neil Kiefer told Fox News Digital strayed too far from the original vision under Hooters of America management.
While the buyer group awaits approval from a bankruptcy court, here’s a trip down memory lane — featuring five facts about Hooters’ history that may come as a surprise to some.
1. The name is a play on words
During a game of Parcheesi, six “semi-intellectual Clearwater businessmen” developed a sudden urge for Buffalo-style chicken wings, according to the website for Hooters Inc., which still operates the original Hooters location and nearly two dozen others throughout the Tampa Bay and Chicagoland areas.
Knowing they couldn’t agree on anything as a group, the “Hooters Six,” as they came to be known, “decided to embark upon a major undertaking” and “open a place in Clearwater where other people of their caliber could gather and quench their thirst for the finer things in life.”
But what would they call it?
“Simple — what else brings a gleam to men’s eyes everywhere besides beer and chicken wings and an occasional winning football season? Hence, the name Hooters.”
Hooters opened its flagship location in Oct. 1983.
The name is a double entendre, referring to both a slang term for women’s breasts, giving birth to the “breastaurant” concept — and the logo, an owl known for its hooting calls.
Oh, and the owl mascot’s name is Hootie.
2. Hooters comes home
Before young Hooters waitresses were widely welcomed into homes as bikini centerfolds in the annual Hooters calendar, they found fame on late-night television.
Hooters girls first hit the small screen in 1987, introducing and hosting a late-night movie of the week called “Hooters Nite Owl Theater.”
Lynne Austin, the original Hooters calendar girl who also appeared as the July 1986 Playboy Playmate, was the debut host.
The syndicated show was later renamed “Hooters Movie of the Weak.” And that’s not a typo.
Syndicated in 13 major markets, the show became a hit with viewers for its comedy sketches and political skewers that bookended the movie and aired between commercial breaks, soon ranking No. 1 in its time slot, according to Hooters.
The show eventually moved to the afternoon before being yanked in 1995, “victim of a legal skirmish between Hooters of America and Hooters Inc.”
Hooters tried giving TV another shot in 2001 with “Who Wants to Date a Hooters Girl?”
The half-hour dating show was to pit six guys against each other who all wanted a night out with a Hooters waitress.
Broadcasting + Cable magazine reported that comedian George Gray was set to host “Who Wants to Date a Hooters Girl?” — while Doug Schwartz, creator of the popular 1990s series “Baywatch,” was attached as executive producer. The show never aired.
3. Hooters takes the field
Hooters was more than just a restaurant chain. It was also a football team in the 1990s.
The Miami Hooters was the name of an old Arena Football League team in Florida.
Under a marketing agreement with the restaurant chain, the team played as the Hooters from 1993-95.
After a paltry 11-26 record over three seasons, the sponsorship was terminated and the team relocated to West Palm Beach, taking on a new identity as the Florida Bobcats.
4. Hooters reaches for the sky
Hooters girls soared at 30,000 feet in the early 2000s.
The restaurant chain was flying high as a Hooters-branded airline launched in 2003.
Hooters Air, through a partnership with Pace Airlines, operated a Boeing fleet that flew to 15 U.S. destinations under a flat-fare model of $129 each way, according to Forbes.
The airline was founded by Robert Brooks, who was chairman of Hooters of America and had acquired Pace Airlines in 2002.
Two Hooters girls rode along on each trip, according to Forbes, mostly as in-flight entertainment since they weren’t certified flight attendants.
A perk for passengers was complimentary meals for any flight with a duration of more than an hour, according to Airways magazine.
Hooters Air didn’t last long, however; it shut down in 2006.
5. Hooters rolls the dice
Hooters also had its own hotel and casino in Las Vegas.
The Hooters Casino Hotel opened in 2006 across from the MGM Grand off the Las Vegas Strip.
It had 696 rooms, a casino and nine restaurants and bars, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Hooters girls worked as front-of-house staff and on the casino floor as waitresses, bartenders, cocktail servers and dealers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The property was rebranded as the Oyo Hotel & Casino in 2019.
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