Hutters want people to know it’s more than just the uniforms.
The restaurant chain is making a renewed push to reshape its image, with company executives saying they are trying to return the brand to its roots after years of leaning into a more provocative reputation.
According to Hooters CEO Neil Kieferthe goal is simple: Make Hooters feel more like a neighborhood restaurant and less like the version many people have come to associate with the brand over the past two decades.
Hooters wants families back
In an interview with PeopleKiefer said the company is actively working to become more welcoming to families as it continues its turnaround efforts.
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“It’s a neighborhood spot that a lot of families visit, and singles and couples,” Kiefer said.
He described Hooters as “a beach-themed place centered around the Hooters Girls, great food and (and being) an easy place to relax.”
The comments come as Hooters tries to move beyond its highly sexualized image were increasingly connected to the chain over the years.
How Hooters lost weight
Kiefer, who has been involved with the company since its launch in 1983 and became CEO in 1992, recently helped the chain’s founders regain control of the brand following Hooters of America’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2025.
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According to Kiefer, the company gradually drifted away from its original vision after private equity firms became involved in the early 2000s.
He specifically pointed to changes in employee uniforms as an example.
The other thing was that they had changed the girls’ uniforms and put them in almost what appeared to be a thong. And that was never the intention when this concept started.
The Great ‘Resurgence’
As part of its comeback strategy, Hooters has begun bringing back older uniform styles, including the chain’s classic orange shorts.
The company is also simplifying menus, upgrading ingredients and working to create what executives describe as a more approachable atmosphere.
Internally, the effort has reportedly been given a memorable nickname: re-Hooterization. “I’m just trying to make it friendlier for everybody. Nobody wants to be offended,” Keifer said.
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Whether the strategy works missing to see. Still, one thing is clear: Hooters is betting that better food, a more relaxed atmosphere and a return to its original identity can help redefine what the brand stands for today.
Country stars with their own bars + restaurants
Of all the side hustles country artists could engage in, opening a bar or restaurant is the most appropriateβand very common. After all, many of these stars got their start on a bar stool, cymbal nearby, playing their music to anyone who would listen.
These places feel like home to many of these singers. Over the years, more artists have entered the bar or restaurant game, and for a select few, brands have become franchises with multiple locations and/or concepts β we’re looking at you, Jimmy Buffett!
Let’s take a look at the country star food and entertainment venues that have opened over the years.
Gallery credit: Jess
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