Hooters bankruptcy? Not in Tampa Bay
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The original Hooters in Clearwater. Photo: HMC Hospitality Group
Tampa Bay's original breastaurant isn't going anywhere.
Why it matters: Following a recent Bloomberg report that a Hooters chain was preparing to file for bankruptcy, the ownership groups managing the original restaurant in Clearwater and more locations across Tampa Bay and South Florida sought to assure diners they're sticking around.
State of play: In a news release shared Tuesday with Axios, HMC Hospitality Group, which owns the Clearwater location and 21 more restaurants across Tampa Bay and Chicago, reiterated "its strong financial position" and said it experienced record sales last year.
- HMC has plans to add locations in Wesley Chapel and The Villages this year and expand to Las Vegas down the line, per the release.
- Hooters of South Florida, which manages restaurants from Bradenton to Naples and on the east coast from Boca Raton to Miami, is also not impacted by the bankruptcy, spokesperson Ilona Wolpin told Axios.
Between the lines: Hooters of America, the company on the brink of bankruptcy that owns most Hooters locations, has struggled amid a declining customer base and increasing costs, Bloomberg reported.
- Last year, the Atlanta-based chain closed more than 40 locations, including restaurants in Lakeland, Jacksonville, Gainesville and West Palm Beach.
Flashback: The original Hooters at 2800 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. began with six men and a dream: to open "a place we couldn't get kicked out of," the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- The founders persuaded bikini model and Plant City native Lynne Austin to become the first Hooters girl and opened the restaurant on Oct. 4, 1983.
- It was a bust — until Super Bowl 1984 when a Washington Redskins fullback stopped by while he was in town for the game. He came back with "limos full of teammates," the Times reported, and word spread from there.