Hooters has always just kind of been OK food-wise, with a novelty aspect. It just don't cut it anymore, that novelty can only carry you so far.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

Not to mention the new generation of candy ass males don’t drink beer or look at tits.

Now I think you've hit on something (not someone).

My older brother in 1995'96?, went to a private christian school, they did a car wash (on their own time) to pay for some trip or something, and afterwards went to Hooters.
They tried to kick them all out of the school. I remember the phrase of "The demons of homosexuality" being used in their creepy lecture to these 16-17 year old boys. Because they, on their own time, went to a place to eat where there were, girls.
The school was later shut down because of the lawsuit, after the criminal case. One of the male teachers was molesting male students.

I haven't seen or heard about Hooters in so long, I thought they were already out of business a decade ago.

I don't think I was ever in one either. When I stop at a restaurant, I go for the food.

I went to Hooters once, in the early 1990s. I was working on a contract in Raleigh NC, and the owner of the small contracting company wanted to go to Hooters for lunch.

It was very embarrassing for me -- the company owner, supposedly an adult, acting like a seventh grade adolescent in the restaurant.

I heard they are changing the business to a delivery style. It's going to be called Knockers.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
Maybe they need trans waitresses. Yeah, that'll fix it!

5 posts down. Yikes!

The only thing Hooters has that most wing joints don't is smoked wings and a good dry rub called Texas BBQ Dry Rub. I haven't been in one since '16, but a few times per year I'll have their smoked wings delivered.

Speaking of the last time I was in one, back in '16 I was working out of a project office for about 3 months and drove past a Hooter's every day. Finally, I stopped there on what should've been happy hour, but it was a dead and I was one of 3 tables in the entire joint. The waitress was pleasant, but was far from the smokin' hot Hooter's gals I remember from the 90s. Wings come out breaded (I had forgot about that abomination), and barely had any medium buffalo sauce on them. The waitress goes to the back and gets a small sauce bowl for me, but it literally looks like half butter half sauce. I ask what is the matter with the sauce and the answer is they only have hot buffalo sauce and cut it with melted butter and that mild would have an even higher ratio of butter to sauce. Breastaurants are supposed to make money by getting the customer in the door with good food, and be flirty to keep customers lingering longer for after dinner for another drink and/or dessert. Instead, my experience was:

waitress was a disappointment

breaded wings were a disappointment

sauce was a disappointment as it tasted like spiced butter. I even stirred the "sauce" several times.

I left after 1 beer and didn't even finish all of the shitty wings (a rarity for me).

There are currently 8 in Houston metro area (used to be over a dozen), but that was my one and only visit since moving to Houston 8.5 years ago. This morning, I was surprised that location is still open. The nearest location to me closed 3 or 4 years ago, and now the nearest one is in a sketchy area that sends lots of customers to my county's emergency room.

For a hell of a lot less money:

I have a BGE and can and do smoke better wings .

I have an air fryer and paired with HEB's wing sauce make wings that blow Hooters away

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I remember going to Hooters for the first time. 1991. First time I ever had buffalo wings.

In the last 30+ years, though, wings became more mainstream. Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop, just to name 2 franchises I frequent, have MUCH better wings with MUCH greater variety. Last time I went to Hooters (1996), they had only one flavor of wings, with about 4-5 levels of spiciness (IIRC, mild, medium, hot, atomic).

The world changes, and those who don't change with it are going to wither away (Ponderosa, Kmart, even big malls; all dead or dying).

And Hooters isn't the only breastaurant around anymore. Here in San Antonio, they have Twin Peaks and Bombshells, and they have The Tiltet Kilt in other cities. There are otjer places to go for eye candy, and better choices for better wings.

Of course, the woke thing doesn't help at all. I would think the majority of their customers go there for the eye candy. Take that away, and you just have substandard wings served by freaks in dresses. . . Who wants to see that?

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
but it literally looks like half butter half sauce.

That was what wing sauce was for years. Equal parts butter and Frank's.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
but it literally looks like half butter half sauce.

That was what wing sauce was for years. Equal parts butter and Frank's.

Your partial quote missed the salient point. They aren't making a pot of sauce by blending frank's and butter like the recipe that started the whole wing craze in Bufffaly, NY. They have hot buffalo sauce and are eyeballing the addition of butter to make medium and mild. It was two unblended/separated blobs in a sauce bowl that was roughly 50/50 hot buffalo and butter. I've eaten hundreds and hundreds of pounds of wings over the years and it was the most disgusting "sauce" I can remember.

Corporate actually has factories that make hot, medium, and mild and sell to restaurants and grocers. What this location was doing has zero chance of having consistency or standards which is another nail in the customer experience.

Many years ago I used to have Hooters as a stop for picking up and delivering money.
Hooters had just moved into the Chicago area opening a restaurant in Lombard IL.
I remember going in the first time and being stunned as to how hot the waitresses were.
I had worked as a Commercial Photographer for 25 years before this and had worked with many models.
I thought theses girls are NOT regular Lombard IL girls.
I asked the manager about this and he told me that when Hooters opens a new location they fly in "ringers" that are Florida girls hand picked for there body's and hustle. After the restaurant gets going they pull those girls and replace them with local talent, usually many notches below what the "Florida"girls" brought.

I never ate at a Hooters.

I went to hooters one in my 20s.
It was mediocre at best.
And wasn't impressed by the flirting for dollars staff.
I kidded with current wife she should be a server there.
She had all the correct assets.
She told me today she should have been a stripper for a while and banked the cash(she's VERY frugal)

quote:

The only thing Hooters has that most wing joints don't is smoked wings and a good dry rub called Texas BBQ Dry Rub

These are exactly the wings I was trying to remember the name of in my previous post. They are excellent!

I guess I have just been lucky. I have been going to Hooters since the late 1980's. Some times it has been better than others. But it has always been good. I would not go there for a fancy dinner. But at that price point, I have always been pleased. I have seen better looking women but I have never thought the girls at Hooters were ugly. I always enjoy going and I hope they stay in business for a long time.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
The quality of the visuals has declined significantly

if you are referring to the one at the light to turn into Nations Gunshow/dulles expo/Holiday inn, etc etc

you are correct,

we used to eat there at least one night when up for the show,

used to be good, consistent, food,

service was usually good too, but we did call it the Diversity Hooters, all shapes sizes and colors, some good, most not


last 2 visits, the food sucked, changed the ingredients , suppliers or ?? but not as good as it once was,

Whether it is just DEI, the franchisee, or some other factor, one of the most notable things about the chain is inconsistency. As noted above, the Chantilly, VA location is abysmal, yet the Fairfax, VA location is one of the better ones despite having virtually the same labor pool from which to hire. Not being able to anticipate the experience will kill any retail establishment.

I haven't been to a Hooters since the late 90's...my late 20's. I have 2 boys ages 13 & 14. I was planning on taking them at some point, but it looks like the one I went to years ago is closed.

There's now a competitor called, Twin Peaks. I've heard their food is good. I may take them there.

I got cut off at Hooters on all you can eat wings night years ago and I haven't been back since.

Not really my thing anyway, but Twin Peaks is probably a big part of Hooter's problem. They have basically the same business model, but they're a notch or two up in every aspect.

The news is sad, but the article is very funny.

Hooters is going out of business. Off base dining will never be the same.

An ode to the wings place.

by Matt White
Posted 7 Hours Ago

Hooters may soon be a part of history, but it already holds a special spot in military culture.

News broke last week that the restaurant chain known for chicken wings, beer and all-but-exclusively female help staff may soon be in bankruptcy, a development first reported by Bloomberg News. The news was met with dismay — and even hints of bailouts — by singer Kelly Clarkson, NBA players Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love (who called it “an absolute institution!!!!”), and former pro golfer Paige Spiranic.

But no community will miss the orange shorts and big eyes more than residents of the military towns around the country — particularly the uniformed personnel who live in barracks on base. There are so many Hooters along the fence lines of U.S. military bases, it’s surprising that vet podcasters haven’t yet accused them of being a Chinese intel op...

Complete article with only two photos.

https://taskandpurpose.com/cul...s-bankrupt-off-base/

Used to be one on Ulmerton Road in Pinellas County. I went there once, late 80s or early 90s IIRC and liked the food, but wasn't excited about the women. It was a bunch of guys from work and all of us left within an hour and a half or so of arriving.

So much for the Florida girls-guess they must have been up north that night.

Bob