1851

Few restaurant franchises were impacted by COVID-19 as heavily as <a href="https://www.hooters.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Hooters</a>, a franchise that has depended heavily on in-person dining since the 1980’s. The pandemic, along with <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/4/17911936/hooters-uniform-breastaurant-decline?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">shifting consumer preference</a>, has made Hooters one of the less profitable brands in the last year.The brand’s niche market was disappearing even before the pandemic, however. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hooters-business-strategy-shifts-2017-8?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Millennials are less apt to frequent their local Hooters</a> than the people that made it popular throughout the 1980s. Hooters sales were on a <a href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/hooters-america-has-been-sold?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">decline</a> before 2020, and <a href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/hooters-america-has-been-sold?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">the entire corporation was sold in 2019.</a>The company was forced to get clever. Hooters recently launched a fast-casual offshoot named <a href="https://hootsfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Hoots Wings.</a> It offers plenty of the standard Hooters menu items, but under a fast food model that bears little resemblance to the ‘experience’ of a traditional Hooters. A Yahoo! article titled <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/hooters-doing-great-case-were-142300976.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">“Hooters is doing great, in case you were wondering”</a> points mainly to the brand’s adaptive success through Hoots Wings and Uber Eats, instead of its traditional restaurant setup.The brand’s most profitable franchise investments right now are through Hoots Wings, and less through the traditional Hooters restaurant. <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/editors/jlittman/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Julie Littman</a> of Restaurant Dive wrote that “while Hooters added <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/how-chains-are-automating-the-curbside-experience/585611/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">curbside</a> earlier [in 2020] and <a href="https://www.fsrmagazine.com/chain-restaurants/hooters-ups-ante-sports-betting-platform?utm_source=fs_insider&amp%3Butm_medium=email&amp%3Butm_campaign=20200312&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">sports betting</a> in Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” it also had to lay off “hundreds of workers [last year] in states like <a href="https://www.wect.com/2020/04/10/hooters-lays-off-hundreds-employees-across-north-carolina-including-location-wilmington/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">North Carolina</a>, <a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/missouri/2020/04/09/missouri-springfield-hooters-employee-layoffs-restaurants-curbside-service/5124785002/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Missouri</a>, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/04/hooters-girls-lose-jobs-in-flint-saginaw-amid-coronavirus-pandemic.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Michigan</a> and <a href="https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/hooters-laying-off-500-workers-across-indiana-because-of-coronavirus/article_c047e328-debc-52aa-926e-3c031b17ed4e.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Indiana</a> due to the challenges of the pandemic.”<a href="https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/19740480/the-united-states-sports-betting-where-all-50-states-stand-legalization?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment-2716418" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The sports betting market is expanding,</a> which could mean increased business for Hooters locations if state legislation allows its units to offer that service. Many Hooters franchises can collect a large piece of that revenue right now and promote their in-person dining experience unlike ever before.The traditional model for Hooters does not project strong revenue, but a gambling-inspired method to draw people in could eventually yield some serious franchised income. The standard Hooters may be less of a restaurant in the coming years and more of a sportsbook, but the potential for profitability still exists.

Is Hooters a Profitable Franchise Investment?

1851 Franchise

The brand has placed emphasis on advancing its fast-casual Hoots Wings offshoot, while the traditional Hooters model may soon depend on sports betting to find profitability.

is-hooters-a-profitable-franchise-investment

Mainland

Mainland Secures Nearly $10 Million in Media Value for Franchise Clients in Early 2025

mainland-secures-nearly-10-million-in-media-value-for-franchise-clients-in-early-2025

Mathnasium

How These Arizona Mathnasium Learning Centers Franchisees Expanded to 10 Locations 

how-these-arizona-mathnasium-learning-centers-franchisees-expanded-to-10-locations

BoConcept

BoConcept - Home Furnishing Franchise Agg - Santiago Sideboard - 1851 Franchise

Home Furnishings Business: BoConcept Introduces Santiago Sideboard by Morten Georgsen

home-furnishings-business-boconcept-introduces-santiago-sideboard-by-morten-georgsen

BooXkeeping

BooXkeeping Franchise Expands to Seminole County, Florida, with New Franchisee Ross Duhaime

booxkeeping-franchise-expands-to-seminole-county-florida-with-new-franchisee-ross-duhaime

Sylvan Learning

How Sylvan Learning Positions Franchisees for Institutional Partnership Success

how-sylvan-learning-positions-franchisees-for-institutional-partnership-success

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

Login

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Hooters - Bankruptcy Chapter 11 - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Prepares for Bankruptcy Amid Financial Struggles

hooters-prepares-for-bankruptcy-amid-financial-struggles

Burger King’s Parent Company Restructures Operations in China and the U.S. To Drive Growth

burger-kings-parent-company-restructures-operations-in-china-and-the-us-to-drive-growth

Papa Johns Faces Potential Takeover as Turnaround Efforts Continue

papa-johns-faces-potential-takeover-as-turnaround-efforts-continue

1851 Agg - McDonald's Sales Decline Expansion Continues - 1851 Franchise

McDonald’s Franchisees Feel the Pressure as Sales Decline and Expansion Continues

mcdonalds-franchisees-feel-the-pressure-as-sales-decline-and-expansion-continues

Restaurant Industry Set to Hit $1.5 Trillion in Sales in 2025 Despite Economic Pressures

restaurant-industry-set-to-hit-15-trillion-in-sales-in-2025-despite-economic-pressures

Paris Baguette Ranks Among Top Franchises on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® for 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Paris Baguette Ranks Among Top Franchises on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® for 2025

paris-baguette-ranks-among-top-franchises-on-entrepreneurs-franchise-500-for-2025

DOJ FTC Antitrust Guidelines - Franchise News - 1851 Franchise

DOJ and FTC Issue New Antitrust Guidelines with Implications for Franchising

doj-and-ftc-issue-new-antitrust-guidelines-with-implications-for-franchising

Taco Bell Joins the Beverage Boom With New Live Más Café Concept

taco-bell-joins-the-beverage-boom-with-new-live-mas-cafe-concept

Franchisee spotlight featuring Ian and Dick Rydholm with gradient blue background and Sylvan logo

Ian and Dick Rydholm Celebrate 30 Years of Transforming Lives Through Sylvan Learning in El Paso, Texas

ian-and-dick-rydholm-celebrate-30-years-of-transforming-lives-through-sylvan

Florida Franchisee Reflects on Success and Growth with Sylvan Learning

florida-franchisee-reflects-on-success-and-growth-with-sylvan-learning

Domonique Downing - Big Frog Franchise - Fayetteville, GA - 1851 Franchise

Coca-Cola Scientist Finds Path to Autonomy with Big Frog Franchise in Fayetteville, Georgia

big-frog-franchise-fayetteville-georgia

Is Hooters a Profitable Franchise Investment?

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS