Sports bar and restaurant chain Hooters closed its location on Wells Street in Chicago on Oct. 18 after operating for 35 years, citing increasing development and changes to the neighborhood, Hooters Inc., CEO Neil Kiefer said in a statement emailed to TheStreet.
“The closings are not a reflection of the beloved staff, community, or sisterhood of the Orange Shorts. It is not a sign of profit or decline,” Kiefer said in the statement.
The company also posted a notice on the restaurant’s door, declaring “This location is now closed.”
Hooters closed its restaurant location on Wells Street in Chicago because of increasing development and changes to the neighborhood.Smith Collection/Gado / Getty Images
Hooters lease expired
“After over 35 years of serving the community, we will be closing this Hooters location effective at the end of business October 18th due to our lease ending,” according to the notice.
“We are sincerely grateful to our guests, team members and community partners for their continued support and loyalty throughout the years. Thank you! Wells Street Management and Staff,” the message concluded.
The notice also encouraged customers to visit the company’s Hoots Wings South Loop location in Chicago or one of its other Chicagoland locations.
A message on a billboard in front of the restaurant said, “Thank you for 35 years.”
Company has 13 Chicago-area restaurants
“Increasing development and neighborhood changes have transformed the area, leading to us to the difficult but considered decision to leave this location. We still have 13 Hooters locations, and two Hoots stores, in the nearby Chicagoland area,” Kiefer said.
“The number of stores will go up and down, but the longevity of our commitment will not. These store closures are not an indication of brand strength. Instead, we are concentrating our efforts on what has always made us successful: our community, our staff, our food, and our unshakeable dedication to all three,” according to Kiefer.
Chain has closed about 56 restaurants
Hooters has closed about 56 restaurant locations so far in 2026, according to data firm Usearch.
Hooters Inc., which is comprised of the original founders of the restaurant chain and their partner Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC, purchased the Hooters of America corporation on Oct. 31, 2025, after Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025. Hooters Inc. and its original owners’ group never filed for bankruptcy.
Hooters filed bankruptcy in 2025
Hooters of America filed its Chapter 11 petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas on March 31, 2025, listing $50 million to $100 million in assets and liabilities.
At the time, the company had over 420 Hooters restaurants in 42 states and 29 countries. The bankruptcy filing included the agreement to sell over 100 corporate-owned locations to the Original Hooters group franchisee Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC.
The two franchisees owned and operated over 30% of Hooters’ U.S. locations before the bankruptcy filing and 14 of the 30 highest-volume Hooters restaurants in the chain. When the transaction closed, the Hooters Inc. owned and operated over 70% of the company’s U.S. locations.
The Atlanta-based sports bar and dining chain, which opened its first restaurant in Clearwater, Fla., in 1983, lists about 200 locations in 22 states on its website locator.
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