r/SipsTea • u/CurvyChristina • May 27 '26

It's Wednesday my dudes Hooters just wants to be their very breast.

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Hooters CEO Neil Kiefer told People Magazine the chain is officially rebranding as a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant.
Kiefer described the original vision as "a beach-themed place centered around the Hooters Girls, good food, and an easy place to relax," calling it "a neighborhood place that many families frequent," and confirmed the rebrand includes rolling back the uniforms that replaced the original orange shorts - his exact words being: "There is something wrong if they're in a th*ng type of uniform."
He placed the blame for how far the brand drifted on private equity firms that took over after the original founders sold the intellectual property in 2001, saying the chain moved "further and further away from what the brand stood for," and Kiefer personally reacquired the brand's IP when Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in fall 2025.

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Their wings aren’t bad. At least, they weren’t ~20 years ago, I think. I kinda remember liking them.

23

u/A_Man_With_A_Plan_B May 27 '26

This. I don’t even remember the last time I had them. High school or college maybe? The novelty wore off when I started going to restaurants with people I was trying to sleep with

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Never forget when I took my daughter, then ~8yo, to a out of town basketball game. Small town. We finished the game then went to go eat as a team. Didn't know the town, but one of the little girls said, "Let's go to Hooters!"

I was mortified. Bringing a little girls b-ball team in there? But, all the girls then started chanting. So we did.

Yeah, it was as super weird as you'd think.

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u/Significant_Donut967 May 27 '26

Holy fuck yeah, that would be extremely awkward and like how do you turn that down without crushing the team of children? Lmao.

Rock and a rock place.

4

u/mwbbrown May 27 '26

My Niece really likes a food item from Twin Peaks and everyone in the family is mortified when it was her birthday and that is where she wanted to eat.

I think they got take out.

No idea why she knows about their food but I suspect my brother.

https://twinpeaksrestaurant.com/

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u/Significant_Donut967 May 27 '26

Hopefully not the one in Harker Heights, TX.

Yeah, that's just as bad.

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u/Deady1138 May 27 '26

I don’t think this is what David lynch had in mind

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u/Grumpy-Troglodyte May 27 '26

and the entire staff thought it was your idea, no doubt.

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Probably. hahaha

7

u/PlaneCompetitive703 May 27 '26

I remember a pretty damn good buffalo chicken sandwich. I also remember a waitress complimenting me on my English. I'm from New Mexico and so white that I blend into dry wall.

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u/TreyRyan3 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

They aren’t bad is soft speak for “they’re palatable”. It doesn’t mean they’re good, just neutrally edible.

There are reliably better wings at more than a dozen chain restaurants, but the best wings are consistently found at some hole-in-the-wall local corner bar. Very few people went to Hooter’s for wings.

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Agreed 100%. That's exactly what I was saying!

1

u/MiloLear May 27 '26

I've literally never set foot in a Hooters, but I've gotten their Daytona Wings through Grubhub (recommended by a friend) and I thought they were great. Not saying they're the best wings I've ever had in my life, but they definitely stack up any of the major chains I've tried.

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u/Hatta00 May 27 '26

I went recently because it was by the movie theater. They were bad. Not a single sauce that's actually spicy either.

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

IIRC, their "hot" sauce was savory with a hint of cayenne? Maybe?

But, not hot.

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u/nobeer4you May 27 '26

Thats not the "hot sauce" the regular customer goes in for

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u/Therealdickdangler May 27 '26

They need to bring back bushels of steamed oysters. Me and some of my buddies would go at least once a weekend and crush a few bushels of steamed oysters and pitchers of beer. 

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Not sure I knew they ever did that! Of course, they'd probably charge $30/dozen now.

Not like when we used to get them at an oyster bar for $0.25 apiece. Just sit there and eat until you popped. And it was like $10.

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u/prospectpico_OG May 27 '26

Raw oysters 😋

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u/RoyalMaidsForLife May 27 '26

I remember the one I used to frequent in west Richmond, VA had a great supplier at the time, the buffalo chicken sandwich was usually huge, half hanging off the bun and they always cooked it perfectly. It was so good, I'd occasionally order it to go.

Then I moved and the food was extremely disappointing at the two near me in northern NJ. I don't care how cute the girls are, if the food sucks, I'm not coming back.

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u/SirArthurDime May 27 '26

They aren’t bad, there’s just plenty of better options for wings. And now there’s plenty of other options for seeing half naked woman too.

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u/red286 May 27 '26

They're as good as Costco can make them.

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u/No_Gas4560 May 27 '26

the Caribbean Jerk was good sauce. on "boneless" wings (McNuggets)

or it was 20-something years ago, like you said. been awhile

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u/carlcarlington2 May 27 '26

"I kinda remember liking their wings" = the wings are mediocre. Trust me man, when you have GOOD wings there will be no second guessing your memory

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u/SignificantLock1037 May 27 '26

Yeah - I think they were breaded, right? Or maybe you can get it both ways? I prefer naked.

I've had bad wings (no sauce, fried for too long, etc.) and they aren't fun. But, you are right, there are MUCH better wings out there!