Hooters abruptly closes restaurants. Are Kentucky’s locations shuttering?
Lexington’s Hooters is not on the list of restaurant closures the sports bar chain abruptly announced Thursday.
An employee who answered the Lexington Herald-Leader’s call around 11 a.m. said the Richmond Road location was still open and to her knowledge, would continue to stay open.
Hooters closed dozens of its company-owned restaurants June 5 only a few months after the grill chain, famous for its chicken wings and all-female wait staff, filed for bankruptcy, CNN reports.
One of the other Kentucky locations, the floating Hooters in Newport, is now permanently closed, reports WCPO. That Ohio River location closed June 4.
A spokesperson for Hooters told the Cincinnati TV station, “By optimizing our business in support of our long-term goals, Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model.
“We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand,” the statement says.
Before it declared bankruptcy in March, Hooters closed dozens of its locations last summer. When the chain filed for bankruptcy, it did not indicate it would close more of its restaurants.
USA TODAY reports there are 305 Hooters locations. About half are owned and operated by the company and the other half are operated by franchisees. The chain’s website lists Kentucky locations in DuPont, Florence, Lexington and Preston.
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