In 1983, six businessmen got together and opened the first Hooters restaurant in Clearwater, Florida. Hooters of America LLC quickly became a restaurant chain success story.
With its scantily clad servers and signature breaded wings, the chain sells sex appeal in addition to food – or as one of the company’s mottos puts it: “You can sell the sizzle, but you have to deliver the steak.”
A decade ago, business was booming for these chains, with companies experiencing record sales growth.
Today it’s a different story. Declining sales, rising costs and a large debt burden of approximately $300 million have threatened Hooters’ long-term outlook. In summer 2024, the chain closed over 40 of its restaurants across the U.S. In February 2025, Bloomberg reported that the company was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.
Professor of Psychology Dawn Szymanski and her research team conducted a study to see what it was like to work in places like Hooters. Read about their findings at The Conversation.
UT is a member of The Conversation, an independent source for news articles and informed analysis written by the academic community and edited by journalists for the general public. Through this partnership, we seek to provide a better understanding of the important work of our researchers. Read more of our articles published by The Conversation on the UT news site.
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Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)