Kelly Clarkson Steps Up To Save ‘Hooters’ Franchise
Hooters was the go-to spot for many in the 1980s and 1990s. But the restaurant franchise has been struggling in recent years. Country singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson recently stepped up to try and save the chain.
Hooters In Danger Of Closing
Hooters is a mix of casual dining and the bar scene. The name of the restaurant itself has a cheeky double meaning – the restaurant’s logo features an owl (which hoots) and “hooters” has been a slang term for breasts since the 1970s. According to the Hooters lore, it was originally founded as an April Fool’s joke between the owners who wanted to create a place they couldn’t get kicked out of.
So, while the sports bar is known for its chicken wings, it is more famous for its scantily clad ‘Hooters Girls’ servers. The servers have an immediately recognizable uniform of super short orange shorts and a low-cut white t-shirt or tank top with the company logo.
Hooters was extremely popular in the 1990s but has fallen out of favor in recent years. Many businesses are struggling to stay afloat in this economy. In 2024, the restaurant chain closed around 40 stores that weren’t making a profit.
A recent report from Bloomberg claimed that Hooters is on the verge of declaring bankruptcy and shuttering all the restaurants. According to the article, the franchise is $300 million in debt. As of today, Hooters hasn’t officially filed for bankruptcy. And they won’t if Kelly Clarkson has anything to say about it.
Kelly Clarkson Steps Up To Save Hooters Franchise
Kelly Clarkson – or someone who works on her daytime talk show, is apparently a huge fan of Hooters. A recent post on The Kelly Clarkson Show Instagram called for the restaurant chain to be saved.
“Plz don’t go @hooters,” the post’s caption begged. The post included a clip of comedian Fortune Feimster pleading with the talk show’s audience to help save Hooters.
The comic posed an important question: “Where else can you see waitresses wearing pantyhose and tank tops at 11AM on a Tuesday?”
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As Taste of Country reports, the clip is actually from Feimster’s appearance on the show in 2020. Hooters was struggling then during the COVID shutdowns. It seems like the restaurant never recovered.
Even though it’s an older clip, it is still relevant today and Kelly Clarkson clearly supports saving Hooters. And clearly, her fans agree. The social media post got over 5,000 heart reactions and many comments about saving the restaurant chain from closing.
Kelly Clarkson isn’t afraid to speak out about causes she believes in. She launched the #BackToBusiness campaign in 2020 to help small businesses during the pandemic.
Her interests go beyond that, though. In 2018, she started a social media campaign to save NBC’s time-traveling show Timeless. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after two seasons.
Does it surprise you that the talk show host showed support for Hooters? Do you think the chain will be saved or will it go the way of JOANN Fabrics, Big Lots, and other businesses closing in recent years?
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