Hooters

Hooters, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Food Service
Founded	April 1, 1983; 33 years ago (1983-04-01) Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Founders	Lynn D. Stewart Gil DiGiannantonio Ed Droste Billy Ranieri Ken Wimmer Dennis Johnson
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Number of locations	over 430
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Burgers, Chicken Wings, Seafood, Full bar
Website	www.hooters.com

Hooters, Inc. is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains: Hooters of America, Incorporated, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hooters, Incorporated, based in Clearwater, Florida. The Hooters name is a double entendre referring to both its owl logo, a bird known for its "hooting" calls, and an American slang term for human breasts popularized by comedian Steve Martin on the hit comedy series Saturday Night Live.

The waiting staff at Hooters restaurants are primarily attractive young women, usually referred to simply as "Hooter Girls", whose revealing outfits and sex appeal are played up and are a primary component of the company's image. The company employs other men and women as cooks, hosts (at some franchises), busboys, and managers. The menu includes hamburgers and other sandwiches, steaks, seafood entrees, appetizers, and the restaurant's specialty, chicken wings. Almost all Hooters restaurants hold alcoholic beverage licenses to sell beer and wine, and where local permits allow, a full liquor bar. Hooters T-shirts, sweatshirts, and various souvenirs and curios are also sold.

As of 2016^[update] there were more than 430 Hooters locations and franchises around the world and Hooters of America LLC. owns 160 units. There are Hooters locations in 44 U.S. states, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and in 28 other countries. The company's first overseas location was in Singapore, and there are Hooters restaurants in Aruba, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, and one in the United Kingdom, following the closure of the remaining UK franchises. The three largest Hooters restaurants are in Singapore, Tokyo, and São Paulo. In 2015 Hooters announced that it is planning to open more than 30 restaurants in Southeast Asia over the next six years.