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Hooters history
Hooters company history timeline
Free Publicity Launches the Concept: 1983-89
The concept was licensed in 1984 to Hooters of America.
Free Publicity Launches the Concept, 1984
In 1984 the Original 6 were bought out by Hugh Connerty.
In July 1986, the first Hooters girl, Lynne Austin, was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month.
In 1987, Hooters Nite Owl Theater hit the small screen, and for eight years viewers could watch Hooters Girls introduce and host a late-night cable movie each week.
By 1991, there were more than 50 Hooters restaurants and Hooters of America had revenues of more than $100 million.
The chain had reached more than 100 restaurants and $200 million in revenues by the end of 1993.
In an 80-page finding released in 1994, the EEOC determined that "no physical trait unique to women is required to service food and drink to customers in a restaurant." The EEOC demanded that Hooters of America pay $22 million to men who could show they had been denied jobs because of their gender.
Guys as Hooters girls almost became a reality in 1995.
In 1996 Gilbert F. Casellas, then chairman of the EEOC, sent a letter to the United States House subcommittee on employment in which he concluded "it is wiser for the EEOC to devote its scarce litigation resources to other cases."
In 1996 the privately owned Hooters of America operated 57 Hooters restaurants and franchised 135.
1996: Chain generates more than $300 million in revenues.
Hooters Girls would remain all female with the settlement of a class-action lawsuit in 1997.
We’re a proud partner of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, and also established a Breast Cancer Research Grant in the name of Kelly Jo Dowd—the beloved 1998 Hooters Calendar Cover Girl who spent the last years of her life battling breast cancer.
The groundwork for the trademark sale was laid in 1999.
The franchiser bought the trademark from Hooters Inc. in 2001.
An attempt by Brooks to buy the belly-up Vanguard line in 2002 failed, but he was able to purchase charter air carrier Pace.
In 2002 Brooks bought majority control and became CEO of Hooters of America.
Hooters took to the sky when Hooters Air marked its inaugural flight on March 6, 2003.
In February 2006, the Hooters Casino Hotel was opened in Las Vegas.
Kelly Jo’s daughter, Dakoda Dowd, a young golfing phenomenon, made headlines in 2006 when, as a 13 year old, she qualified for, and played in, the LPGA tournament in order to fulfill her mother’s wish to see her play in a professional golf tournament.
As of July 2013 Hooters of America owned 160 restaurants and oversees 430 franchises.
© 2022 Hooters Incorporated
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Hooters competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Wild Wings | 1982 | $2.0B | 44,000 | 1,738 |
| Pizza Hut | 1958 | $7.5B | 350,000 | 10,263 |
| Applebee's Canada | 1980 | $2.5B | 28,000 | 1,360 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1993 | $11.3B | 64,570 | 6,091 |
| In-N-Out Burger | 1948 | $575.0M | 27,000 | 47 |
| CKE Restaurants Holdings | 1956 | $1.3B | 20,200 | 607 |
| Sonic Drive-In | 1953 | $423.6M | 5,000 | 7,745 |
| Wendy's | 1969 | $2.2B | 12,500 | 9,059 |
| McDonald's | 1940 | $25.9B | 210,000 | 50,155 |
| TGI Fridays | 1965 | $630,000 | 5,000 | 2 |
Hooters history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Hooters, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Hooters. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Hooters. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Hooters. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Hooters and its employees or that of Zippia.
Hooters may also be known as or be related to Hooters, Hooters Of America, Hooters of America, Hooters of America LLC, Hooters of America, LLC and Hooters, Inc.