Tuesday, February 19, 2019

[EXCLUSIVE] Junior Hooters Concept "hoots" to Debut in Atlanta

Hoots, "a Hooters Joint," will be opening its second overall location later this year in Atlanta.  The eatery, a quick-serve version of Hooters, will open in Madison Yards at 935 Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown.  The new restaurant will occupy suite 310, an approximately 2,000 square foot space in the new AMC Theatres/Publix anchored project. 
The first and currently only other hoots eatery, which opened in February 2017, is located in Cicero, a suburb of Chicago and is owned by a franchisee.  The Madison Yards location will be corporately owned.   

Hooters Chief Strategy Officer Sal Melilli said Cicero was chosen for the first hoots because of the strong carry-out business in the Chicago area.

The menu at hoots is condensed significantly from a typical Hooters, offering only Hooters' "top takeout sellers" such as various wings and chicken sandwiches and sides like fried pickles and loaded tots.  Customers order at a counter, get a number, pick a table and retrieve their food from the counter when it's ready.

Employees, which include both male and female staff, wear either V-neck or polo hoots shirts with khaki pants, instead of the traditional "Hooters girl" look of tight T-shirts and short-shorts.  Overall, the restaurant is far more family-friendly than its older, sexier sister.  

Feedback on Yelp.com for hoots has been mixed with 51 reviews and an overall rating of three stars.  

The existing hoots location offers third-party delivery via both DoorDash and Uber Eats, and it's likely that the Atlanta location will provide similar delivery options.  

The opening of hoots in Reyoldstown - an intown neighborhood known for local restaurants and a growing millennial population - is a bit of an odd choice for a brand primarily known for suburban locations.

Adding to the puzzling choice is the fact that The Brass Tap, a Tampa-based casual restaurant similar to Taco Mac, closed at nearby Glenwood Place last August after little more than a year in business.  

It's also worth noting that like its parent company, hoots will serve the Pepsi family of non-alcoholic beverages rather than Coke products.  

Founded in Clearwater, Florida in 1983, Hooters is today based in Atlanta and operates more than 430 restaurants globally.  

The Madison Yards location could be just the beginning of growth of the brand.  A representative from the company's Atlanta area headquarters at 1815 The Exchange registered "Hoots Franchising, LLC" with the Georgia Secretary of State's office on July 16, 2018. 



Hoots at Madison Yards should open later this summer.

Do you think the idea of a mini Hooters minus the boobs and babes will resonate with an intown market?  What is your favorite chain restaurant in town?  What Madison Yards restaurant opening are you most excited about? 

Please share your thoughts below 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff Fuqua is the king of telling the neighborhood to go fuck itself, which is strange in this case because Reynoldstown really worked with him and didn't fight this development. And now we're getting a fuquaing Hooters, Jr.

Fuqua you!

Ham said...

Well, at first I was afraid it was Hooters for middle schoolers, so at least it ain't that. I agree it sounds like something that might be more at home in Suwannee.

Anonymous said...

Hooters' CEO worked in the Coca-Cola system for many years, with his last position being the head of the North American bottling company.

So I do find it strange that Hooters serves Pepsi. You'd think Coke would bend over backwards to sign them to an exclusive deal.

SB said...

LOL

Anonymous said...

Um... no burgers?...lots of luck...

Anonymous said...

So, it's the lackluster Hooter's food without the scantily clad waitstaff? Sounds like a sure winner.

Greenwave said...

Hopefully this garbage will not last no longer than 6 months. Hooters food is straight trash

Anonymous said...

It sounds like they are now competing with American cafĂ©, wings 101, and all their aliases! I think they will add fried rice and fried fish to the menu before they add the burgers. This is what I get from the announcement of Chicago and also Reynolds town especially when they are tailoring to their take-out crowd. They would have been better Following more the Zaxby’s model with their wings, sandwiches, Buffalo shrimp, and the like. The standalone buildings with quickserve and with drive-through‘s would have really been a winner for this junior model except the company or perhaps their bank based on their history are to risk adverse.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous February 19 @ 10:30pm

Bingo! I was just going to type the same thing. Nobody goes to Hooters for the food because it sucks. So take away the good looking servers and replace them with guys and girls wearing the Bennigan's khakis and golf shirts? I would be shocked if this place survives an entire year.

Unknown said...

I'm just looking forward to the entire development opening up. I live in SW Atlanta, and many people there are actually commuting over here for the Kroger development and will do the same for this development. I haven't had hooters in awhile, not because I didn't like the wings, but because I felt they were over priced and expensive... it's amazing that something which used to be considered cheap food is soo expensive now.

There's a fast casual Indian spot from California coming here too that I'm really excited to try out.


Should most of the development be ready by Summer? I was hoping Spring as in Next month or May, but now I'm guessing that's not going to happen.

Anonymous said...

Gee, Officer Fuqua -- Fuq you!

Anonymous said...

Fuqua lives rent free in your empty heads.

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