[ALERT] Hooters Continues to Shrink in Size

So-called "breastaurant" chain Hooters has closed two more Georgia restaurants as its presence in its home market of metro Atlanta continues to shrink.  The two closures reportedly took place effective October 7.  The two restaurants that closed are in Kennesaw and Conyers.   

In Kennesaw, Hooters was located at 2102 Old 41 Highway where it occupied a freestanding building just off Cobb Parkway.  The Hooters that closed in Conyers occupied a freestanding building at 1099 Iris Drive just off I-20.  Competing breastaurant concept Twin Peaks continues to operate a location on Barrett Parkway near Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw.  

Hooters was established in Clearwater, Florida in 1983, but later relocated its headquarters to metro Atlanta.   At its peak, the chain had more than 430 restaurants across 42 states and 29 countries.  Today there are about 250 locations worldwide.  

The company closed about 40 locations in June 2024 including Georgia units in Hiram, McDonough, and Brunswick, where a ground-up restaurant had debuted June 17, 2019. The company also closed its Hoots Wings by Hooters (originally Hoot's Righteous Wings) at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown.   

Hooters of America, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025. In June 2025, the company closed more than 30 restaurants around the country, including Georgia units in downtown Atlanta, Duluth, Douglasville, and Valdosta. In July 2025 the chain also closed its restaurants along Cobb Parkway at Akers Mill Square near Cumberland Mall and along Washington Road in Augusta, not far from Augusta National Golf Club.    

A Hooters in Columbus closed this past March followed by the closure of metro area locations in Roswell and Newnan this past May.  

In recent months, the original owners (dba Hooters Inc.)  acquired roughly 140 locations with plans to “re-Hooterize” the brand. The effort is led by Neil Kiefer, who was once the founders’ lawyer and is now the company's chief executive. Kiefer aims to return Hooters to what he describes as its core identity — "a casual place with a family-friendly vibe."  The New York Times in May published an extensive article - Hooters Says Bring The Kids - detailing the brand's efforts to attract families and clean up its image.  (The photos in the article seem to resemble scenes from Fuddruckers in its heyday more than Hooters of yesteryear.)   

Following the Kennesaw and Conyers closures, Hooters will operate just three locations in Georgia including metro Atlanta restaurants on Mall of Georgia Boulevard outside the Mall of Georgia in Buford and on Joe Frank Harris Parkway in Cartersville.  The chain also operates a single restaurant in Savannah.     

Are you surprised to see Hooters close its Kennesaw and Conyers restaurants?  What would you like to see open in place of the Kennesaw and Conyers Hooters?  Do you feel comfortable taking your family to Hooters?     

Please share your thoughts below.