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Hooters
Hooters Restaurants are casual dining establishments offering a menu of chicken wings, burgers, seafood, and other food and beverages, including alcoholic drinks. They are known for their "Hooters Girls" who serve food and interact with guests. The target market includes a broad range of customers seeking a casual dining experience with a unique entertainment element.
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Franchise Costs
6% of Gross Sales Continuing Royalty Fee + 2.0% of Gross Sales National Ad Fund Fee
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.
Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.
Extracted Item 19 Section
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Unlock financial performance dataHow Hooters Compares
Key Insights
- One of the lowest investment costs in Full-Service Casual Dining (ranked #3 of 7)
- #1 largest franchise system in Full-Service Casual Dining
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hooters Current | $1.3M – $4.7M | $50K | 6.0% | 118 |
| Twin Peaks | $2.3M – $6.9M | $50K | 5.0% | 70 |
| GYU-KAKU | $2.3M – $2.6M | $50K | 4.0% | 28 |
| Rodizio Grill | $1.6M – $4.9M | $50K | 4.5% | 16 |
| Wild Eggs | $686K – $2.3M | $45K | 5.5% | 15 |
| Cowboy Jack's | $1.5M – $6.1M | $45K | N/A | 5 |
Full-Service Casual Dining Average 7 franchises | $1.5M – $4.2M | $50K | 5.0% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 7 Full-Service Casual Dining franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2025)
Outlets by state across the United States
+17 more states
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Unlock location growth dataFranchisee Contacts
194 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
194 Contacts Available
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Unlock contactsDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
One case involved breach of contract, trademark infringement, and unfair competition against a former franchisee. The other case involved wrongful termination, improper notice, accounting disputes, and breach of good faith and fair dealing against former franchisees.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Predecessor and its affiliates filed voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions on March 31, 2025. Sal Melilli was an officer at the time of filing.
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a Hooters franchise ranges from $1,253,300 to $4,697,000. This includes a franchise fee of $50,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 6.0% of gross sales.