© Torin Halsey/Times Record News,
Hooters is toning down the uniforms of its waitresses in an attempt to be more “family-friendly.
In an interview with People magazine, Hooters CEO Neil Kiefer is hoping to attract more families and couples in the near future after the original owners reacquired the brand and are looking to make some subtle changes.
Via People
After the original owners sold the chain’s intellectual property and contractual rights in 2001, Kiefer said private equity firms took over certain locations as Hooters of America, allowing the chain to deviate “further and further away from what the brand and the concept stood for.”
Kiefer said he and the original owners reacquired the brand’s IP in fall 2025 when Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Kiefer says that he feels that Hooters got a bit too raunchy over the years with their uniforms.
“The second thing was they had changed the uniforms of the girls and put them in almost what appeared to be a thong,” Kiefer said. “And that was never the intention when this concept started.”
“It was a sporty athletic look at the time, and I think in the last 10 or 15 years, a lot of the country has seen a more sexualized version of that,” Kiefer said. “That chased away a lot of customers.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a pair of shorts if fitted properly,” he said. “But I think in a dining place, there is something wrong [if] they’re in a thong type of uniform.”
Kiefer believes more people will be on board with his vision.
“Just trying to make it more friendly to everybody. No one’s going to be insulted,” he added.