Is Hooters closing stores?

Changes marked “estimate” aren’t anchored to a company count yet, so we don’t use them in headlines (why).

Timeline

1. Dec 31, 2023Hooters reports 292: US Hooters restaurants (Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 20). Franchise Disclosure Document
2. Dec 31, 2024Hooters reports 245: US Hooters restaurants (Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 20). Franchise Disclosure Document
3. Mar 31, 2025Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 on March 31, 2025 and planned to sell its company-owned restaurants to franchisee groups. abc7chicago.com
4. Dec 31, 2025Hooters reports 194: US Hooters restaurants (Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 20). Franchise Disclosure Document
5. Oct 17, 2026Our store-locator count: 158 US restaurants. The Store Count

How many Hooters restaurants are there in the US?

158, according to Hooters’ own store locator on Oct 17, 2026, after removing duplicates and anything outside the US. Hooters itself reported 194 on Dec 31, 2025 (Franchise Disclosure Document).

Is Hooters closing restaurants in 2026?

Bankrupt, as of Mar 31, 2025: Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 on March 31, 2025 and planned to sell its company-owned restaurants to franchisee groups. On the store locator, the count has changed by −50 since early January (an estimate).