Clearwater Florida is the birthplace of Hooters and the original location on Gulf to Bay is still open but many others have closed in this area.
We have an imitation down here called Ker’s Wing House. It was started by a little known Dallas Cowboys player named Crawford Ker in the 90’s as a complete rip-off of the Hooters brand and spread through Florida. But recently their locations are closing as fast as Hooters for the same reasons. The comments above are mostly correct in that Hooters, and Ker’s by extension, created their own issues trying to be inclusive.
However I’m not ready to say the wing and sports bar industry is dead. It still comes down to service, pricing and marketing. By all reports Buffalo Wild Wings is very profitable overall and is still opening locations. And many local spots are busy if they again find the right mix of food, service and entertainment.
Bottom line is restaurant operators that adapt to market changes with good management survive & even thrive and those who don’t, like Hooters, Fridays and Red Lobster will fail.
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