Franchise ownership might be considered as symbolic of living the American dream. What could also be considered as an American dream is being a franchise owner of a Hooters establishment. This could be an interesting prospect to say the least. Interestingly, the word Franchise comes from old French meaning privilege or freedom, and Hooters seems to hone-in on this meaning with development of its interesting business plan.
Hooters are a privately held company, a hospitality business, originating in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida, whose slogan could be “Food and Fun.” Hooters restaurants serve food and alcohol, characterize themselves as neighborhood restaurants, and take pride in their customer service. They do not advertise as a family restaurant, however, ten percent of the parties served have children, so there is a children’s menu.
Hooters is best known for the Hooters Girl (there have been 250,000 employed since 1983) whose uniform consists of orange shorts, a white tank top, or a short-sleeve or long-sleeve T-shirt. Pantyhose and bras are also a requirement of the uniform. The Hooters Girl concept exudes sex appeal and sixty-eight percent of the clientele tend to be male. There has been speculation that “Hooters” is a slang term for a portion of the female anatomy. Hooters do display an owl in its logo, and the chain reaps the benefits from the speculation. Finding success in small-town America and major metropolitan areas in 42 states, Hooters has branched out internationally to include 24 countries, and sales figures are ever increasing.
It’s easy to acquire information on Hooters franchise potential-simply use the Google search engine to obtain information on “Hooters Franchise” or visit the Hooters official website, click on the “Company” link, and go to the “Franchising” section for information. Hooters’ website gives succinct criteria for qualifying you as a potential Hooters franchise investor:
o Territory-the location must be approved, and 3-5 restaurants must be opened within your territory
o Regional Population-there is a minimum requirement of 100,000 people is within a five-mile radius of restaurant
o Monetary Investment-there is a requirement of $2 million in liquid assets per restaurant
o Experience-there is a requirement of at least five years of multi-restaurant ownership or operation experience
If the criteria are met, it is suggested to send a written proposal to Hooters of America, Inc. (e-mail and mailing address also available on website). Make sure your proposal is written and presented to fit the qualifications criteria.
Research is paramount to investing in a business, so also visit various restaurants and talk to managers about each establishment, interview other restaurant employees, and speak to the corporate franchise department. After thorough research efforts and considerations, a Hooters franchise just might fulfill your American dream-or not.
Dr. Edward J Files is an accomplished website developer and author.