From time to time everyone likes to kick back at their favorite sports bar with a cold beer to watch a great game, it’s simply a fact of life. Well, it’s looking like professionals and students of Texas culinary arts schools may soon be more attracted to a popular chain restaurant then to their favorite dive bars. According to Restaurant News, the popular chain restaurant Hooters has recently finished revamping nearly 20 of its Texas-area restaurants in hopes of driving in new customers. The renovations were predominantly structural and decorative, but will also affect the culinary offerings on the menu to a small degree.
The plan
According to a press release, the chain of restaurants chose to remodel 17 of its locations in Texas to drive greater customer traffic. For the amount of money that the chain has spent, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that its plan ultimately works out. The company spent more than $7 million on the renovations. While spending varied from restaurant to restaurant, as different locations required different updates, the average spending per franchise was just over $450,000. Multiple sources have indicated that one of the primary intentions of the renovation was to establish the chain as a more family-friendly restaurant than it’s been in the past. If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, Hooters has become famous for pioneering the popular notion of scantily clad waitresses working in a sports bar environment. The emergence of other institutions (Tilted Kilt, etc.) in that genre has prompted them to attempt to find more new customers in the world of family dining.
San Antonio
Of all the franchise locations that received renovations from the parent company, few seem to have come up quite as large as those in San Antonio. The Texas city is home to three different Hooters locations, and all of them were renovated earlier in 2014. According to the San Antonio Business Journal, there was more than $1.3 million spent collectively between these three restaurants. Among the changes brought to all three locations were modifications sure to be loved by the sports fans who frequent the establishment. Entire walls of television monitors were added, virtually eliminating the risk of not being able to find your favorite matchup while dining. The design of the restaurant was also changed, with new hardwood floors added to complement redesigned chairs, bar stools and booths.
Investment in a leading market
While Texas was not the only state in which the Atlanta-based company chose to renovate its locations this year, it was certainly the dominant one. All but eight of the Hooters’ restaurants that underwent updates in 2014 were located in Texas, and the company has identified the state as its single largest market.
