Hooters South Lakeland location, the 2nd in the chain, among dozens closed on Sunday
Sara-Megan Walsh
It's the end of an era, as Hooters suddenly closed its South Lakeland location on Sunday.
Hooters closed its South Lakeland location at 3437 South Florida Ave. on Sunday morning. It was one of approximately 40 Hooters locations across the nation to be swiftly shuttered, reports Nation's Restaurant News.
Current employees and former staff took to social media to share the news, posting photos of a letter dated June 23, 2024, printed on Hooters of America Inc. letterhead.
"Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores including the Hooters of Lakeland located at 3437 South Florida Ave, Lakeland, Florida, 33803, effective today, June 23, 2024," reads the letter. " We deeply regret that we were not able to give you notice. Please trust we did everything we could to avoid closing this location and the decision was not made lightly. We appreciate your hard work and dedication and support of the Hooters brand."
The Ledger has reached out to Hooters for comment regarding the South Lakeland closure and in attempt to verify the letter shared via social media. Its contents are similar to the media statement shared with Nation's Restaurant News.
The South Florida Avenue location has already been removed from the Hooters website, and its Facebook page deactivated as of Monday. Its North Lakeland location at 3400 U.S. 98 North appears to be open, with the next nearest location in Brandon.
Hooters is a sports bar started by six Clearwater investors in 1983. Many Lakeland locals recall the South Florida Avenue restaurant as being the chain's second location opening in 1984, and it quickly spread across Florida.
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Hooters became popular and widely known for its chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses. It inspired a trend in the restaurant industry sometimes called "breastaurants" including Twin Peaks and the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery.One of these brands is expected to bring some friendly competition to the remaining Hooters in Lakeland.
A Twin Peaks restaurant is expected to replace the former Smokey Bones on U.S. 98 in North Lakeland. Its parent company, Fat Brands, closed Smokey Bones in April to redesign the interior. The site is approximately a half-mile, or four-minute drive, from the North Lakeland Hooters. Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.