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Deflating: Hooters Closing Four Long Island, Queens Locations
By
Garth Johnston
Published Oct 19, 2012
Modified Oct 19, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Oct 19, 2012
Modified Oct 19, 2012
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New York Hooters fans are getting the shaft! Due to either a franchise disagreement or an inexplicable outbreak of Sudden Boob Fatigue [SBF] among New Yorkers, soon only the Midtown breastaurant will be serving patrons those delicious, delicious wings in New York. Oh noes! Luckily, Hooters arch-rival Canz has announced that it will happily hire any Hooters employees who are being left to shiver, perkily in the cold.
"It’s like... a marriage that’s gone very bad," a lawyer for former Hooters franchisee Strix Restaurant Group told Newsday. "We couldn’t make money as a Hooters and we have to move on." The mammary mecca wasn't minting money? Shocking! Or maybe, as Hooters claims, the franchises were messing with the brand? The company terminated Strix's franchise agreement earlier this month due to noncompliance.
So what is happening? Strix owns three Hooters on Long Island and the one in Fresh Meadows, Queens. The Queens location and the one in Farmingdale will be renamed Bud's Ale House, and will be similar to the Bud's already up and running in Astoria. Meanwhile the Islandia Hooters will be renamed 58's, after its proximity to the LIE's Exit 58, and the East Meadow location will close.
All three restaurants are expected to stay open during the changeover, which will include adding more beers on tap and an expanded menu. According to the company the staff will remain the same, only now they will also be adding male servers. And for those Hooters girls who don't like the switch, Canz has put out a release promising them work (Obama will be relieved).
Suddenly Hooters' desperate attempts to bust out into new markets, like Park Slope and Coney Island, are making a lot more sense. Meanwhile, fear not Long Island boob fans! According to Hooters of America's chief executive: "New York is a vibrant market for Hooters, and in addition to the Manhattan and Yonkers locations slated to open next year, HOA is finalizing a development agreement with an existing franchisee to open five locations in the Long Island area."
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Garth Johnston
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