FAKE REPORTS CLAIM HOOTERS IS REBRANDING AND SHUTTING DOWN RESTAURANTS IN 2022
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According to multiple rumours, Hooters is rebranding and closing restaurants in 2022. The company, however, has declared the claims to be absolutely incorrect.
A number of outlets have reported that Hooters is closing locations owing to shifting millennial preferences, however the reports are nothing more than gossip.
Here’s what Hooters had to say about the scam, as well as how the phoney claims are linked to a 2017 report.
FAKE CLAIM SAYS HOOTERS IS REBRANDING IN 2022
Social media users feared the future of Hooters after several publications claimed that restaurants would be shutting down due to different tastes in millennials.
The original report comes from the viral Twitter account Daily Loud which claimed that the chain will be “rebranding” its locations because millennials “aren’t that into breasts”.
“Hooters is shutting down and ‘rebranding’ after new study shows that millennials ‘aren’t that into boobs’”, the publication claimed.
Responding to a resurfaced story from Complex, Hooters’ Twitter account shut down the hoax and tweeted on Wednesday: “This is the fakest news that has ever newsed.”
“There is no substance to this story,” a Hooters spokeswoman informed HITC and GRV Media. Guests are flocking to our restaurants across the country and around the world to watch this week’s broadcast sporting events, which are complimented with craveable culinary items, chilled beer, and famous hospitality. “Our idea is here to stay.”
TWITTER REACTS TO FAKE NEWS
Twitter users have had quite the field day over the fake report about Hooters.
One person said: “I’m starting to think Hooters rebranding was just a rumor to get more customers through the door.”
Someone else wrote: “Twitter corrected the apparent misinformation that Hooters is rebranding.”
Another one asked: “@Hooters – is the rebranding news fake? I am currently doing a podcast and I would like to know!”
Sports personality Paige Spiranac also chimed in the reactions and joked: “There goes my backup plan.”
After hundreds of tweets and even more replies to these tweets, there was some speculation that this announcement wasn’t exactly true. In 2017, Complex published an article called “Hooters Is Shutting Down Locations, Restrategizing After Recent Study Says Millennials Aren’t That Into Boobs.” So this isn’t exactly breaking news. In the article, the writer referenced a study from Pornhub that showed millennials are less interested in breasts than older generations.
“Pornhub visitors between the ages of 18 to 24 are 19% less likely to search for breasts when compared to all other age groups, but visitors aged 55 to 64 are 17% more likely to search,” the data revealed.
“At the moment, larger breasts are out, though I’m sure they’ll come back,” Sarah Pedersen, professor of communications and media at Robert Gordon University, told Playboy. “We tend to react to what went before.”
REPORT FIRST APPEARED IN 2017
The false assertions arise from a 2017 Business Insider piece claiming that the business had long struggled to attract millennial clients.
According to the survey, Hooters restaurant sales declined by 7% between 2012 and 2016, resulting in a sales slump.
While the report did not include rebranding, a study indicated that millennials were less interested in breasts than their elders.
The report also mentioned that the company had provided renovated design and a new menu “in an attempt to attract younger clientele and female customers”.
According to Business Insider, the number of Hooters restaurants in the United States has decreased by more than 7% between 2012 and 2016. Hooters revamped its appearance and food ten years ago in an attempt to lure millennials to their stores. There was even a casual restaurant called Hoots, where the waiters were all fully clothed—both men and women worked there.
While Twitter is going crazy over the Hooters news, it’s actually not news at all. It’s no secret that the company has been trying to pivot for the last decade in order to diversify its consumer base and remain relevant.