Hooters S’pore MD Opens New Restaurant So Staff Won’t Be Left Jobless After American Chain’s Closure

S’pore outlet was Hooters’ first international franchise branch

One of the brand’s earlier slogans says it all: "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined". It’s known for its all-female wait staff clad in signature tank tops and orange shorts, plus fried chicken wings.

Hooters opened its Singapore restaurant in Clarke Quay outlet in 1996. It was the brand's first international franchise outside North America and its inaugural outlet in Asia. Two other outlets later opened in Singapore under different franchisees, but have since closed.

In December 2025, Hooters Singapore announced it would be closing its only remaining outlet here, citing prolonged manpower shortages and persistently slow sales. Selena stressed that the decision had nothing to do with franchise fees, adding that the challenges faced were reflective of broader issues in Singapore’s F&B industry.

The local closure also comes amid financial troubles faced by the Hooters brand globally. In March 2025, Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy in the US, seeking to address its US$376 million debt by selling all of its company-owned restaurants to a franchise group backed by some of the brand’s original founders.

Fate of staff pushed her to start new concept

Selena’s connection to Hooters runs deep. Her parents are co-owners of the restaurant and she first stepped into the business in 2004, starting out as a part-time cook during her school holidays. She joined the restaurant full-time in 2015 — a journey that eventually led her to the role of managing director.

The staff, Selena says, are like family.

“If I close Hooters, what happens to my staff?” she tells 8days.sg, explaining that many of them have been with the restaurant for years, some even decades.

Among those moving with her are several longtime employees. Her head chef Razmi Bin Ibrahim, who has been with the brand since 2002, started out with no prior culinary experience and worked his way up in the kitchen over two decades. Her general manager Doreen Ho began as a Hooters girl (waitress) when the restaurant first opened in 1996 and was trained by Hooters of America.

“She’s the first batch of Hooters girls,” shares Selena. “A lot of them are old-timers. Some have been here longer than I have.”

Opening a new concept, she says, allows her to run a smaller, more manageable operation and, most importantly, ensure that her team does not suddenly find themselves without jobs.

Almost her entire team, around 10 people, will be moving with her to the new restaurant. Their salary, she adds, will remain unchanged.

A chance to start afresh and shed ‘sleazy’ image

Over the years, Selena says she has also had to deal with lingering misconceptions about Hooters. 

“Some people think it’s a nightclub or that children aren’t allowed, when we are a family restaurant,” says Selena.

She adds that there have been occasional instances where customers behaved inappropriately towards staff, such as trying to touch their hands or shoulders. “If it gets too much, the manager will step in and stop it,” she said, adding that such incidents are not common and happen perhaps a couple of times a year. 

While she does not dwell on it, the closure gives her a chance to start afresh, in a space that is family-friendly and comfortable for both staff and diners.

A new chapter at Tanjong Katong 

While the staff will largely be the same, don’t expect the same flirty Hooters concept at Beans & Barrels.

Instead, Selena is going “back to basics” with a “fun, casual” fusion bistro that’s designed to be family-friendly, comfortable and easy-going.

Offering a mix of Western and Asian food, the space will function as a café by day, where customers can drop by for coffee and all-day breakfast. Come nightfall, the space transforms into a relaxed hangout for beers, food and live sports shows. The fuss-free name reflects the concept: “beans” for coffee, and “barrels” for beer.

Selena and her parents, who are co-owners, invested a mid six-figure sum into the bistro. It’s slated to open on Tanjong Katong Road (opposite Punggol Nasi Lemak), in early April, a neighbourhood close to her heart as she grew up in the area.

While the interior design is still being finalised, Selena says the look will be kept simple and minimalist, with an industrial feel: “Nothing too fancy, or bright like [Hooter’s] bright orange, maybe just cream or white.”

Skimpy uniforms no more

The pared-back concept extends to what the staff will be wearing too.

Gone are the tank tops and super-short shorts. Instead, staff will be dressed in plain crew-neck black T-shirts, mid-thigh denim shorts and aprons.

“Not sleeveless shirts, and the shorts are not too short, they’re the sort you see people wearing on the streets,” Selena says, adding that she wants her staff to feel comfortable and confident at work. 

The move will also make hiring easier as she can “hire anyone who wants to work in the service industry”, including men, who were previously not allowed to be hired as part of the wait staff at Hooters. 

Expect “same same, but different” fried chicken wings 

Food-wise, Beans & Barrels will lean towards Western fare, while gradually introducing Asian dishes through rotating monthly specials.

Yes, fans of Hooters’ wings can expect a “same same, but different” version of fried chicken here. The menu will also feature comfort dishes such as burgers, all-day breakfast, and pasta dishes such as prawn aglio olio. 

Asian flavours will be introduced more gradually to gauge customer response and let the menu evolve organically.

One dish that will definitely make the menu is Ah Ma’s chai tow kway, a personal tribute to Selena’s late grandmother, who passed away in June 2025.

The fried carrot cake, which her grandmother used to make for her at home, features steamed radish cake with mushrooms, dried shrimp and peanuts, pan-fried upon order so it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

“She always told me to sell this at Hooters, but how could I?” Selena says, adding that opening her own concept finally allows her to fulfill her grandma’s wish.

Prices are expected to be more affordable at the upcoming joint than at Hooters, “about 10 per cent lower”.

Hooters biz booming since closure announcement

Since news of Hooters’ closure broke in late December, business has surged, with the restaurant running close to full house almost every night.

“Business jumped close to 100 per cent,” she says. “I expected people to come, but I didn't expect this many or such [big] orders. Now, almost every group is ordering 40, 50 pieces of chicken wings.”

Many of the customers, she adds, are familiar faces — longtime regulars returning for one last visit. Several have also been asking about her next venture, assuring her they’ll be there to support Beans & Barrels when it opens.

Hooters is at CQ @ Clarke Quay, 3D River Vallery Rd, #01-03 Blk D, S179023. Open daily 12pm-2am. Last day of operations is on Jan 31.