Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
22
I don’t think they went through any particular ownership changes, maybe some franchise changes. I think the biggest issue with Hooters is when they got increased competition from Twin Peaks (who does it better than them), they just didn’t respond well. They expanded the menu but the overall quality was never raised to compete. Twin Peaks typically stole all the best Hooters girls and kept them long term whereas Hooters seemed to turnover staff a lot quicker (having a regular waitress or two brings people back more often, at least it did me), the staff turnover caused service to drop, they did remodel some locations but I don’t know that it improved much, it might have taken away some of the Hooters style too, then I think over time the management just wasn’t putting in the effort. Some of this might be more from the Texas franchise group that includes the Houston area, as I didn’t go to other cities enough to compare, but the locations just weren’t very clean, the managers seemed to spend their time in the kitchen or in the office and not on the floor, etc. I think the competition with Twin Peaks just made the Hooters flaws glaring in comparison.
If you can find it online somewhere, I think if you watch the Undercover Boss episode for Hooters, it seemed like the owners/management just didn’t quite understand the brand or the perception of the brand the same as actual patrons or basically the same as reality.
Hooters to me felt like a Buffalo Wild Wings with girls in skimpy outfits. It felt like a chain restaurant.
Twin Peaks feels more like a bar (like a larger Little Woodrow’s) and less of a chain restaurant
That said, I’ve only been to either just a handful of times in my life
Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
25
Interesting observation. Any idea what it might be that makes it feel more like a bar and less like a chain restaurant? Notable that all three of the places you mentioned are chains, Little Woodrow’s being more regional but I don’t think all Little Woodrow’s have full kitchens, I know some were beer and wine only at one point, might have changed.
How come you know so much about Hooters and Twin Peaks?
I never thought I could read such a detailed review.
Who knew…
Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
28
I’ve spent plenty of time at both, and was friends with people who worked at both. I was intrigued how Twin Peaks really came in and disrupted, took over as the market leader. Then the various other competitors that started popping up around the same time. It became interesting as a marketing/advertising/competitive strategy study, too. Though my initial interest in both was the “scenic views” as they are called at Twin Peaks.
I don’t think quality necessarily has much to do with it; Twin Peaks ain’t exactly doing much hotter financially. It probably has more to do with the fact that Gen Z is very close to puritan in their sensibilities, and breastaurants get real sad real fast when the younger clients stop showing up.
Besides, every female bartender in America has figured out that showing a little skin and wearing something tight is a good way to increase their income, and Little Woodrow’s or Buffalo Wild Wings or whatever has the decency to be less upfront about the fact that you’re paying for attention from a girl with big boobs.
Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
30
Are Twin Peaks financials available separate from the rest of the chains owned by Fat Brands?
The first time I had Buffalo Wings or whatever they called it back then was when Hooters provided them at the AIA sandcastle completion in Galveston. They were delicious, as they made them right at the beach. I thought wow, they made the trash part of the chicken into something edible. Early 90s. That’s what we ordered every time we went to Hooters. Haven’t been in ages. Have you guys priced out wings, crazy that it’s a premium part now. I’ll just usually go for the drum sticks, it’s the cheapest part.
I’m going to Hooters for a fantasy football draft.
Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
35
At somepoint in the last 5 years when there was a shortage of wings, Wingstop added thighs to the menu. I assume they aren’t on the menu anymore though but I thought it was an interesting pivot.
Looked it up and a big part of the Hooters ownership shifted from the Brooks family to a private consortium back in 2011. That was about when they then shifted to family restaurant. or at least tried to, and the fall of the chain began.
Instead of fighting with Twin Peaks for the sports crowd they simply tried to change to family and failed. Should have just made a better menu then and stuck to sports, wings and beer and a better work environment. Waitresses at Twin Peaks did not have to bus their own tables liked the Hooters waitresses did and tips were falling from the old menu at Hooters thus the shift for the better waitresses to Twin Peaks.
Seen them both Hooters and Twin Peaks ones.The waitress Marissa on both Twin Peaks (waitress first, undercover second I believe) ones was a Hooters waitress before moving over. I had known her for a very long time. Was good to see her on TV.
1 Like
Duce630
(DustinK - Still 50 hostages held by Hamas for over 630 days)
40
Sounds like to me, Hooters made those changes around the same time Twin Peaks (founded in 2005) was continuing to expand and increase the competition. So, Hooters made negative changes that may have given an assist to Twin Peaks as they opened up places in direct competition. I know at one point Hooters sued Twin Peaks alleging the management (who had previously worked for Hooters) stole trade secrets. Anyways, my observation still is they didn’t pivot well, the remodels were just ok, but lack of bus boys, not keeping the places clean, and food quality made it easier for their best employees and customers to switch.
I think this absolutely could be an interesting case study on business competitive strategies.
