Fort Lauderdale Hooters girls say chain has always been family friendly

When Hooters’ original founders took back control of the iconic restaurant chain after corporate bankruptcy last year, they vowed to return it to its roots.

This is a founding member and Hooters Inc. It meant dialing back what CEO Neil Kiefer described as an overly sexualized image, reemphasizing food and hospitality and broadening the brand’s appeal to families and younger customers after years when some corporate locations became what he called “little boys’ club stores.”

But at South Florida Hooters locations, which have always been run by the original ownership group, the servers who greet customers each day say they’ve been appealing to families and kids from the beginning.

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“Nothing changes for us here in South Florida,” Gracie Williams, who has worked for Hooters for nearly six years, told Fox News Digital.

“We’ve been the same Hooters girls from the beginning,” said the 24-year-old waitress and bartender, who graces the July cover of this year’s Hooters calendar.

Micayla Williams, 21, who has worked at Hooters for nearly two years, echoed that sentiment.

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“Nothing has really changed for our positions,” he said. “We take families. There are elderly people. There are young people, even children.”

Their perspective offers a regional counterpoint to the national conversation surrounding Hooters. As Hooters tries to reshape public perception, employees at its two Fort Lauderdale locations say they serve a broader customer base than the brand’s longtime reputation suggests.

Gracie Williams and Micayla Williams said South Florida Hooters locations always attract kids and families. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

Consistently restoring broader appeal across all remaining restaurants is central to the company’s strategy, Kiefer said.

“We’re starting to re-establish a broad consumer base like the original Hooters,” Kiefer told Fox News Digital last year.

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Kiefer said the emphasis is on hospitality, food and community involvement as he moves away from what he describes as “renegade stores” that have become “hyper-sexualized.”

“We’re always building an oasis for others to come to. Good food, hot wings, cold beer, and of course, beautiful girls.”

Hooters girls told Fox News Digital that community involvement has always been the formula in South Florida.

A Hooters executive described company-owned restaurants as “renegade stores” that are “hypersexualized.” Hooters is trying to change that image as the original founders regain control of the brand. (Torin Halsey/Times Record News/USA TODAY NETWORK)

But Gracie Williams doesn’t ignore the element that has defined the brand for decades.

“We are always building an oasis for others to come to,” he said. “Good food, hot wings, cold beer, and of course, beautiful girls.”

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Both women cited the restaurant’s customer mix as evidence that the perception of Hooters often differs from reality.

Micayla Williams said that families make up a significant part of the crowd, especially at the beaches, during the day.

Chicken wings and curly fries are a popular menu option at Hooters locations in South Florida. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

“Obviously there are more families coming in during the day,” but there are also a lot of date nights at his place, “which is pretty nice to see.” he said.

Gracie Williams said the oceanfront location attracts parents and children who spend the day at the beach.

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“Parents come and hang out, and kids are on the beach,” he said. “And then when the kids come, there’s plenty of food for all the kids.”

Gracie Williams also noted the company’s fundraisers, which donate a portion of sales to local charities and youth sports organizations.

When she’s not pouring beer, Gracie Williams said she helps Hooters raise money for South Florida charities and youth sports. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)

Those events strengthen the restaurant’s role in the community, he said, recalling hosting dozens of rugby players and multiple teams at a recent fundraiser.

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“A lot of people think, ‘A regular is a guy or a person who gives you a lot of money,'” he said. “But here at Hooters, regulars aren’t necessarily that way. Regulars are our family.”

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While Hooters tries to convince a new generation of customers that this is more than a decades-old stereotype, women working in South Florida restaurants insist this is business as usual.