Hooters sports bar closes Tuscaloosa location on Oscar Baxter Drive
- The Tuscaloosa Hooters restaurant has permanently closed.
- The closure follows a trend of Hooters closures nationwide due to market conditions.
- The company has been attempting to rebrand itself as more family-friendly amidst financial struggles.
- Other chain restaurants have also recently closed in the Tuscaloosa area.
Hooters, a sports bar famous for its Buffalo-style chicken wings and its servers' uniform of orange shorts and low-cut tank tops, has closed its doors in Tuscaloosa.
The restaurant at 5025 Oscar Baxter Drive, is now listed as permanently closed and a note stating its closure has been posted on the restaurant's' doors.
The note reads:
"This location is now closed. Please visit us at one of our other locations."
Pelham, Trussville and Prattville were listed as alternate locations in Alabama.
The Atlanta-based chain was founded in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983.
In June 2024, over 40 Hooters locations nationwide closed their doors due to "pressure from current market conditions," according to a statement. Hooters restaurants in Huntsville and Birmingham were among those sites that closed.
Earlier this year, Hooters announced plans to redefine its image in an effort to regain control after looming bankruptcy.
Company officials referred to the pivot to a more family friendly environment as a "re-Hooterization, according to a Bloomberg report.
Another restaurant near the Tuscaloosa Hooters recently closed: KPot Korean Barbecue and Hot Pot.
That restaurant, which opened in January 2024 at 4373 Courtney Drive, also featured a full bar.
Other chain restaurants that have recently left the Tuscaloosa market include the Red Lobster on McFarland Boulevard in July 2024 and the Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza in the Shoppes at Legacy Park in May 2025.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.