For those who didn’t think you could put Hooters and shrinking together in the same sentence … here we are. Another Hooters in Texas has closed, this time in the Greater Houston area.
The latest Hooters casualty is the one at 20796 Gulf Fwy. in Webster; the breastaurant was colloquially described as the NASA location. Word about the restaurant’s closure was circulating on social media as early as April 17. A phone call to the restaurant resulted in an automated message that confirmed the location had shuttered. For whatever reason, the location is still listed as active on the Hooters website and Google.
Hooters has yet to respond to Chron’s request for comment.
Hooters entered 2026 fresh out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy that was filed the previous year. Like a lot of big restaurant chains, the Florida-born business has struggled with declining sales and foot traffic, plus increased costs and too much debt. Hooters’ original founders, together with select franchisees, purchased the company back with the intent to transform it into a pure franchise model, meaning none of the locations would be corporate run.
The rebuild of Hooters is ongoing and includes some major shifts, including pivoting away from its current sexualized image and bringing back its original family friendly vibes. There’s also a bit of “righting the ship” as the company and its franchisees cull locations in an effort to restructure. That includes a Corpus Christi Hooters location last week and another in Katy the month before.
Currently, there are around half a dozen Hooters locations still open in the Houston area. Statewide, there are 33 considered active.