Quick Verdict · who it fits
Hooters fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$1.3M - $4.1M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$75K
Item 19 median rev
$3.38M all franchised units
System size (Item 20)
101
Model Hooters's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Data extracted from the 2022 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
297
Total units open
101 franchised + 196 company-owned
0 franchised; 0 company-owned
Units opened last year
4 franchised
Units closed last year
3 non-renewals + 1 ceased operations – other reasons ; 1 company-owned (closed)
−4 franchised; −1 company-own
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2022 filing.
5
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How Hooters ranks against 751 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
91st pct · of 751 peers
Franchise fee
98th pct · of 751 peers
System size
74th pct · of 751 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$589K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
261
Franchises analyzed
751
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooters | Disclosed | $75K | $1.3M - $4.1M | — | 101 |
| Dave's Hot ChickenSimilar price | None | $40K | $824K - $4.1M | 6% | 348 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | None | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.
Brand Analysis
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.
Brand Analysis
The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company franchises the ice cream shops on a $30,000 fee and a 4% royalty, with a 2026 Item 7 range of $213,329 to $591,579. The trademark belongs to a different company, and the ice cream you are required to buy comes from a third.
Hooters requires a $75,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $1,258,300–$4,100,000, per the most recent FDD on file.
Hooters is franchised by HOA Franchising, LLC (Hooters), the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Hooters discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $3,379,056. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
As of their 2022 FDD, Hooters has 101 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt