Hooters plans to open a restaurant at 25245 Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, even as the Clearwater-founded chain continues closing longtime locations across Florida following its bankruptcy restructuring.

The restaurant appears under the name "Wesley Chapel" on the Original Hooters website, which lists its status as "Coming Soon." No confirmed opening date has been announced.

The project has been in the works since at least July 2025, when the company announced plans to expand into Wesley Chapel. Although the restaurant carries the Wesley Chapel name, its listed address is in Lutz, near the Pasco-Hillsborough county line.

The planned opening comes as Hooters attempts to rebuild its business following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy that resulted in a major ownership restructuring and widespread restaurant closures.

Lutz location remains in development

The Lutz restaurant would expand the chain's presence in the northern Tampa Bay area, where Hooters already operates restaurants in Odessa, North Tampa and other nearby communities.

The company first publicly discussed the Wesley Chapel expansion in July 2025, when it announced the opening of a restaurant in The Villages.

At the time, HMC Hospitality Group said the Wesley Chapel location was expected to open that fall, according to an Original Hooters news release.

More than a year later, the restaurant remains listed as coming soon.

The company's website does not provide a revised opening date, restaurant hours or telephone number for the Lutz location.

The project was also mentioned in an Oct. 5 Fox News report examining the chain's continued closures across Florida.

The Lutz listing is significant because Hooters has been reducing its national footprint while attempting to develop new restaurants under a different ownership structure.

Bankruptcy brings new ownership and strategy

Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 31, 2025, while restructuring approximately $380 million in funded debt.

The company completed its restructuring transactions Oct. 31, 2025, transferring restaurant assets and franchise management responsibilities to an ownership group that included Hooters Inc., associated with the chain's original founders, and Hoot Owl Restaurants.

In a Nov. 3, 2025, announcement, the company said the new ownership partners controlled approximately 140 of the chain's 198 domestic restaurants.

The restructuring shifted Hooters toward a predominantly franchise-operated model.

The new ownership group also announced plans to refresh restaurant operations, including changes to ingredients, menu offerings and the overall dining experience.

Hooters traces its origins to Clearwater, where the first restaurant opened in 1983.

CEO Neil Kiefer has said the company's previous ownership allowed the brand to drift away from its original identity as a casual, beach-themed restaurant.

In a November 2025 interview with Fortune, Kiefer argued that the brand had become too focused on its adult-oriented image, alienating women and families.

"It's a beach-theme restaurant, not a sexualized one," Kiefer said.

He told Fortune that franchise restaurants under his ownership attracted substantially more women and children than locations operated under the previous corporate model.

The company's strategy emphasizes food, hospitality and a broader customer base as it attempts to stabilize the brand.

New restaurant opens as others shut down

The planned Lutz restaurant follows the opening of a Hooters in The Villages in July 2025.

That location opened July 7 at Lake Deaton Plaza, 700 Kristine Way, with more than 70 employees and approximately 4,500 square feet of indoor restaurant space.

"The residents of the Villages have asked for Hooters, and we are excited to open our doors," Kiefer said in the company's announcement.

The restaurant was among the first new Hooters locations associated with the company's restructuring period.

Elsewhere in Florida, however, several longtime restaurants have closed.

Jacksonville's last remaining Hooters, on San Jose Boulevard near Baymeadows Road, permanently closed by early October 2026 after approximately 40 years in business.

The restaurant opened in 1986. News4JAX reported that a closure notice was posted on the building, although the exact closing date remained unclear.

The Panama City Beach Hooters at 12709 Front Beach Road closed Sept. 7 after more than 30 years, according to WJHG.

In South Florida, the Boca Raton restaurant closed in February 2026 after 16 years when its landlord declined to renew the lease, according to Fox News.

The closures have created sizable gaps in the chain's Florida footprint, particularly along the Atlantic coast.

Hooters' national footprint has declined

The restaurant chain's contraction began well before its 2025 bankruptcy filing.

Hooters finished 2024 with 251 domestic locations, down 16.1% from the previous year, according to data from restaurant industry research firm Technomic cited by Nation's Restaurant News.

That represented a substantial decline from the 354 U.S. restaurants the chain operated at the end of 2004.

The company closed approximately 40 restaurants in 2024 and more than 30 additional locations in June 2025 as it prepared to transfer operations to the new ownership group.

Hooters has attributed the restructuring to financial pressures and the need to establish a more sustainable business model.

The new ownership group has emphasized returning to the chain's original identity while maintaining existing restaurants and pursuing selected expansion opportunities.

For the Lutz and Wesley Chapel area, the planned restaurant represents one of those expansion projects.

The location at 25245 Wesley Chapel Blvd. remains on the company's official coming-soon list, but an opening date has not been confirmed.