As franchises go, few have the eye-popping success of Hooters.
Chris Levano, chief operating officer of Hooters Long Island, along with his business partner Richard Buckley, opened Hooters’ latest wing in Fresh Meadows on April 13, 2009. Their grand opening coincided with the New York Mets’ home opener at their new home, Citi Field.
“We had ESPN Radio doing a remote broadcast from our restaurant on our opening day,” said Levano. “They were covering the opening of the new stadium and it was a tremendous success for us. We had to turn hundreds of people away.”
A sports bar/restaurant netting ESPN Radio for its launch party is as business savvy as it gets in the industry, and should come as no surprise to those who are familiar with the Hooters way of operation.
The nearly three-decade-old restaurant chain operates in close to 40 countries and is one of the fastest growing international brands. They deem themselves, “A great place to get lost,” and are known as much for their wait staff as they are for their chicken wings, beer selection and sports coverage.
“What we try to give the public is an affordable escape,” said Levano. “Girls, wings and beer; it all says fun.”
Fun is what Levano had in mind when he decided to purchase two Hooters franchises on Long Island. He and Buckley had been in the food service industry for 33 years, formally owning franchises that included Nathan’s, Pancake Cottage, a diner and a bakery.
They bought out the Hooters restaurants in Islandia and East Meadow, Long Island with plans for immediate expansion into towns near and far. Farmingdale, Long Island came next, followed by Fresh Meadows. They plan on moving into Brooklyn next, and possibly the Bronx.
Levano praises the virtues of franchising. Compared to independent business concepts, franchises have an extremely low failure rate and Levano believes this can be attributed to overall company philosophy.
“Everything is thought out and done for you,” said Levano. “They have a lot of experience with the brand and get involved in every aspect of the franchise.”
Levano believes the key to Hooters’ success, and the key to a franchise’s success in general, is consistency.
“It’s a cookie cutter mentality,” said Levano. “Peoples’ expectations have to be fulfilled, whether they’re going to Hooters in Beijing or Queens. They go to see the brand on the door and they expect certain items.”
Among those expectations are the infamous Hooters Girls; clad in body-hugging tank tops and short shorts, the wait staff has drawn both the attention of customers and the ire of critics. But Levano says that much of the bad press surrounding Hooters comes from misconceptions and unfair judgments.
“In terms of sexuality, we’re below the Radio City Rockettes and far below the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders,” said Levano. “The majority of our waitresses are college grads, and several of them work here as a way to save money for their masters’ degrees.”
According to Levano, the Fresh Meadows Hooters employs a medical doctor, a lawyer and several accountants. And Levano also notes that Hooters is the largest contributor to women’s charities of any restaurant chain.
“These aren’t strippers. It’s the girl-next-door type of thing,” said Levano. “People should come by and give it a fair chance.”
And people have been coming by the Fresh Meadows location in droves. Levano installed an outdoor patio area, complete with beer taps and faux palm trees. The establishment is relaxed, family-friendly, has 45 flat-screen TV’s and boasts some of the best wings this side of Buffalo.
“Our menu goes beyond wings, but ours are some of the best you’ll find anywhere,” said Levano. “It’s just another reason to come here and forget about your troubles for a little while.”
