More Hooters
Hooters restaurant loves Fort Worth a lot with another new location
The Hooters chain continues its expansion into Tarrant County with the opening of a branch at 401 Alta Mere Dr., in west Fort Worth. The restaurant will be located on a strip near Ridgmar Town Square Shopping Center that's busy with retail and just about every fast-food restaurant chain, including McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Whataburger, and Arby's. Neighbors include Half-Price Books, Party City, Sam's Club, and Lowe's.
The location was strategically selected for its strong trade area and dense retail. It'll be a new construction and incorporates the company's "21st-century design," says Peter Block, of Colliers International, who brokered the deal.
"Hooters is experiencing a huge resurgence, with an infusion of capital helping them to reinvest in the brand," Block says. "They're fixing up old sites and building beautiful new prototype stores."
The Alta Mere location is unlikely to draw the same backlash that arose over the Hooters opening in downtown Fort Worth. After more than a year in the works, the chain received a thumbs up in November to open its branch in the City Place office towers at 150 Throckmorton St.
Some residents in the downtown area were opposed, as was Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square. But a judge gave the restaurant the go-ahead, saying that the zoning was proper and that there was nothing wrong with the Hooters uniforms.
There are already Hooters in North Richland Hills and in Arlington, and another new one is being built in Cedar Hill, off Highway 67. Block says that construction on both new branches is scheduled to begin in the next 45 days, with an opening to take place in the fall.
