IT'S OWL OVER
Hooters confirms it’s closing restaurant ‘indefinitely’ – and admits worrying ‘collapse’ to blame in note to customers
Another restaurant in the area is to close in days and the reasons behind the shutdown are similar
A HOOTERS restaurant in Rhode Island has indefinitely closed - just years after reopening for fans.
The establishment, located in Warwick – around eight miles from the state capital Providence - has slammed shut.
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A note has been left on one of the restaurant’s windows informing customers about the closure, per The Providence Journal.
The shutdown has been blamed on the collapse of the Washington Bridge.
“Due to the bridge collapse, we will be closing indefinitely,” the note said.
“First the roof… now the bridge.”
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It emerged the restaurant first closed down in 2015 before reopening in 2020.
A storm damaged the building’s roof and around $450,000 worth of repairs were carried out.
News of the shutdown has gone viral, sparking fans to share their memories of eating at the restaurant.
“The first Hooters I ever visited,” one fan said.
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Diners said they enjoyed digging into chicken wings.
It was the chain's only Rhode Island restaurant.
Restaurant chain with 152 locations shutters two branches - they 'ducked and ran in the night' in third closure in weeks
The Warwick Hooters closure comes just months after the chain’s restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana, shuttered after 25 years.
A candlelit vigil was held to mourn the closure of a Hooters restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia, in February, per The Washington Post.
The Hooters restaurant is not the only establishment to have closed down because of issues linked to the Washington Bridge.
Noodles 102 will be closing its doors for the last time on June 8.
The owners said the decision to close was taken with a heavy heart.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops, including in the state of California.
- Frisch's Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio are set to close.
- Chili's: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently.
- Friendly's: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March.
- Denny's: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl's Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
“After an incredible 17 years, this decision to move on is a result of the harsh economic conditions we are facing and the I-195 bridge repairs,” they said in an Instagram post.
In December last year, officials revealed they found a structural fault which resulted in the westbound side being closed.
Authorities revealed the repairs could take months to be completed.
In March, Dan McKee, the Governor of Rhode Island, said the bridge would need to be demolished and replaced.
“We’re going to fix the bridge, we’re going to make it right, and we’re going to make sure we keep people safe,” he said.
Demolishing and replacing the structure could cost between $250 and $300 million.
State transport chiefs expect the process could take up to 2026 to be completed.
But Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, warned of the challenges the timetable could pose.
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“I think it is an aggressive estimate that needs to be met,” he told the ABC affiliate WLNE-TV.
“We are going to do everything we can to help make that a reality.”