Hooters has quietly vanished from Massachusetts, with the regional franchisee abruptly closing its remaining locations this week and leaving the state without a single restaurant for the first time in decades. Customers who showed up for wings and a game instead found locked doors and nearly identical closure notices taped to the entrances.
The last three Hooters in the state, in Dedham, Saugus and West Springfield, shut their doors this week, the company confirmed. The move is part of a broader reset, with the brand describing the closures as an effort “to focus, revitalize and strengthen the original Hooters brand across America,” according to Boston.com.
These latest shutdowns follow the chain’s Shrewsbury restaurant, which closed on May 28 after announcing its end on social media and posting a similar notice for guests, as reported by Patch. Once that longtime outpost went dark, only the three remaining locations were left to carry the Hooters banner in Massachusetts, until this week finished the job.
Who operated the Massachusetts locations
The Bay State restaurants were run by Hooters of New York/New England, a Connecticut-based franchise group led by Marc Phaneuf Sr. and Marc Phaneuf Jr. The Phaneuf family has been involved with Hooters franchises across New England and New York for decades, The Boston Globe reported.
Bankruptcy and brand restructuring
The Massachusetts exits are unfolding against the backdrop of a larger shakeup for the chain after Hooters of America filed for Chapter 11 in 2025. The bankruptcy plan called for selling more than 100 company-owned restaurants to longtime franchisees, with the reorganization and buyer group detailed in coverage by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
What this leaves behind
With every Massachusetts location now closed, Hooters has zero presence in the state even as the brand continues to operate hundreds of restaurants across the United States and overseas. Industry reporting places the chain at more than 420 locations in about 29 countries, so the orange shorts are not going away, just not available off any Massachusetts highway exits.
Online reaction to the closures has bounced between nostalgia and punchlines, with some customers reminiscing about first dates and late-night wings and others treating the news as the end of a very specific cultural era. Boston.com reports it was unable to reach the franchise owners for comment.
