MACON, Ga. — When driving down Riverside Drive, the orange Hooters sign looms large over Tom Hill Boulevard. The location on Riverside Parkway, however, is now a thing of the past.
Central Georgia's only Hooters abruptly closed for good over the weekend, and employees received only a day's notice of the store's closure, according to a letter sent to employees.
"Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores," the letter to employees read.
It was dated Sunday, the restaurant's last day of operation.
"We deeply regret that we were not able to give you notice," the letter said.
It comes as many restaurants struggle with rising labor and food costs. Earlier this summer, Red Lobster closed over 90 restaurants in the U.S., including three in Georgia.
Macon's Hooters was owned by Hooters' corporate entity, Hooters of America, and they invited employees to apply for jobs at other locations owned by the company. They will also maintain their seniority, pay and benefits if they are rehired within 30 calendar days, the letter said.
However, the closest Hooters location to the now-closed Macon restaurant is in Columbus, according to Google Maps. The second closest location is in Valdosta.
Meanwhile, the company also closed locations in Brunswick, Hiram and "Hoots Wings" in Atlanta, according to our sister station 11Alive.
"Please trust that we did everything we could to avoid closing this location and the decision was not made lightly," the letter read. "We appreciate your hard work and dedication and support of the Hooters brand."
A regional manager for Hooters declined to comment for this story.
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