Why people went to Hooters Clarke Quay & stopped after 30 years

Hooters, the American chain restaurant, is many things to many people.

Some go there for their spicy hot wings.

Some say they go for their spicy hot wings.

To me, Hooters epitomised the concept of "sex sells", with its form-fitting staff uniform and innuendo-laden branding.

But after spending one Wednesday evening at Hooters Clarke Quay, just a week before it'd shut its doors for good after 30 years, it dawned on me that appearances aren't everything and it's what's inside that matters.

Beginnings

Selena Chua, 38, grew up with Hooters.

For her, as the second-generation manager director, Hooters is a family affair.

It all started with a trip to the U.S. in 1995, when the Chua family visited a Hooters there.

"I was just having fun and eating my wings there. Next thing I knew, we were touring around the kitchen," Chua recalled.

A year later, in 1996, Hooters landed in Singapore, thanks to Chua's father.

It was his side hustle on top of his electronic trading business, one which he treated like his "baby".

Hooters Clarke Quay was the brand's first franchised store in Asia, something that its signs still boast about to this day.

Chua joined the family business first by helping out in the kitchen part-time during her school holidays when she was still a teenager.

"At that point in time, people are more conservative. So, you know, the girls wearing the uniform. A lot of people will be like, 'Hey, why is the uniform so short?'" Chua shared, pointing out that there was a fair share of backlash when the restaurant opened.

Hooters girls

The ones who fill the seizing uniforms are those whom Chua endearingly calls the "Hooters girls".

Quite obviously, the Hooters girls are the beating heart of the restaurant, but they do more than just wait tables and look pretty.

Before the noodle dance and birthday songs at hotpot restaurants, there were hula hoops and the "Hooters song", things which a Hooters girl would have to master.

Chua shared that it would take six months of training these days.

"White shoes, white socks. Tank top, orange shorts," a group of former Hooters girls, who had come for one last get-together at the restaurant, sang with nostalgia.

It seemed like there was never a dull moment at Hooters.

Sabrina, who joined Hooters back in 1997 when she turned 18, remembers the long nights, post-shift raves and the generous American sailors.

"Back then, Hooters was always busy, and we were working crazy hours and had split shifts," she recalled.

She said of the sailors: "But when all those Americans came in... they would spend so much money, it was ridiculous. And they tipped!"

By the end of the long nights, it would be 4am, Sabrina said. Late, but still early enough for the clubs to be open.

"So we will go to the clubs. But we're just like, 'Ugh, we smell like chicken wings'," she chirped.

Sisterhood

But even as Hooters pushed limits and went wild, boundaries were made clear.

"From day one, [my father] told me, 'No matter what, you have to protect our staff'," Chua said.

When customers came in and got rowdy or stepped out of line, the team at Hooters took charge.

"We protect each other... when guys try to be funny with us, we are here to look out for each other... that is girls' power," one of the former Hooters girls said.

Hooters also had a bouncer back in the day to keep an eye out for troublemakers.

For Alice, who turns 42 this year, working at Hooters in her late teens was a formative and empowering experience.

She joined in 2000, after completing her school examinations.

"I will never forget the first time I put on the uniform," she said.

"I didn't have all the curves that they were looking for... It was day one, reporting for work. I didn't want to come out from the toilet. I felt too shy, even though... you were wearing stockings, but the shorts were really short.

So I felt quite exposed, didn't want to come out from the toilet for like, 10 minutes. But the moment I did it, the moment I had the courage to come out, that's it. It was no turning back. You feel actually quite empowered."

Through it all, she has kept in touch with her fellow Hooters girls.

Today, Alice is expecting her second child soon.

"It gave me a sisterhood," Alice proclaimed.

Boys' night out

Tang Li frequented Hooters back during his army days with his buddies.

"One of the girls even looked at me and said, 'Gosh, you're here quite regularly'," Tang recounted.

One of the things that kept Tang going back was the food, but he admitted that saying that was like saying you're going to Geylang for the beef kway teow.

"But the food was good... good hearty stuff, that's what I'll say," he insisted.

It was also the fact that Hooters was irreverent and did not take itself seriously.

"I work in corporate now... everybody wants to be this. Here was Hooters. Nobody cares, you know, we all have a laugh. You know, as young men, what do you do? You sit down, have a beer, you talk to your friends," he commented.

Kept busy by work and marriage, Tang's visits to Hooters grew less frequent in the last 10 years.

But it was those bygone days that brought him back for one last hurrah, even if some things were no longer be the same.

"One of my closest friends passed on, from my army days... he had hoped that we could come here and have a reunion. So, before they close, I thought I had to come here," Tang shared.

A cure for loneliness

Despite its arguably risqué environment, Chua declares that Hooters is a "full-fledged family restaurant".

Through the years, Hooters has also played host to all sorts of milestone in people's lives, from bachelorette parties to baby showers.

"There's this family, they [first] came in as a couple... but now they're married with a kid, and the kid is already two years old," she shared.

For others, Hooters is a cure for loneliness and homesickness.

"We have a lot of expats who are actually alone in Singapore. So, they come here just to have a drink, just to chill, and sometimes, just have someone to talk with," Chua explained.

Such friendly companionship is not something offered at normal restaurants.

Chua also explained that Hooters would host American service personnel, the ones Sabrina talked about, whenever they came ashore.

They had done so as recently as January 2026.

She believes Hooters offered a much-needed taste of home for them after their extended deployments.

So, what is Hooters all about?

When I stepped into the restaurant for the first time earlier that Wednesday afternoon, I was greeted by a wall of framed aircraft carrier photos to the right of the main door.

Each was tagged with a message of gratitude from the American sailors.

The next thing was the bright yellow sign that hung at the back of the restaurant with the word, "Bumps". Very on-brand.

I got to try their much talked about spicy hot wings too, which they continued to serve crispy fresh. Admittedly, pretty good.

But it was clear from the stories of Tang, Sabrina, Alice and Chua that Hooters wasn't just innuendos, tank tops and high-waisted shorts.

It was to people whatever they needed at the time. Company, sisterhood, human connection or just an innocent plate of spicy hot wings.

Today, the people have all grown up, some with careers, others with growing families of their own.

And the restaurant has become a time capsule of sorts, each memorabilia on display holding an anecdote.

Even the chilli plant, which Chua said grew out of nowhere, at its al fresco dining area had a story.

Apparently, it grew after someone had puked into the planter.

Change?

Chua revealed that most of the Hooters team will be shifting to a new operation in Tanjong Katong, called "Beans & Barrel".

It will have a completely different vibe and is entirely unrelated to Hooters — coffee by day, craft beer by night.

Should Hooters Clarke Quay have changed to keep up with the times, in hopes of keeping its doors open for longer?

Maybe change the timbered interior to something clean and modern, or swap sex appeal for mass appeal and solve the manpower issue?

Irreverence, unconventionality, and boldly being itself were what drew people to Hooters in the first place.

To swap all these for a subdued and palatable version for the masses is essentially asking it to give up its raison d'être. If it does that, it might as well be gone forever anyway.

And like a relationship that has run its course, sometimes it's better to realise that some things will come into your life at the right time, but they aren't meant to stay in it forever.

@mothershipsg Hooters is closing after 30 years. The legacy belongs to the women who ran it❤️‍🔥 #tiktoksg #fypsg #singapore #hooters ♬ original sound - Mothership

Top images via Tracy Moore, Mothership