Fire Shuts Down Hooters' West End Location

Hooters in the West End, which opened in 1989, caught fire Monday morning. The company is unsure when it will reopen.

July 16, 2024

Hooters in the West End of Dallas is closed as the company assesses fire damage to the restaurant. Photo by Syed F Hashemi on Unsplash

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Shortly after Hooters announced the company was closing dozens of locations across the U.S., the location closest to home caught fire late Monday morning.

According to NBC DFW, Dallas Fire-Rescue was called to the scene at 2201 N. Lamar St. around 11:23 a.m. When firefighters arrived, only a light haze could be seen before they eventually discovered more structural involvement and a second alarm sounded at 11:57 a.m.

The fire was controlled and put out just before 2 p.m.

DFR reported that one firefighter suffered minor injuries to the head, face and leg, but is expected to make a full recovery after being treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

The news is still fresh, so the cause of the fire is still being investigated, but plenty of locals are speculating under @dallastx_tv's Instagram post showing footage of the fire.

Many are still mourning the loss of Baby Dolls, a Fort Worth strip club that was also destroyed in a fire, and consider the timing of the two suspicious.

@spless3717 says, "First Baby Dolls, now this?!".

Others like @jrhinehardt blame the fire on Wingstop or the abrupt closure of 16 underperforming Hooters locations in Texas. Keith Meline wrote under the video, "This how Hooters corporate closing the “underperforming” locations??".

A fire doesn't mean the end of the road for our Hooters, though. After a fire closed the Corpus Christi location in November 2021, the location reopened "bigger and better" on June 10.

As for the future of our neighborhood breastaurant, Hooters is still assessing the damage and gave us this statement:

"Our popular Hooters Dallas restaurant at 2201 North Lamar Street, which has been open since 1989, sustained fire damage today. We thank the first responders who quickly extinguished the fire including a firefighter injured on the scene, who is reported to be recovering. Thankfully all guests and employees are safe. We are still assessing the structure and situation before announcing a re-opening date. We look forward to re-opening our doors and welcoming back our downtown Dallas guests soon."

Aaren Prody is a freelance food writer for the Dallas Observer, whose culinary endeavors are inspired by her travels around the world and fueled by a seriously good cup of joe. Her repertoire also extends to her camera and niche selection of Spotify playlists.

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