West End Hooters Holds Grand Reopening After Devastating Fire

Last July, an American tragedy occurred. A devastating fire broke out at the decades-old Hooters location in downtown Dallas, depriving locals from all the things that made Hooters special, like juicy wings, ice-cold beer and the massive personalities of their favorite servers. This week, the location finally reopened after being shuttered for over a year.

This location first opened in 1989 as a beacon of Dallas’ West End. According to The Dallas Morning News, last summer's fire took over two hours to extinguish and was caused by a cigarette butt left outside the building. Though it was ruled an accident, the fire took over two hours to extinguish.

On Monday, Aug. 11, Hooters reopened with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, plus a tribute to Dallas firefighter Ryan Caitlin, who was injured in the fire. The first 50 customers received 10 free boneless wings, plus hourly gift card giveaways.

In addition, Cassidy Welch, Grand Prairie resident and the winner of the 2024 Miss Hooters International Pageant, was on-site from 4-10 p.m. We didn't know that Hooters held an annual pageant until today, nor did we know that the winner takes home a grand prize of $30,000, but we're sure that Welch's appearance brought in troves of adoring fans to the restaurant.

The reopening comes after a turbulent year for Hooters. In March, the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but Hooters of America CEO Sal Melilli assured that "Hooters restaurants are here to stay." By June, his promise seemed doubtful, after Hooters closed dozens of locations across the country with no warning, including one in Grapevine.

Against all odds, our historic outlet for all things wings, sports and neighborhood camaraderie (nothing else), is back in operation. The location will be open at 4 p.m. for the rest of the week until Friday, when the restaurant will open at 11 a.m. Hooters locations in Mesquite, Garland and Plano remain open.

Hooters is located at 2201 N. Lamar St.