Hooters New Locale Re-Opens Monday in Oak Lawn

Caption: Out with old, in with the new. Hooters readies its new building at 9159 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn, IL.

If you’ve been missing the wings and Hooters girls’ hospitality on Cicero Avenue, the new, flagship restaurant is slated to reopen in Oak Lawn on Monday.

The unveiling of the new Hooters at 9159 S. Cicero Ave. will take place at 11 a.m. The new Hooters is located behind the original building. Eventually, patrons will eventually park in front of the new Hooters after the old building is demolished.

The reboot is part of a three-to-five year revitalization plan as Hooters updates restaurants throughout the country with new interior and exterior design enhancements, sleek and contemporary furnishings, video gaming and high-definition TVs.

Oak Lawn’s Hooters -- one of the most successful and busiest in the county -- warranted a whole new $3 million building and is being developed as a “flagship store” for the Chicago region.

Sal Melilli, president and CEO of Hooters of America LLC told Oak Lawn village board members in May that Oak Lawn has enabled the franchise to grow its brand in the Chicago market.

Hooters has been in Oak Lawn for the past 15 years. The flagship store will have many features unique only to the Oak Lawn location. Hooters’ success in Oak Lawn made it easy for the restaurant operator to stay and continue to grow their business. The restaurant also wants to get more involved in the neighborhood, Melilli said.

Included with new decor and high-def TVs is a new menu updated with burgers, salads and an expanded line of chicken wings.

Hooters has been getting beaten up in recent years by the Celtic-themed Tilted Kilt, with little growth in U.S. markets, prompting Hooters to target a new demographic -- women -- Time Magazine reported.

A manager at the new Oak Lawn Hooters said the new restaurant will be “kid friendly.”

While the Oak Lawn Hooters has seen its share of daring dash-and-dines and parking lot altercations, the restaurant employs off-duty, village police officers as security.

Earlier this year, 26-year-old mom and Oak Lawn Hooters server Kelly Bronson beat out other Chicago-area hopefuls to compete for the 2014 Miss Hooters International title.

Do you plan to visit the new Oak Lawn Hooters? Let us know in the comments.