The Hooters In Warwick Is Closing Indefinitely

WARWICK, RI — The Hooters in Warwick that sat abandoned for most of 2015 through 2020 is now set to close indefinitely due to the Washington Bridge closure and reconstruction, the restaurant announced Monday.

The restaurant, which is Hooters' only Rhode Island location, closed "temporarily" in March 2015 after a winter storm forced it to close its doors due to roof damage.

But five years later, the same messaging outside the restaurant remained, and a tall fence like those seen at construction sites kept the building and its parking lot closed to visitors.

The closure in 2015 came in the wake of a health inspection failure that forced Hooters to close for remodeling in July 2015, following reports of mouse droppings in food prep areas and other unsanitary conditions.

The Warwick restaurant was not directly operated by parent company Hooters of America, instead by Hoot Owl LLC. In 2016, Hooters sued the subsidiary, saying it violated its franchise agreement by abandoning the restaurant along with another location in Delaware.

"The Warwick restaurant was in such deplorable condition in July 2014 that Hoot Owl 'voluntarily' closed the restaurant in order to perform necessary repairs and maintenance following a health department inspection," the lawsuit states.

In its closure announcement, the Warwick Hooters wrote that they are sad to share the news with the community.

"First the roof... now the bridge," the post said.

The westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge abruptly closed in December following the "critical failure" of some original 1960s bridge components was discovered during the bridge's reconstruction, officials previously said.

Officials announced in March that the bridge will have to be rebuilt, which could take two years and cost as much as $300 million.

In a letter to the United States Small Business Administration in December, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation explained the "serious toll" the closure of this "vital corridor" will have on residents, commuters, and businesses.

"Nearby businesses rely on the bridge for their daily operations," U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo said in a joint statement in December. "Customers might avoid areas surrounding the bridge due to traffic ... and businesses are already struggling to receive and send out deliveries."