Hooters opens first-ever hoots in Cicero

CICERO – Cicero is the first worldwide site of hoots, Hooters' fast-casual version of its full-service restaurant.

The restaurant – without Hooters girls – opened Feb. 15 at 2201-D S. Cicero Ave.

Hoots was inspired by increases in the fast-casual category of restaurants and Hooters to-go orders, along with the popularity of the company’s chicken wings, a company spokesman said.

The fast-casual category – higher-quality food than other fast-food restaurants but no full table service – rose 12.4 percent from 2010 to 2015, more than the 2.9-percent increase for casual dining, according to Technomic Inc., a restaurant research company.

A lot of the Hooters in the Chicago area “do a very strong to-go business,” said Sal Melilli, chief operating officer of Hooters Management Corporation, which founded Hooters in 1983 and operates the restaurants worldwide.

Neil Kiefer, president and CEO, said in a statement that take-outs represent 20 to 25 percent of the company’s business.

“Fast casual is a perfect fit for today’s fast-paced lifestyle,” Kiefer said.

For hoots, Melilli said, the company chose its top five menu items – chicken wings, fried pickles, Alaskan snow crab legs, buffalo chicken sandwich and buffalo shrimp. Added were other menu items such as a garden salad, french fries, boneless wings, grilled chicken sandwich, mozzarella sticks and onion wings.

Customers can either place their order at the counter and have it brought to their table or sit in the bar area and have servers take and deliver their order. The 2,800-square-foot hoots has 20 seats in the bar area and 55 in the restaurant.

The name "hoots" represents a “shorter, faster version of Hooters,” Mellilli said.

Denise Williams, Hooters chief marketing officer, said the company chose Cicero as its first location because of the high percentage of to-go business at its Chicago-area restaurants, as well as the high density of business and residential developments in the Cicero area.

Ray Hanania, town spokesman, said Cicero helped hoots get into its location after the company reached out to the town.

"We're seeing a lot of businesses come in here," he said.

The nearby Wal-Mart and Sam's Club have seen success, Hanania said.

"Businesses are looking for that kind of performance," he said.

Melilli said hoots has been “very, very well-received” so far, with “a strong stream of customers.”

The restaurant has hired 40 employees. Melilli said he does not know yet how much sales tax revenue will be generated to Cicero because it's too early to tell the volume of sales.

Countryside was the last full-service Hooters location to open three years ago, Melilli said. Hooters also has locations in Downers Grove and Melrose Park.

Asked when and where the next hoots will open, Melilli said he did not know, adding it will take time to drive the Chicago market.

“For two years, we have been working on it,” he said about hoots. “We were happy to get it open.”

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If you go

What: hoots

Where: 2201-D S. Cicero Ave., Cicero

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Info: eathoots.com