What YouGov data tells us about Hooters’ brand health amid bankruptcy
On March 31, 2025, Hooters filed for bankruptcy to enable founder-led buyout. To understand how the brand is perceived by consumers, data from YouGov BrandIndex—which tracks daily consumer sentiment toward thousands of brands—offers key insights into Hooters’ long-term brand health and public engagement.
Long-term brand health trends
Over the past five years, Hooters’ Index score—a composite metric that aggregates six core dimensions of brand health—has consistently remained in negative territory, averaging –5 percentage points. This score provides a comprehensive view of a brand’s overall standing in the eyes of consumers.
In September 2022, Hooters' Index score dropped to 7.6% and remained at similarly low levels until February 2023. While there was a modest recovery thereafter, the Index score continued to be at negative levels, reaching –5.4% on the day of the bankruptcy filing.
Strengths and weaknesses in brand perception
Among the six brand health components, Satisfaction has emerged as Hooters’ strongest performer. This metric measures the proportion of customers who report being satisfied minus those who say they are dissatisfied. Despite broader reputational and financial difficulties, Hooters has maintained relatively positive satisfaction levels, suggesting that those who do patronize the restaurant tend to leave with favorable feelings.
However, Quality and Value — which assess perceptions of product quality and value for money — remain negative, although less so than the overall Index score. These middling figures reflect ongoing concerns about what the brand offers compared to consumer expectations in the casual dining space.
The lowest score has been in Reputation, which gauges whether consumers would be proud or embarrassed to work for the brand. This metric has deteriorated more than any other.
Brand consideration
Despite these challenges, Hooters’ Consideration score—the percentage of consumers who would consider dining there—has remained relatively stable over the last five years. The only significant spike occurred in 2024, coinciding with an SNL sketch in which actress Sydney Sweeney portrayed a Hooters waitress.
Even as Hooters faces brand health disturbance, its positive Satisfaction score and stable Consideration indicate that the restaurant still holds space among American consumers. However, it continues to lag behind the average Consideration score for the broader casual dining sector.
Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. A brand’s Index score is an overall measure of brand health, made up of General Impression, Customer Satisfaction, Quality, Value, Corporate Reputation and Recommendation and delivered as a net score. Its Consideration score is based on the question: “When you are in the market next to book a flight, from which of the following would you consider purchasing a ticket?” Data from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in UK from January 2020 to March 2025. The figures are based on a 4-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.
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