Southern Californians will soon have more choices when it comes to chicken wing restaurants: Hoots Wings, a family-friendly wing franchise, is slated to open 18 restaurants in SoCal over the next five years under franchisee Reza Medali.
The development was announced by parent company HOA Brands, which also owns Hooters. Hoots Wings uses the same wing recipes as Hooters, but the similarities stop there, Medali explained.
“This is a different set-up — there are no bikini girls involved,” he said. “Hoots Wings is more family-oriented with a smaller footprint. It’s serving the community.”
Medali is a seasoned franchisor whose portfolio includes 15 Blaze Pizza restaurants as well as two Subway locations, all in California. He had noticed a gap in the market when it came to fast-casual wing chains, and chose Hoots Wings on account of its connection to Hooters and the quality of its food.
“With the wings, there aren’t many big players except Wingstop, so I saw a big opportunity to grow in this segment,” Medali explained. “Anything connected to Hooters is going to do really well. I feel really comfortable.”
The first two locations of Hoots Wings are slated for Orange County and will open in early 2022. In addition to chicken wings and a variety of sauces, the restaurants also serve waffle fries and tater tots, along with mac and cheese, fried pickles and pretzel sticks at select locations.
