Franchising

Hooters, Hoots Wings testing burgers?

Provided

November 11, 2021

Hooters may be adding burgers to the menu, thanks to a relationship with Umami Burger, one of 40 culinary brands owned by C3, a company offering cuisine from 40 concepts via shared kitchens, delivery-only venues as well as brick-and-mortar concepts.

The chicken chain is testing the Umami Burger menu item at select restaurants and may eventually roll it out to more restaurants, including its fast casual concept, Hoots Wings, said Sal Melilli, CEO and president of HOA brands, the parent company of Hooters and Hoots

"Through a relationship with C3 we will aim to further build on the exceptional experience that Hooters is known for," he said in a company press release. "In addition to offering the iconic and exciting Hooters in restaurant, our goal is to further empower both Hooters and Hoots Wings customers by offering quality made food that is created in a timely and convenient way for an on-the-go lifestyle."

Any expansion of the C3 / HOA Brands relationship will also provide Hooters and Hoots Wings access to C3's proprietary Go by Citizens app, which provides a one-stop-shop digital experience allowing consumers to order from multiple digital restaurant brands in one transaction. The brands expect the Go by Citizens market to eventually offer both popular menu items from Hooters and Hoots Wings, said Sam Nazarian, C3s founder and CEO.

"We are thrilled for this opportunity to further expand C3's reach, coupling our growing food tech eco-system with HOA Brands' global kitchen infrastructure," he said in the release. "Through this potential new relationship, we expect to work together to further the digital kitchen revolution, offering in-demand, quality food offerings and innovative recipes to customers around the world."

In addition to the potential expansion among Hooters and Hoots Wings locations, C3 products are available in over 800 digital brand locations in the U.S. through brands such as TGI Fridays and PF Changs. Its concepts include Sam's Crispy Chicken, Krispy Rice, Kumi, Cicci di Carne, Cindy Lou's Cookies, Soom Soom Fresh Mediterranean as well as new concepts El Pollo Verde, Plant Nation and Sa'Moto.

HOA Brands owns nearly 400 Hooters restaurants in 38 states and 20 countries as well as nine Hoots Wings locations.