Hooters Joliet Finally Reopens Monday

JOLIET, IL — Five months after an early morning blaze broke out at the Hooters restaurant near the Louis Joliet Mall, employees are counting down the days to their highly anticipated re-opening. For the first time in 2020, the Joliet Hooters will open its doors for customers at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 9.

"That is a sure thing; we are opening at 11 a.m. Monday," Joliet Hooters general manager Nicki Farrell told Joliet Patch during an interview Tuesday at the restaurant on Hennepin Drive.

The Hooters went up in flames around 4 a.m. last October, gutting the entire building all the way down to the two-by-fours, Hooters representatives said Tuesday.

The fire was determined to be electrical, Farrell said.

The Hooters has operated near the mall since 2006.

Thankfully, the fire happened while there were no employees or customers inside, she said.

This week, workers and contractors are putting the finishing touches on the restaurant. The restaurant's phone line was restored on Monday.

"By 5 p.m.," Farrell said, "we had 20 calls" from people wondering if the Hooters was open yet.

Joliet's Hooters has ranked as one of the top 50 Hooters locations out of around 450 nationwide, according to Allie Golden, Chicagoland marketing manager for Hooters Management Corp.

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For the most part, the newly renovated Hooters restaurant will continue to offer the same beers and food offerings, Farrell said. The Hooters will now feature five video gaming machines instead of three.

Initially, Farrell thought the Joliet Hooters would be back in business within eight to 10 weeks, but that was not practical. The smoke damage from the fire got behind the wood walls into the building's insulation.

The Joliet Fire Department sent fire engines from stations 8, 7, 6 and 5.

"Our fire was put out by these guys in 20 minutes," Farrell said. "They were excellent."

Come Monday, Farrell said her staff can't wait to reconnect with their loyal customer base. The Hooters will employ about 85 people.

"We just have a great customers base," she said.

If you're interested: Joliet's news radio station, WJOL, will be broadcasting live from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12 from inside the Hooters.