Hooters makes renewed Newcastle city centre restaurant opening bid

Controversial American restaurant chain Hooters, famed for its scantily clad staff, is making a renewed bid to open in Newcastle.

The sports bar and restaurant has become renowned for waitresses who serve beer and food in orange hotpants and revealing vests, often attracting criticism from feminist groups wherever the firm plans to open. Nine years ago, Hooters launched a bid to open in City Quadrant at Waterloo Street, Newcastle, but the plans were blocked by licensing chiefs, who turned down the application due to fears over crime and disorder, public nuisance and public safety.

Now the company is making a fresh bid to bring its wings, burgers, shrimp and round-the-clock sports coverage to Newcastle city centre. It is planning to open at 20 Bigg Market, the empty rear half of the TJ Hughes store – a plan which has emerged through a licence application for a pavement cafe outside the building, which exits onto the Bigg Market.

An artist’s impression shows the Hooters distinctive signage on the outside of the building, which could also have seven tables placed outside as part of the new application. Interior design company Collective Design, which has worked on a number of bars and restaurant across the city and beyond, has been enlisted to draw up designs for the venue. At present, just a pavement cafe licence application has been made.

American chain Hooters started out in Florida in 1983, and is operated by two firms in the States – Hooters of America and Hooters Inc – and it now has almost 500 venues in 28 countries. The chain currently only has two restaurants in the UK – in Nottingham and Liverpool – although the chain was granted permission to open a third in Salford Quays two years ago.

This also marks the fourth attempt to create a leisure venue within part of the TJ Hughes department store in the last decade.

Around nine years ago the retailer was granted conditional permission to turn part of the store’s ground and first floor retail space into a 24-hour sports club, but those plans were superseded a year later by an application to convert part of the space into a restaurant.

The following year those plans were expanded with plans for a bar and restaurant within the space. Called Swiss Cottage, plans submitted with artists impressions – also by Collective Design – suggested the new venue would become “a high level operation which looks to operate from breakfast through the evening.”