Hooters is trying to return to its roots.

The Clearwater, Florida-based restaurant chain, known for servers, called "Hooters Girls", dressed in low-cut tops and short shorts, is pushing to be more "family-focused" after a change in ownership last year, according to a statement sent to USA TODAY.

While the company emphasized the move is not a rebrand, it comes after its founders bought back most of the restaurant chain last year.

"Original Hooters has always been a family-friendly restaurant, so this isn’t a major shift, but rather a reclamation of who we’ve always been," said Michela DellaMonica, a company spokesperson. "Since we’ve taken back full control of the brand, we are 'returning to our roots' across all stores we now own."

The shift will include more family-focused promotions, such as kids' deals, at its restaurants in the coming years, DellaMonica said.

In early 2025, Hooters of America, which individual franchise operators ran at the time, filed for bankruptcy and began closing locations around the country. At the same time, Hooters Inc., a separate group that included Hooters' founders, announced plans to acquire Hooters of America.

The deal – which included 140 of the approximately 198 restaurant locations in the United States – was finalized in November.

In recent days, Hooters CEO Neil Kiefer has spoken publicly about the company's "reclamation".

Kiefer, who initially started with Hooters Inc. as its lawyer before becoming CEO in the 1990s, told People on May 21 that the restaurants are meant to be "a beach-themed place centered around the Hooters Girls, good food, (and being an) easy place to relax."

He also told the outlet that the franchisers behind Hooters of America took the brand in a different direction than what the founders initially envisioned.

"They had changed the uniforms of the girls and put them in almost what appeared to be a thong," he said. "And that was never the intention when this concept started."

In an interview with The New York Times, published May 21, Kiefer also said he's pushing to end "bikini nights," where Hooters Girls serve customers while dressed in swimwear.

"It’s a current topic of debate," Kiefer told the outlet. "You’ll never see one of those in one of our stores and, hopefully, we’ll get everybody in line with that, too."

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hooters rebranding, pushing to be more 'family-friendly'