When Hooters Singapore shuts its doors for good on Jan 31, it will mark the end of a 30-year run for one of Clarke Quay’s most recognisable dining institutions.
But for Hooters managing director Selena Chua, 38, the closure is not an end: It is a pivot driven largely by one priority – her staff.
Having been with the restaurant for more than two decades, Chua will be opening a new fusion bistro called Beans & Barrels, in a bid to keep her long-serving staff employed after the American casual dining chain exits Singapore.
Selena Chua. (Photo: 8Days Eats)
In December 2025, Hooters Singapore announced it would be closing its only remaining outlet here, citing prolonged manpower shortages and persistently slow sales. Chua stressed that the decision had nothing to do with franchise fees, adding that the challenges faced were reflective of broader issues in Singapore’s F&B industry.
The local closure also comes amid financial troubles faced by the Hooters brand globally. In March 2025, Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy in the US, seeking to address its US$376 million debt by selling all of its company-owned restaurants to a franchise group backed by some of the brand’s original founders.
Selena Chua’s connection to Hooters runs deep. Her parents are co-owners of the restaurant and she first stepped into the business in 2004, starting out as a part-time cook during her school holidays. She joined the restaurant full-time in 2015 – a journey that eventually led her to the role of managing director.
The staff, Chua says, are like family.
“If I close Hooters, what happens to my staff?” she tells 8days.sg, explaining that many of them have been with the restaurant for years, some even decades.
Among those moving with her are several longtime employees. Her head chef, Razmi Bin Ibrahim, who has been with the brand since 2002, started out with no prior culinary experience and worked his way up in the kitchen over two decades. Her general manager, Doreen Ho, began as a Hooters girl (waitress) when the restaurant first opened in 1996 and was trained by Hooters of America.
“She’s the first batch of Hooters girls,” shares Chua. “A lot of them are old-timers. Some have been here longer than I have.”
Opening a new concept, she says, allows her to run a smaller, more manageable operation and, most importantly, ensure that her team does not suddenly find themselves without jobs.
Almost her entire team, around 10 people, will be moving with her to the new restaurant. Their salary, she adds, will remain unchanged.
Over the years, Selena Chua says she has also had to deal with lingering misconceptions about Hooters.
“Some people think it’s a nightclub or that children aren’t allowed, when we are a family restaurant,” says Chua.
She adds that there have been occasional instances where customers behaved inappropriately towards staff, such as trying to touch their hands or shoulders. “If it gets too much, the manager will step in and stop it,” she says, adding that such incidents are not common and happen perhaps a couple of times a year.
While she does not dwell on it, the closure gives her a chance to start afresh, in a space that is family-friendly and comfortable for both staff and diners.
While the staff will largely be the same, don’t expect the same flirty Hooters concept at Beans & Barrels.
Instead, Chua is going “back to basics” with a “fun, casual” fusion bistro that’s designed to be family-friendly, comfortable and easy-going.
Offering a mix of Western and Asian food, the space will function as a cafe by day, where customers can drop by for coffee and all-day breakfast. Come nightfall, the space transforms into a relaxed hangout for beers, food and live sports shows. The fuss-free name reflects the concept: “Beans” for coffee and “barrels” for beer.
Chua and her parents, who are co-owners, invested a mid-six-figure sum into the bistro. It’s slated to open on Tanjong Katong Road (opposite Punggol Nasi Lemak), in early April, a neighbourhood close to her heart as she grew up in the area.
While the interior design is still being finalised, Chua says the look will be kept simple and minimalist, with an industrial feel: “Nothing too fancy, or bright like [Hooter’s] bright orange, maybe just cream or white.”
The pared-back concept extends to what the staff will be wearing too.
Gone are the tank tops and super-short shorts. Instead, staff will be dressed in plain crew-neck black T-shirts, mid-thigh denim shorts and aprons.
“Not sleeveless shirts, and the shorts are not too short, they’re the sort you see people wearing on the streets,” Chua says, adding that she wants her staff to feel comfortable and confident at work.
The move will also make hiring easier as she can “hire anyone who wants to work in the service industry”, including men, who were previously not allowed to be hired as part of the wait staff at Hooters.
Chicken wings at Hooters Singapore. (Photo: 8Days Eats)
Food-wise, Beans & Barrels will lean towards Western fare, while gradually introducing Asian dishes through rotating monthly specials.
Yes, fans of Hooters’ wings can expect a “same same, but different” version of fried chicken here. The menu will also feature comfort dishes such as burgers, all-day breakfast, and pasta dishes such as prawn aglio olio.
Asian flavours will be introduced more gradually to gauge customer response and let the menu evolve organically.
One dish that will definitely make the menu is Ah Ma’s chai tow kway, a personal tribute to Chua’s late grandmother, who passed away in June 2025.
The fried carrot cake, which her grandmother used to make for her at home, features steamed radish cake with mushrooms, dried shrimp and peanuts, pan-fried upon order so it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
“She always told me to sell this at Hooters, but how could I?” Chua says, adding that opening her own concept finally allows her to fulfil her grandma’s wish.
Prices are expected to be more affordable at the upcoming joint than at Hooters, “about 10 per cent lower”.
Since news of Hooters’ closure broke in late December, business has surged, with the restaurant running close to full house almost every night.
“Business jumped close to 100 per cent,” she says. “I expected people to come, but I didn't expect this many or such [big] orders. Now, almost every group is ordering 40, 50 pieces of chicken wings.”
Many of the customers, she adds, are familiar faces – longtime regulars returning for one last visit. Several have also been asking about her next venture, assuring her they’ll be there to support Beans & Barrels when it opens.
Hooters is at CQ @ Clarke Quay, 3D River Vallery Road, #01-03 Blk D, Singapore 179023. Open daily 12pm-2am. Last day of operations is on Jan 31.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
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But for Hooters managing director Selena Chua, 38, the closure is not an end: It is a pivot driven largely by one priority – her staff.
Having been with the restaurant for more than two decades, Chua will be opening a new fusion bistro called Beans & Barrels, in a bid to keep her long-serving staff employed after the American casual dining chain exits Singapore.
Selena Chua. (Photo: 8Days Eats)
In December 2025, Hooters Singapore announced it would be closing its only remaining outlet here, citing prolonged manpower shortages and persistently slow sales. Chua stressed that the decision had nothing to do with franchise fees, adding that the challenges faced were reflective of broader issues in Singapore’s F&B industry.
The local closure also comes amid financial troubles faced by the Hooters brand globally. In March 2025, Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy in the US, seeking to address its US$376 million debt by selling all of its company-owned restaurants to a franchise group backed by some of the brand’s original founders.
FATE OF STAFF PUSHED HER TO START NEW CONCEPT
Selena Chua’s connection to Hooters runs deep. Her parents are co-owners of the restaurant and she first stepped into the business in 2004, starting out as a part-time cook during her school holidays. She joined the restaurant full-time in 2015 – a journey that eventually led her to the role of managing director.
The staff, Chua says, are like family.
“If I close Hooters, what happens to my staff?” she tells 8days.sg, explaining that many of them have been with the restaurant for years, some even decades.
Among those moving with her are several longtime employees. Her head chef, Razmi Bin Ibrahim, who has been with the brand since 2002, started out with no prior culinary experience and worked his way up in the kitchen over two decades. Her general manager, Doreen Ho, began as a Hooters girl (waitress) when the restaurant first opened in 1996 and was trained by Hooters of America.
“She’s the first batch of Hooters girls,” shares Chua. “A lot of them are old-timers. Some have been here longer than I have.”
Opening a new concept, she says, allows her to run a smaller, more manageable operation and, most importantly, ensure that her team does not suddenly find themselves without jobs.
Almost her entire team, around 10 people, will be moving with her to the new restaurant. Their salary, she adds, will remain unchanged.
A CHANCE TO START FRESH AND SHED SLEAZY IMAGE
Over the years, Selena Chua says she has also had to deal with lingering misconceptions about Hooters.
“Some people think it’s a nightclub or that children aren’t allowed, when we are a family restaurant,” says Chua.
She adds that there have been occasional instances where customers behaved inappropriately towards staff, such as trying to touch their hands or shoulders. “If it gets too much, the manager will step in and stop it,” she says, adding that such incidents are not common and happen perhaps a couple of times a year.
While she does not dwell on it, the closure gives her a chance to start afresh, in a space that is family-friendly and comfortable for both staff and diners.
A NEW CHAPTER AT TANJONG KATONG
While the staff will largely be the same, don’t expect the same flirty Hooters concept at Beans & Barrels.
Instead, Chua is going “back to basics” with a “fun, casual” fusion bistro that’s designed to be family-friendly, comfortable and easy-going.
Offering a mix of Western and Asian food, the space will function as a cafe by day, where customers can drop by for coffee and all-day breakfast. Come nightfall, the space transforms into a relaxed hangout for beers, food and live sports shows. The fuss-free name reflects the concept: “Beans” for coffee and “barrels” for beer.
Chua and her parents, who are co-owners, invested a mid-six-figure sum into the bistro. It’s slated to open on Tanjong Katong Road (opposite Punggol Nasi Lemak), in early April, a neighbourhood close to her heart as she grew up in the area.
While the interior design is still being finalised, Chua says the look will be kept simple and minimalist, with an industrial feel: “Nothing too fancy, or bright like [Hooter’s] bright orange, maybe just cream or white.”
SKIMPY UNIFORMS NO MORE
The pared-back concept extends to what the staff will be wearing too.
Gone are the tank tops and super-short shorts. Instead, staff will be dressed in plain crew-neck black T-shirts, mid-thigh denim shorts and aprons.
“Not sleeveless shirts, and the shorts are not too short, they’re the sort you see people wearing on the streets,” Chua says, adding that she wants her staff to feel comfortable and confident at work.
The move will also make hiring easier as she can “hire anyone who wants to work in the service industry”, including men, who were previously not allowed to be hired as part of the wait staff at Hooters.
Chicken wings at Hooters Singapore. (Photo: 8Days Eats)
EXPECT "SAME SAME, BUT DIFFERENT" CHICKEN WINGS
Food-wise, Beans & Barrels will lean towards Western fare, while gradually introducing Asian dishes through rotating monthly specials.
Yes, fans of Hooters’ wings can expect a “same same, but different” version of fried chicken here. The menu will also feature comfort dishes such as burgers, all-day breakfast, and pasta dishes such as prawn aglio olio.
Asian flavours will be introduced more gradually to gauge customer response and let the menu evolve organically.
One dish that will definitely make the menu is Ah Ma’s chai tow kway, a personal tribute to Chua’s late grandmother, who passed away in June 2025.
The fried carrot cake, which her grandmother used to make for her at home, features steamed radish cake with mushrooms, dried shrimp and peanuts, pan-fried upon order so it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
“She always told me to sell this at Hooters, but how could I?” Chua says, adding that opening her own concept finally allows her to fulfil her grandma’s wish.
Prices are expected to be more affordable at the upcoming joint than at Hooters, “about 10 per cent lower”.
BUSINESS AT HOOTERS BOOMING SINCE CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT
Since news of Hooters’ closure broke in late December, business has surged, with the restaurant running close to full house almost every night.
“Business jumped close to 100 per cent,” she says. “I expected people to come, but I didn't expect this many or such [big] orders. Now, almost every group is ordering 40, 50 pieces of chicken wings.”
Many of the customers, she adds, are familiar faces – longtime regulars returning for one last visit. Several have also been asking about her next venture, assuring her they’ll be there to support Beans & Barrels when it opens.
Hooters is at CQ @ Clarke Quay, 3D River Vallery Road, #01-03 Blk D, Singapore 179023. Open daily 12pm-2am. Last day of operations is on Jan 31.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...