By Kyle Coppola
Hooters Celebrates Grand Opening in The Villages
Hooters has officially opened its first location in The Villages on Monday, July 7th, drawing a crowd of hundreds from the sprawling Central Florida retirement community along with other residents in surrounding towns to much intrigue and fanfare.
(Hooters girls welcome guests into the brand new Hooters in The Villages. Photo Credit – Hooters.)
Located at 700 Kristine Way, The Villages, FL 32163 which is just off East County Road 44 in Lake Deaton Plaza, the grand opening featured a ribbon-cutting signaled the first Hooters to open in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. Lines formed early in the morning as residents, many dressed in orange and white, gathered to celebrate the arrival of the restaurant known for its sports bar atmosphere, chicken wings, and trademark uniformed servers.
Richard & Greta S. of the Village of Duval said “We’ve been coming to Hooters for over 25 years. We love it because the food is so consistently good, especially the blackened grouper.” Timothy R. was there with his wife and daughter and said “Now I don’t have to go to Ocala to get wings!” For many this is the place they go for exactly that, THE WINGS. Hooters wings are some of the best you can get and now Villages and surrounding residents have a location right at home.
(The new Hooters in The Villages welcomed their first guests today. There was a small soft opening on Sunday. Today was the official grand opening.)
The Villages is a rapidly growing retirement community with over 150,000 residents. They are no stranger to big brand arrivals, but the addition of Hooters has generated particular buzz, with mixed reactions across social media. Some praised the restaurant for bringing “something fun and different” to the area, while others questioned whether the chain’s branding is appropriate for the area. Regardless Hooters is here and ready to serve some great food.
Hooters General Manager Summer Abarbanel says “We are so happy to be here in The Villages.” Summer’s management staff is all female. “The people in this age group remember the original Hooters and we provide that nostalgia and always the fun and quality.” said Summer.
(An absolutely insane amount of TV’s on the wall makes sure you never miss a game. Photo Credit – Andrea Lynn Walen.)
Despite the many things people have said, one of the things people have said they look forward to is the food. Hooters wings are famous and for good reason. The delicious secret sauces used on the wings are incredibly good. But they also offer some good burgers, salads and sandwich options.
The new restaurant is spacious and the outdoor patio is a good place to have a meal. The vibes are what you can expect. Good times, good food, with those warm smiles that keep you coming back.
Monday’s turnout suggests the franchise may have found a welcoming home in The Villages and in Central Florida. It’s an area that has wanted a Hooters for a very long time. This is also good news for Hooters as they come out of Bankruptcy. This location is one of few Hooters to open in recent years. It’s great to see the chain which was born in Florida, opening locations once more. We wish them all the best. Welcome to Sumter County!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
