ATLANTA -- Hooters apparently is taking flight after all.
Bob Brooks, chairman of the Hooters of America restaurant chain,
which is famous for its scantily clad waitresses, was rebuffed
earlier this year in his effort to acquire the bankrupt and
grounded Vanguard Airlines.
But Hooters announced Dec. 26 that Brooks has acquired Pace
Airlines, an established Winston-Salem, N.C.-based charter operator
with 17 Boeing aircraft used to provide service for various sports
teams, corporate customers and tour operators.
Hooters said Brooks plans to establish a charter service,
operating under the name Hooters Air, to provide leisure travel
services for the golf and sports industry, with Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
as a prime destination.
"The extent to which the famous restaurant's brand
representation will be used in that operation, beyond the name, is
a work in progress," Hooters said in a statement.
Hooters said Pace's current operations and programs will
continue, with any new Hooters service operated separately.