On Wednesday, a media outlet made a shocking claim about an iconic restaurant known for its chicken wings and scantily clad waitstaff.
“Hooters is shutting down and ‘rebranding’ after new study shows that millennials ‘aren’t that into boobs,’” the Daily Loud tweeted.
The tweet swiftly went viral, racking up tens of thousands of likes and thousands of retweets and comments.
There’s just one problem: It isn’t true.
The Daily Loud’s titillating tweet is a nearly verbatim repetition of a headline from a 2018 article in the Fresh Toast.
“Hooters rebrands after study suggests that millennials are not into boobs,” that headline read.
The Fresh Toast story followed a 2017 story in Insider which noted that millennials’ “new attitude” was forcing the “breastaurant” to close some locations.
This conclusion was based in part on Pornhub’s survey which found that people aged 18-24 were 19% less likely to search for breasts on its site.
Many people pointed out that the Daily Loud was regurgitating old news. Others came up with ideas for ways Hooters could more effectively reach a younger demographic.
“Rebrand to Clappers and they’ll take over the market,” user @twrecks155 suggested.
Plenty of people were fooled by the tweet.
“I hate this generation,” @Asmongold complained.
“National tragedy,” lamented @SociableBarely.
Some commenters suggested that the data set was flawed and that millennials do indeed enjoy being served by scantily clad waitstaff.
“The voting ballots were never sent out,” @MarkBatsonMusic tweeted.
Fans of Hooters can rejoice in the news that the tweet is inaccurate. Hooters confirmed that those orange shorts, stockings, and white tank tops aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“There is no validity to this story. Guests are enjoying this week’s televised sports events at our restaurants across the country and around the world in record numbers, accompanied by craveable menu items, cold beer and iconic hospitality,” a Hooters’ spokesperson told the Daily Dot via email on Wednesday.
“Our concept is here to stay,” they added.
The Daily Loud has not corrected or deleted the tweet as of this writing. It repeated the same claim on its Instagram account. The outlet didn’t immediately respond to a direct message sent via Instagram seeking comment.
