Chicago woman gets hired at Hooters. Then she reveals all the starter uniforms they give her during onboarding
A Chicago woman just got hired at a Hooters location in the Chicago area. Now, she’s spilling what an average Hooters girl gets in their starting haul.
TikToker Tara Cercone (@taracercone), a local based in South Chicago, recently got a new job with the company. In a video with over 13,900 views, she showed everything that came with her new job while discussing some of the logistics of orientation.
How many Hooters locations are left in the U.S.?
Some viewers thought that Hooters across the country weren’t hiring due to their scarcity in certain states, which meant that for a few people, getting hired as a Hooters girl isn’t even an option.
“Where are you?” one commenter asked. “I’m in northern Kentucky. All the HOOTERS here and in Cincinnati, Ohio closed. I thought the whole company was out of business.”
The company has apparently been closing locations since 2024, with USA reporting that it shuttered at locations in at least 12 states in 2025. In 2026, even more locations—primarily in the south—are closing doors for good.
That doesn’t mean that TikToker Cercone’s location is one of the ones fading away. She mentioned in the comments that she was hired at a location in Chicago that hasn’t been targeted by any closures. Illinois hasn’t seen a significant amount of closures in comparison to states like Texas and Georgia. While there are rumors that Hooters may consider bankruptcy in the near future due to the company’s 376 million debt, company representatives have stated that the franchise as a whole will be here to stay, even if that means shutting down company-owned locations.
According to usearch.com, 312 open Hooters locations are operating in the United States.
How does getting hired as a Hooters girl work?
In the comments, viewers asked quite a few questions about the Hooters girl hiring process.
“Can you explain the process? How was the interview, and how was the training? Did you get paid during training? How’s the tips? I have an interview Thursday, but I’m wondering if it’s worth it,” one commenter asked.
While Cercone didn’t reply to that question, online blogs do describe the Hooters hiring process. Some discussion posts say that the hiring process is relatively straightforward. Servers simply submit their resume, interview and discuss the position like any other role.
But others ended up completing different steps before getting hired by the company. For one, some applicants are asked to put on the uniform before getting hired.
One applicant described the process, saying that she ended up trying on the Hooters uniform when she came in for an in-person interview.
“I tried it on, one of the girls came and looked at me, said ‘okay,’and I went back to the bathroom to change into my normal clothes,” she said. “While I was changing I was informed when I got out there would be a piece of paper on the table for me to fill out. It was basically just what my availability was, etc (which was open) and stuff like that.”
How long do callbacks typically take?
In the same post, the woman asked how long it would take to hear a callback from the company. Many viewers emphasized that it depends on the location. Some local stores wait for a variety of applicants so they can complete a group orientation. Others call back within a day. Some Hooters locations have even been said to take over a week to call back after an in-person interview.
In this specific instance, the applicant who tried on the Hooters uniform ended up getting a call around a month after her initial interview. Ultimately, there’s not necessarily a specific standard for what to expect when applying for a job there. A long wait time doesn’t mean that an applicant isn’t getting hired, though.
What starter uniforms do employees at Hooters get when onboarding?
In Cercone’s post, she ended up showing off her starting uniforms for Hooters as she started her orientation. She ended up with a bag worth of stuff, including multiple different uniforms.
The first thing she showed her audience was a hoodie, which she got to wear when coming into the restaurant. According to her, Hooters girls are not allowed to wear their uniforms outside of work for image purposes and safety. After that, she showed her viewers a pair of Skechers shoes alongside nylon shoestrings.
Then, she looked at her uniforms for when she’d come in. She got two pairs of shorts, a tank top, a t-shirt, a long sleeve and a pouch. In her video, she passingly mentioned that she did not get any black t-shirts. She was still new to the store, so she didn’t know when or if she’d receive them.
A commenter ended up answering that question for her, adding, “I worked there for a little while too! They used to do the black (on fridays I think) when I was there. Congrats!!”
Cercone shared her excitement with her audience, adding that after her orientation, she’ll get the opportunity to train in-person starting the following week. With that in mind, she closed her video, adding that she was extremely excited to get started.
@taracercone Lil haul video for my new job, super excited :)?? #hoot ♬ original sound – taracercone
The Mary Sue reached out to Cercone via TikTok direct message for comment. We’ve also sent a message to Hooters via email for comment.
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