Under the cloak of darkness, working tirelessly after completing their day jobs, 5 Fort Myers businessmen dreamed that their hard work would pay off with a new place to hang out for eating and drinking with friends. The year was 1986 and few people had any idea what was happening inside the old Burger Chef location. Now, a quarter of a century later, HOOTERS in Fort Myers is celebrating its silver anniversary and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who remembers the burger joint.
Dave Lageschulte, Terry Brawner, Paul Lynch, Dale Regnier and Kit Klingensmith are all still actively involved in the company. From the humble beginnings of that first Hooters in Ft Myers, the company now boasts stores in Bradenton, Sarasota, Pt Charlotte, Cape Coral, Ft Myers Beach, Naples, West Palm, Ft Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Miami and Boca Raton. All told, there are 19 HOOTERS in the companies stable."We had no idea it would ever be more than one unit," said Paul Lynch. "Our Fort Myers store was only the fifth HOOTERS ever. So no one could've predicted where this concept would go. While our formula for success seems simple on the surface---good food and drink, in a fun atmosphere, served up by the All-American cheerleaders known as Hooters Girls.