I...is there some kind of synergy between brands that had their heyday in the 90s and early 00s, and are now slowly wandering out to pasture, wistfully looking over their shoulders at what might have been?



I’m not trying to dog Sonic here, but other than Sonic Mania, which I understand was largely a fan project that had been greenlit by Sega, the little blue hedgehog hasn’t exactly been at the top of his game for the better part of a decade.



Neither has Hooters. I’ve been to a Hooters restaurant approximately twice in my life; once when I was seventeen, back in 1999, and once for my twenty-first birthday, because I didn’t know of any better places to get a giant-ass beer (I’ve since learned of and patronize far better drinking establishments). The wings have always been disappointing (and overpriced), and I’ve always balked at the idea that I’m supposed to be impressed by scantily-clad women roaming around behaving as if I’m the best thing to walk through the door all day (I get that they’re just doing a job, and I’m not trying to get after them; it’s Hooters’ business model that’s always chapped my ass—South Park hit the nail squarely on the head with their “Raisins” episode).



Of the three Hooters locations that I know of, two have closed, and the third looks like a ratty, run-down hole in an already fairly ratty street.



So, I don’t really understand the point of the partnership here. Both brands appear to be in a bit of trouble (though Sonic may experience a bit of a revival thanks to Mania), and I do not see what is to be gained by chaining two sinking properties to each other.

