How HMC Hospitality Group’s CIO Jeffrey Hall Uses Tech to Elevate Hooters

When the first Hooters opened in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983, the brand leaned into being “delightfully tacky, yet unrefined.” Servers in low-cut shirts and short orange skirts served wings, burgers, and beer. Nearly 40 years later, those staples remain, but behind the scenes, a modern technology infrastructure is quietly reshaping how the restaurant operates.

For nearly 25 years, Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Hall has led that charge. From upgrading online ordering to rolling out handheld payment devices, his mission has stayed consistent: improve the experience for both employees and customers while keeping the business secure in a world of digital threats.

“Empowering our team with the tools they need to be successful will enable them to function well and produce high-quality work that keeps everyone coming back for more.”

About HMC Hospitality Group

HMC Hospitality Group owns and operates Hooters restaurants in some of the country’s biggest markets, including Manhattan, Las Vegas (coming soon), Chicago, and the Tampa Bay area. Hall works closely with Hooters of America, another management organization under the Hooters umbrella, to align on technology for network security, inventory, and floor operations.

Better Experiences for Everyone

Hall is especially excited about several tech integrations rolling out across HMC locations.

SmartSense Temperature Monitoring

SmartSense uses sensors inside Hooters coolers to automatically record temperatures and log them to the cloud. A manual sensor also syncs via Bluetooth to an iPad, checking food temperatures every four hours. Hall says this gives managers a more accurate, real-time picture of food safety.

A New ERP System

A major new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is in the middle of a yearlong rollout. While expensive, Hall says it was badly needed. The system improves inventory management, labor management, scheduling, and eliminates repetitive work across departments. Systems like this are changing back-office work, too. It’s no surprise ERP experience keeps showing up in the roles finance recruiters in Florida are trying to fill.

Handheld Devices and QR Code Payments

Hooters is rolling out handheld devices that let servers process payments tableside. Customers can also scan QR codes with their phones to pay. Both ideas emerged during the pandemic, when slow payment and ordering processes became a common complaint and when minimizing contact was a priority.

Ordering directly from a handheld device at the table is another concept Hall is exploring. He also hopes to finish rolling out a new point-of-sale system at every HMC location by the end of 2023.

But one thing isn’t changing.

“The Hooters Girl is a staple of our company and of our concept. They are a big part of what we do and who we are, and that’s not going to be lost.”

Prioritizing Security and Education

Training That Sticks

Every new software rollout comes with training so managers and employees understand how the systems work. Hall’s approach: have regional directors, people who relate to servers and frontline workers, lead the training.

Listening to a “tech nerd in a shirt and tie talk about software” isn’t as compelling, Hall says with a laugh.

For the new ERP system, managers train in a classroom setting, then get follow-up support through custom videos and live, on-site training to reinforce what they learned.

“That helps get buy-in from management on the ground, and with troubleshooting, it helps to have tech savvy people that know what managers deal with rather than using people in a call center.”

Cybersecurity in Layers

Each Hooters restaurant runs four separate networks (five if you count the one for the TVs), each independent and routed separately for added protection:

• Point-of-sale system
• Employee Wi-Fi
• Customer internet and phone system
• Devices like security cameras and the digital jukebox

“No matter how much we beef up the front lines with firewalls and other protections, the door is still always open to breach. Most of our issues come from interactions done by the user in error.”

To combat that, Hall says the company continuously educates staff on phishing, social engineering, and other tactics used by attackers.

The Hooters Journey

Hall’s interest in technology started early. After watching the 1983 film WarGames, he was so hooked that he started and ran the Tampa Bay area’s first FidoNet, a system for communication between bulletin board systems, at just 15 years old.

Before joining Hooters, he spent three years in telecommunications for Home Shopping Network, Nielsen Media Research, and Quest Diagnostics. He joined Hooters as an IT manager in 1999, spent 14 years as director of information technologies, and accepted his current CIO role in October 2021.

“This company is like a family. The leadership team hold onto those values and continues the culture that started things back in 1983. The loyalty we see from our customers reflects the loyalty the company’s employees and leadership hold for one another and to the brand. This is a place you want to work.”