I could be persuaded to fly this airline
Hooters Restaurant Owner Buys Airline
Thu Dec 26, 8:39 PM ET
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The owner of the Hooters restaurant chain, dashed in an earlier attempt to buy an airline, has acquired a small North Carolina carrier with hopes of launching Hooters Air.
Hooters of America Inc. chairman Robert H. Brooks said Thursday he had bought Pace Airlines, a division of Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation.
The airline has 17 Boeing jets and 350 employees, most based near Piedmont's headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C. Pace specializes in corporate shuttles and business jets, catering to sports teams, VIP business travelers and vacation charters.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We would hope to stay in Winston-Salem, pending the outcome of negotiations," Darrell Richardson, president and chief executive of Pace, told the Winston-Salem Journal.
Messages left with Pace Airlines and Hooters of America by The Associated Press were not immediately returned Thursday.
In a news release, Brooks said he plans to establish a charter air service called Hooters Air and would provide leisure travel service for the golf industry to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Brooks also has a home there.
In September, bankrupt Vanguard Airlines Inc. rejected Brooks' offer to buy the assets of the failed Kansas City, Mo. company.
"While things did not work out with Vanguard, I learned through my due diligence efforts that the charter service segment is a healthier business arena and much better suited for extending the Hooters brand," Brooks said.
Hooters was founded in 1983, and Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors bought expansion and franchise rights for the chain in 1984. Brooks eventually bought majority control and became chairman in March.
posted by The Shadow at 1:42 PM [edit]
Hurt my knee while riding yesterday. It hurts like a muther. Still trying to not get sick too. Popping pills regularly.
posted by The Shadow at 7:55 AM [edit]
Brother and Family left this morning. He was under the weather the whole time with some nasty hacking spells. There has been a couple times during the visit that his "cold" seemed to be setting in on me. With some help from aspirin whenever I started feeling it come on, I seem to have fought off the sickness so far.
The ground is still covered with snow although the roads are in pretty good condition. Good enough that I rode to Jefferson Barracks for some slopping around in the snow. I never realized how tough snow can be to cut through. It felt like I was pushing a BIG gear instead of the 36x17 or so that I was in.
posted by The Shadow at 1:16 PM [edit]
Christmas Eve. In the weeks leading up it was agreed that there would be no exchanging of gifts between my brothers family, me and our parents. Of course my parents always get something anyway but I thought the agreement held with my brother. So whats under the tree? A present from him. And one from one of his daughters. Good Grief. I had to get a gift still for Dad but now I'm obviously going to be making a few extra stops it seems. Nothing like last minute shit. Not only that I get off work at 2 or so, its normally a half hour drive home and we are going to a 4 o'clock mass that we will have to leave by at 3:30 at the latest. How I'm going to cram the shopping in I have no idea. AARRGGHH.
posted by The Shadow at 1:07 PM [edit]
Missed the team training race Sunday because my brother was coming in to town. There was just too much to do to get ready for his arrival to justify taking time out for a meaningless race.
He and the family arrived close to 5pm. He is sick with a bad cold I guess and sounds terrible hacking up some nasty stuff. It will be a miracle if I don’t get sick from this visit.
I still need to get something for Dad for Christmas. I’m clueless though. I’d maybe get something computer related but he’s wanting to get a new computer so I’m hesitant to make any purchase dealing with the computer. Hopefully I’ll have some brainstorm in the next couple hours because I really need to get it today. We are supposed to be getting hit pretty good by snow tonight and tomorrow. It won’t be fun trying to fight snow and bad drivers on Christmas Eve.
posted by The Shadow at 12:27 PM [edit]
Just about to finish up the last day of the work week. These 2 day work weeks are BRUTAL!!! I suppose its time to do a little Christmas shopping.
posted by The Shadow at 1:47 PM [edit]
Yet another attempt on my part to post to this thing on a semi regular basis.
Today I heard that each year 1.7 billion candy canes are made. Who is eating all these things? I will eat maybe 1 a year. And even then, have you ever eaten a candy cane at one time. If its any bigger than a couple inches long I just don’t eat the whole thing. It will take me a week to eat those 6 or 7 inch long candy canes.
posted by The Shadow at 7:47 AM [edit] 