Natalie Scott
Portillo’s brings Chicago style food to El Paso’s Eastside
Portillo’s is bringing Chicago style food to El Paso for its first time. The restaurant opened to much fanfare Tuesday, March 24 at 12221 Montana Ave.
April Fools’ Day is Wednesday, April 1, a day to have fun at others’ expense.
And for Hooters, it’s a day to celebrate their Founders Day, which started as a tongue-in-cheek idea in 1983 and has turned into a tradition.
“What started as a bold, tongue-in-cheek idea back in 1983 turned into something iconic -and we’re still having fun with it. April 1st is our Founders Day, and this deal is our way to celebrate with our guests at their favorite neighborhood Hooters in Texas,” said Andrea Hill, HMC Hospitality Group Executive Vice President in a press release.
Here is what to know about April Fools’ Day 2026
When is April Fools’ Day 2026?
April Fools’ Day always falls on April 1, which is a Wednesday this year.
How did April Fools’ Day start?
According to the Encyclopedia of American Folklore, the exact origins of April Fools’ Day are uncertain and the tradition most likely comes from multiple sources.
April Fools’ Day is most often attributed to France’s switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in the 1500s, according to The Library of Congress and the History Channel.
“In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1,” the History Channel says.
“People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called ‘April fools.’”
Another potential origin is a New Year’s tradition from the Middle Ages called the “Feast of Fools,” which predates France’s switch to the Gregorian Calendar.
Hooters offers wings deal on April Fools’ Day
For April Fools’ Day, Hooters is offering a one-day, dine-in-only offer at participating locations. The April Fools’ Day deal is 10 wings (traditional or boneless) for $3.99. They will also offer beer specials of Dos Equis pints for $3.99 and Coors Light pints for $2.99.
Some restrictions do apply. One order of 10 wings per person and a beverage purchase is required.
Participating Hooters Locations in Texas:
Abilene
Hooters Abilene (2042 E. Overland Trail, Abilene)
Corpus Christi
Hooters Corpus Christi (4551 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi)
Dallas/ Fort Worth
Hooters Arlington North (1511 North Collins, Arlington)
Hooters Cedar Hill (622 Uptown Boulevard, Cedar Hill)
Hooters Denton (985 S. I-35 East, Denton)
Hooters Fort Worth (5350 Southwest Boulevard., Fort Worth)
Hooters Garland (4781 Bass Pro Drive, Garland)
Hooters Grand Prairie (2750 West Interstate 20, Grand Prairie)
Hooters Mesquite (3902 Towne Crossing Boulevard, Mesquite)
Hooters N. Richland Hills (7669 Grapevine Hwy N, Richland Hills)
Hooters Plano (720 Central Expressway, Plano)
Hooters Texarkana (5101 N. State Line Avenue, Texarkana)
Hooters West End (2201 North Lamar Dallas)
El Paso
Hooters El Paso (1170 Sunmount, El Paso)
Hooters El Paso East (1799 Joe Battle Blvd, El Paso)
Harlingen
Hooters Harlingen (98 Bass Pro Drive, Harlingen)
Houston
Hooters Humble (20150 Hwy 59 North, Humble)
Hooters Nasa (20796 Gulf Freeway, Webster)
Hooters Pasadena (3656 E. Sam Houston Pkwy, Pasadena)
Hooters Sugarland (12759 S.W. Freeway, Stafford)
Hooters Willowbrook (17599 Tomball Parkway, Houston)
Odessa
Hooters Odessa (2660 John Ben Shepperd Parkway, Odessa)
Round Rock
Hooters Round Rock (2700 S I-H 35, Round Rock)
San Antonio
Hooters San Antonio West (9802 Ingram Road, San Antonio)
Hooters San Pedro (13131 San Pedro, San Antonio)
April Fools Day deals at BJ’s, Dairy Queen and Domino’s
Here are some other confirmed April Fools’ Day 2026 deals and discounts, according to The Freebie Guy blog:
- BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: Available for dine-in only on Wednesday, April 1, the Sweet Heat Pepperoni Pizookie is a unique combination of the BJ’s classic warm Chocolate Chunk Pizookie base, two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, and crispy pepperoni, finished with a hot-honey drizzle for $4.01. This is not a prank; it’s totally real.
- Dairy Queen: Between March 30 and April 26, you can buy one Blizzard and get another (of equal or lesser value) for just 99 cents. This deal is only available in the DQ Mobile App for DQ Rewards members.
- Domino’s: Get any pizza with up to 7 toppings (6 for Pan and NY Style) for $9.99 each through April 6.
- Dunkin’ Donuts: On April Fools’ Day 2025, Dunkin’ gave away free coffee to 1,000,001 customers and will likely run the same deal again. The deal was available to rewards members only and redeemable with a promo code at checkout in the app. In 2025, the promo code was “ThisIsNotAJoke.”
- Dutch Bros: Get a free sticker with any drink purchase starting at 5 a.m., while supplies last.
- The Cheesecake Factory: Cheesecake Rewards program members who download the app and log in by April 30 will receive a complimentary slice as their first reward, redeemable beginning April 1.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok. USAToday contributed to this story.
