TGI Fridays Is Closing Restaurants Across the Country
No more Happy Hour Every Hour for us.
Dotdash Meredith/Janet Maples
TGI Fridays is the quintessential casual dining experience. In fact, since opening in 1965, it just about paved the way for casual lunch and dinner dining. Before it opened its doors, your best options for dining out without breaking the bank were Denny’s, IHOP, or maybe a local chain, like Pennsylvania's Eat ‘n Park, Ohio’s Bob Evans, Massachusetts’ Friendly’s, and Georgia’s Huddle House, to name a few.
Today, TGI Fridays is one of the biggest casual dining restaurants in the U.S.—next to Applebee’s, Chili’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings. While it’s been operating successfully for nearly 60 years, TGI Fridays is still committed to building its brand and giving its customers an exceptional experience. That’s likely why the restaurant has continued rolling out new menu items and expanded its at-home offerings with a Walmart-exclusive line.
TGI Fridays is on a “path of transformation to revitalize the Fridays brand and implement a long-term growth strategy,” according to its CEO. And evidently, that also means reevaluating restaurant locations.
TGI Fridays Closed 36 'Underperforming' Restaurants Nationwide
On Jan. 3, TGI Fridays announced its plans to close 36 “underperforming” locations across the country.
"By strengthening our franchise model and closing underperforming stores, we are creating an unprecedented opportunity for Fridays to drive forward its vision for the future," TGI Fridays’ U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer Ray Risley said in a statement.
The closures took place on Jan. 3 in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, according to a list obtained by Allrecipes.
The 36 locations include:
California
1077 E Herndon Ave, Fresno, CA 93720
Colorado
125 Ken Pratt Blvd, Longmont, CO 80501
8104 Northfield Blvd, Denver, CO 80238
Connecticut
3025 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06111
Florida
24 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach, FL 32176
580 N State Rd 7, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
Massachusetts
601 Donald Lynch Blvd Ste 4258, Marlborough, MA 01752
49 Newbury St, Danvers, MA 01923
750 Providence Hwy, Dedham, MA 02026
1105 Fall River Ave, Seekonk, MA 02771
280 School St Suite A100, Mansfield, MA 02048
1385 S Washington St, North Attleborough, MA 02760
Maryland
8330 Benson Dr, Columbia, MD 21045
15207 Major Lansdale Blvd, Bowie, MD 20716
New Hampshire
124 NH-101A Ste 28, Amherst, NH 03031
New Jersey
401 Gill Ln, Iselin, NJ 08830
411 Hackensack Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601
71 Route 23 South, Wayne, NJ 07470
180 NJ-35 Ste 6000, Eatontown, NJ 07724
40 US-22, Springfield, NJ 07081
970 ROUTE 73 N, Marlton, NJ 08053
3535 US-1 #275, Princeton, NJ 08540
New York
1475 Western Ave, Albany, NY 12203
1725 Sunrise Hwy, Bay Shore, NY 11706
5 Centre Dr, Central Valley, NY 10917
3045 Expy Drive N, Islandia, NY 11749
5204 Sunrise Hwy, Massapequa Park, NY 11762
Pennsylvania
2500 W Moreland Rd, Willow Grove, PA 19090
Texas
5217 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78411
1524 N Collins Street, Arlington, TX 76011
12895 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034
1105 Lake Woodlands Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380
Virginia
6751-B Frontier Dr, Springfield, VA 22150
7401 Sudley Rd, Manassas, VA 20109
1160 Carl D Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
13237 Worth Ave, Woodbridge, VA 22192
TGI Fridays says it offered employment transfers to more than 1,000 employees impacted by the restaurant closures.
In addition to its 36 closures, TGI Fridays announced it sold eight previously corporate-owned restaurants to the company’s former CEO, Ray Blanchette. The goal is that Blanchette will operate and lead those eight Northeastern locations “into a new phase of revitalization,” according to a statement.
As we kick off 2024, it seems like there are big changes ahead for the chain—so we’ll be keeping an eye out for what comes next at Fridays.
Read the original article on All Recipes.
