New York — Some fans of TGI Fridays were likely surprised this week when they found their local restaurant permanently closed because the chain abruptly shut down dozens of locations around the US.
The chain said in a release that it closed 36 “underperforming” restaurants as part of its “ongoing growth strategy,” which also includes also a shakeup of its executive ranks and selling some restaurants back to its former CEO.
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TGI Fridays released a list of closed restaurants to CNN, which encompasses 12 states. New Jersey has the most locations closed with seven, followed by six in Massachusetts and five in New York. (See the list below).
Prior to the closures, TGI Fridays had about 270 US locations — a footprint that has dwindled in recent years. About 80% of “total impacted employees” were offered transfer opportunities, the company said.
“Our top priority has always been delivering a superior experience for each and every TGI Fridays guest, and we’ve identified opportunities to optimize and streamline our operations to ensure we are best positioned to meet – and exceed – on that brand promise,” said Ray Risley, US president and chief operating officer, in the release.
Other changes implemented at the nearly 60-year-old chain include selling eight previously corporate-owned locations, all in the Northeast US, to its former CEO Ray Blanchette. He had been TGI Fridays’ chief executive for five years until May 2023.
Blanchette has an “unmatched understanding of the TGI Fridays business and the restaurant’s commitment to delivering excellence for guests,” the chain said about the sale, adding that he will “lead the locations into a new phase of revitalization.”
TGI Fridays is privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, a private equity firm, so financial results aren’t released. However, the company said last year that total sales were projected to reach $1.6 billion in 2022 with same-store US sales growing at 8% compared to 2019.
It also changed up its menu in recent months to keep up with its rivals, notably Applebee’s and Chili’s, by adding sushi, refreshing its cocktail menu and giving its appetizer selection a makeover.
Here’s the full list:
Fresno, California: 1077 E. Herndon Ave. 93720
Denver, Colorado: 8104 Northfield Blvd., 80238
Longmont, Colorado: 125 Ken Pratt Blvd., 80501
Newington, Connecticut: 3025 Berlin Turnpike, 06111
Ormond Beach, Florida: 24 Ocean Shore Blvd., 32176
Royal Palm, Florida: 580 N. State Road 7, 33411
Berlin/Marlbourough, Massachusetts: 601 Donald Lynch Blvd., 01752
Danvers, Massachusetts: 49 NewbuQry St., 01923
Dedham, Massachusetts: 750 Providence Hwy, 02026
Mansfield, Massachusetts: 280 School St. Suite A100, 02048
North Attleboro, Massachusetts: 1385 S. Washington St., 02760
Seekonk, Massachusetts: 1105 Fall River Ave., 02771
Bowie, Maryland: 15207 Major Lansdale Blvd., 20716
Columbia, Maryland: 8330 Benson Dr., 21045
Amherst, New Hampshire: 124 NH-101A Ste. 28, 03031
Eatontown, New Jersey: 180 NJ-35 Ste. 6000, 07724
Hacksensack, New Jersey: 411 Hackensack Ave., 07601
Iselin/Woodbridge, New Jersey: 401 Gill Ln., 08830
Malrton, New Jersey: 970 Rte. 73 N., 08053
Princeton, New Jersey: 3535 US-1 #275, 08540
Springfield, New Jersey: 40 US-22, 07081
Wayne Town Center, New Jersey: 71 Route 23 South, 07470
Albany, New York: 1475 Western Ave, 12203
Bay Shore, New York: 1725 Sunrise Hwy., 11706
Hauppauge, New York: 3045 Expy Drive N., 11749
Massapequa, New York: 5204 Sunrise Hwy., 11762
Woodbury Township, New York: 5 Centre Dr., 10917
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania: 2500 W. Moreland Rd., 19090
Corpus Christi, Texas: 5217 S. Padre Island Dr., 78411
Houston Almeda, Texas: 12895 Gulf Fwy., 77034
North Arlington, Texas: 1524 N. Collins Street, 76011
The Woodlands, Texas: 1105 Lake Woodlands Dr., 77380
Fredericksburg, Virginia: 1160 Carl D Silver Pkwy, 22401
Manassas, Virginia: 7401 Sudley Rd., 20109
Springfield, Virginia: 6751-B Frontier Dr., 22150
Woodbridge/Potomac Mills, Virginia: 13237 Worth Ave., 22192
The-CNN-Wire
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