TGI Fridays is Down to Just 85 Restaurants in the US

The popular American casual dining chain TGI Fridays has only 85 locations left in the US, according to its website.

TGI Fridays had 270 locations at the beginning of last year but is now down to 85 restaurants, with 30 shut down in the past month. At its height in 2008, TGI Fridays had about 600 restaurants.

Its parent company filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year.

The company declared bankruptcy in November, citing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic as the ‘primary driver of our financial challenges’. It stated that it was exploring ‘strategic alternatives in order to ensure the long-term viability of the brand’.

Casual dining chains typically cater to lower and middle-income families looking for a sit-down meal, but diners are abandoning these companies as their disposable income shrinks.

That has forced a number of chains to file for bankruptcy in recent years, including Hooters, Bar Louie, Buca di Beppo and On the Border. Plus, sales at Denny’s, Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Red Robin and Cracker Barrel are dropping, and they are collectively shuttering hundreds of restaurants.

TGI Fridays got its start in 1965 in Manhattan as a place for singles to meet each other and was one of the first major chains to popularize the “happy hour” concept. The menu features a wide array of American comfort food staples, including chicken wings, potato skins and hamburgers.