TGI Fridays Abruptly Closes 36 U.S. Locations
It’s a rough start to the new year for fans of loaded potato skins. According to a Wednesday press release, TGI Fridays plans to shutter 36 underperforming locations in select markets across the U.S. The locations scheduled to shut down are spread across 12 states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Virginia.
The restaurant chain included this news in a larger announcement, which also revealed plans to sell eight of its previously corporate-owned restaurants in the Northeast to the company’s former CEO Ray Blanchette. These changes follow recent efforts to enhance the brand’s leadership team, another step TGI Fridays claims is part of an overall plan to optimize operations and drive long-term growth.
“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, the chain’s U.S. president and chief operating officer, in the release. “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.”
As part of the store closures, TGI Fridays is offering over 1,000 transfer opportunities for employees. This will help over 80 percent of impacted employees find a new role. Before these closures, TGI Fridays maintained about 270 U.S. locations, and about 650 restaurants across 51 countries worldwide.
“As we continue along our path of transformation to revitalize the Fridays brand and implement a long-term growth strategy, we see a bright future for TGI Fridays,” said CEO Weldon Spangler in the release.
Below is a list of the locations that TGI Fridays plans to close, according to CNN Business:
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 Newbury 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
Hackensack, New Jersey: 411 Hackensack Ave., 07601
Iselin/Woodbridge, New Jersey: 401 Gill Ln., 08830
Marlton, 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
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