TGI Fridays Shuts Down Numerous Restaurants Without Warning

It may be Friday, but there is one less thing to be thankful for. TGI Fridays has abruptly closed 36 restaurants across the country and also sold eight previously corporate-owned restaurants back to its former CEO as part of the company's "path of transformation to revitalize," the company said this week.

"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," TGI Fridays CEO Weldon Spangler said in a statement. We are at the helm of a pivotal moment that will allow us to explore boundless advancement, expansion, and innovation to keep delivering "That Fridays Feeling™" that our fans know and love."

"As part of the brand's ongoing growth strategy," per the release, 36 underperforming locations in markets across the country abruptly closed Tuesday. According to WFAA, the state most deeply affected by the move was New Jersey, where seven restaurants closed. An additional six restaurants closed in Massachusetts, five in New York, and four each in Texas and Virginia. The closures also impacted TGI Fridays restaurants in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, where the last two remaining locations in the state, Denver and Longmont, were closed. The restaurants closed Tuesday, with printed signs posted informing guests of the closures.

The closures were unexpected, according to workers, who expressed their disbelief on social media. Some said they received no notice and were now out of a job, though others indicated they had been offered transfers to other locations within the restaurant chain. In its release, the company said it was offering more than 1,000 transfer opportunities for 80% of the impacted employees.

"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," Ray Risley, U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer at TGI Fridays, said. "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."

The closed restaurants are no longer listed on the company's directory, and a "404 Error" page now appears if you go to their former websites from Google. There are over 850 TGI Fridays restaurants in more than 55 countries, according to the company, with 278 in the U.S. as of October, according to the data company ScrapeHero.