Bankruptcy Looms As TGI Fridays Suddenly Closes Numerous Stores

American restaurant chain TGI Friday's shuttered nearly 50 locations across the country this past week, leaving them with just 164 of the 270 locations that were open at the beginning of the year. The casual sit-in dining establishment — which has a menu featuring a range of items from mozzarella sticks to wings — may soon be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to allow them to restructure their debt, end unprofitable leases, and focus on sustaining more successful locations.

Closures took place in California, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Missouri, as reported by local media, and were enacted somewhat suddenly, with notes left on the doors expressing thanks to customers and employees. This follows the closure of 36 locations in January, which were said to be underperforming. TGI Friday's has a locator map, which is kept up-to-date with closures and allows customers to search for an open location near them.

Although TGI Friday's idea of creating a casual restaurant fit for a girls' night out or an affordable birthday dinner for a big family was once a novel concept, restaurants like it, from Red Robin to Olive Garden, now abound in most American cities. And they're not immune to the shifting tides of consumer opinions either — certain Applebee's franchisees have declared bankruptcy in 2024. The general consensus is that in a difficult economic period, diners are searching for even cheaper food, typically turning to drive-thru restaurants as their go-to. After all, the fastest fast food chain can complete orders in about four minutes flat.

Although TGI Friday's doesn't plan to shut down entirely, there will likely be more closures and other structural changes in the coming months as the company fights to keep (some of) their doors open and ready for Happy Hour. They may not have the best chain-restaurant margaritas, but TGI Friday's does claim to have popularized potato skins in the United States — and that's a contribution to American history worth remembering.