Food

TGI Fridays mixes up the menu with a taste of nostalgia

The casual-dining chain is bringing back its greatest hits, updating guest favorites with new twists.
TGI Fridays comeback items
Photo courtesy of TGI Fridays

TGI Fridays launched a limited-time menu Tuesday, filled with items customers missed the most.

The Remixed and Remastered menu features the most requested appetizers, entrees and drinks from guests around the globe.

Everyone has a Fridays favorite, and our guests always ask us to bring back a blast from the past,” Sara Bittorf, chief experience officer at TGI Fridays, said in a statement. “The list is long, so we asked Fridays fans to vote and we’re bringing back our greatest hits, with a unique and reimagined twist.” 

The Fridays’ culinary team reworked some of the fan favorites, updating ingredients, flavors and presentations but retaining the nostalgia.

The popular Mac & Cheese Bites have been transformed into the cheesier Sizzling Cheesy Bacon Mac & Cheese Bites and feature fried white cheddar cheese, caramelized Jack cheese and bacon, served on a bed of melted cheese.

More cheese has also been piled on the Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger to earn it the name “Ultimate Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger.” It’s now layered with mozzarella sticks and cheddar spread in addition to cheddar cheese and is served with a side of warm poblano queso.

Oreo Madness, a well-loved dessert, has been elevated to Oreo Madness Now Fully Stuffed, a more indulgent version with house-made giant Oreo cookies stuffed with cookies & cream ice cream and coated with sprinkleschocolate sauce and fresh strawberries.

Several cocktails also got a makeover. The Sidecar is renamed the Golden Hour and includes rum, cognac, triple sec and fresh lemon juice, while the PB Skrewball (formerly the White Russian) now includes peanut butter whiskey and candies in the mix.

But certain items returned without noticeable tweaks. Making a comeback in close to their original form are the Blackened Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Fried Mushrooms, Mushroom Steak and Mushrooms and Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta.

Consumers are getting more vocal in pressuring chains to bring back their favorites, creating threads on social media and petitioning Change.org. Former menu items at Taco Bell and McDonald's are particular targets.

To promote the Remixed and Remastered menu, Fridays is running themed throwback events at participating locations, featuring live music, trivia nights and more. Customers can follow the lineup on Instagram at #ThrowbackFridays.   

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Operations

Friendly's is opening restaurants again

The 89-year-old family-dining chain has unveiled a new store in Orlando that gives a liberal nod to the brand's past while incorporating new touches like a bakery.

Financing

Surprise, surprise: California kept its full-service restaurants in the dark for months

Reality Check: The state attorney general had refused to clarify the scope of the state's pending anti-junk-fee law. It's one more smack in the face to the trade.

Financing

Why social media, and not price, is behind Starbucks' sales problems

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop chain lost momentum quickly in November. That was too fast to be explained by consumer reaction over the prices of its beverages.

Trending

More from our partners