TGI Fridays

Financing

TGI Fridays plans to open hundreds of new restaurants worldwide

The casual-dining chain wants to reach 1,000 locations by 2030, and plans to fuel the momentum by creating more immersive experiences in its restaurants.

Financing

TGI Fridays management company acquires brand's U.K. division

CEO Ray Blanchette’s Sugarloaf Management bought the casual-dining chain’s 49 U.K. locations amid a strong international growth push for the brand.

The former CEO of the casual-dining chain is back in the driver’s seat and ready to lead the chain out of bankruptcy and into a new era.

The casual-dining chain sold the locations to two franchisees, including former CEO Ray Blanchette’s Sugarloaf Hospitality.

The casual-dining chain, which filed for bankruptcy in November, has lost about half of its U.S. footprint over the past year.

Cancun-based Mera Corp. outbid former Fridays’ CEO Ray Blanchette for a group of nine locations, including five at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, according to reports.

Ray Blanchette’s Sugarloaf Concessions bid $30.5 million for nine locations of the casual-dining concept, including its high-volume outlets at DFW Airport.

Two employees said they were let go without proper notice when their restaurants closed last month ahead of the casual-dining chain’s bankruptcy filing.

Restaurant Rewind: Once a true convention smasher, the casual-dining pioneer gradually sanded away the quirks and irreverence that made it saucier than anything the industry had seen before. Here’s a reminder of what it once was.

The Bottom Line: The casual-dining chain’s bankruptcy declaration was a long time coming, the latest evidence in what has been a brutal market for sit-down restaurants.

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