TGI Fridays

Financing

Former TGI Fridays' CEO makes an offer for bankrupt restaurants

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.

Workforce

TGI Fridays layoffs violated WARN Act, lawsuit says

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.

A Deeper Dive: Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski joins the Restaurant Business podcast to discuss the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of the venerable casual-dining chain, and what it says about the industry.

COVID-19 was the final straw for the bar and grill pioneer, which became at least the third casual-dining chain to file for bankruptcy this year. But its problems started well before the pandemic.

The casual-dining chain blamed COVID-19 and its capital structure for its financial troubles. Its restaurants will continue operating as it works to restructure.

The casual-dining chain’s payment activity has been volatile this year, Creditsafe found, setting the stage for a possible bankruptcy.

The struggling casual-dining chain has now closed about 100 locations this year amid a host of challenges.

The casual-dining chain has shuttered at least a dozen locations over the past month after closing 36 earlier this year.

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