The Decline of TGI Fridays...What Happened?

[@3rdworldgarage450]

They don't have enough flair. They long ago fell below the minimum of 15 pieces of flair and have suffered the consequences.

[@renardfranse]

HAHA office space! gotcha

[@teafordaniel809]

I understood that reference

[@veronicaguevara9040]

no one isn't saying that YOU can't come in with 15 pieces of flair and a festive attitude though!!!?!

[@charleyvarrick6371]

Some choose to do more, and we encourage that.

[@katyrebel18]

Office space reference detected

[@dubdaze68]

The food quality slipped hard. Microwaved Sysco food slathered in "Jack Daniel's Sauce", that somehow takes forever, in a dirty restaurant with a lack of servers.

[@rbxgemini]

You'd be better off getting the frozen stuff from Walmart! It's cheaper, tastes not terrible, and at least they're honest about what it is

[@bosef1]

The Jack Daniel's things were o poorly positioned on the menu. I could never figure out if it was a better cut of steak, different seasonings, just the extra sauce. Maybe they fixed that, buy the rollout was poorly done.

[@dx-ek4vr]

That sounds pretty similar to how chain restaurants like Red Lobster, Applebees, or Ruby Tuesday lost business or even gone bankrupt. They relied on serving reheated frozen food

[@ohnosmoarlulcatz]

Yep. The one near me recently closed down and some of their food was awful. The only thing I sort of liked at mine was the ribs.

[@veeedgee]

Dag... you kinda nailed it. 😂😅

[@Doc_Tar]

The implosion of the shopping mall dragged a number of dining establishments down with it, including TGI Fridays

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

dude the malls aren't killing any business, if anything the malls are the ones dying out! more malls in the last decade have closed than have been opened and those that have opened have been strip malls.... try again chief lol wanna try for double jeopardy where the scores really change?

[@HercadosP]

​@@Red_Lanterns_Rage You two are saying the exact same thing, but you somehow believe they said the opposite. Maybe you should try (retaking kindergarten to up your reading comprehension) chief lol

[@dannydaw59]

Ruby Tuesday comes to mind.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

The advertising houses have failed them. I've not seen a TGI Fridays ad in like 20 years. At least not a good one.

[@Red_Lanterns_Rage]

@@FLPhotoCatcher I don't watch TV or have cable and I use adblocker so yeah.... even then I'm well aware of em but I prefer other places

[@edwardkay288]

Shoutout to any married couples who met at TGI Fridays within its "singles bar" phase and took their kids there through its "casual family dining" phase!!

[@okrajoe]

So true!

[@MikeGlasses]

Yeah our local TGI still has the gogo dancers cages from the early 00’s. Its wild to see what they were and what they became

[@wentoneisendon6502]

When was this?? It's sounds like something from the 90s lol

[@justinborysenko3885]

@@wentoneisendon6502 I worked there in 1992 it was swinging!

[@ihatezgoogle6264]

What a sweet comment!

[@TheWolfXCIX]

High prices, mediocre food. At least that's my experience from the UK.

[@joewilson3393]

Same in the US. They basically hit the top and stopped innovating and expected to stay there forever.

[@knuclear200x]

oof, even over there?

[@theduke5908]

We used to love going for those sesame chicken starter things and the ‘vibe’ but even back in 14-16 those prices were steep. Can’t even imagine what they were like too the end.

[@v6i838]

I went to one a few months back and honestly it was pretty shite. It was overpriced, bog standard food and had no charm anymore whatsoever. Took surprisingly long to get our food too. It closed for good a few weeks later and I wasn’t surprised

[@lowjayP]

You are correct.

[@boardskins]

The decline of quality food and service has impacted all of the major chain sit down restaurants. You can't pay cooks $13.00 an hour and rely on microwaves and expect to retain your customer base.

[@PacesIII]

The problem I always had with places like TGI Fridays is that they make the wrong changes. What I mean by that is they go through their menu and they wipe out their best stuff their most classic items that people go there specifically to get. Then they introduce a bunch of stuff that nobody's ever heard of and nobody really wants.

[@purelysmetalnightcore]

I drove through my hometown the other day for the first time in years and seeing the only movie theater in town completely demolished right next to the now closed TGI Friday's made me feel so sad. I have a lot of memories of both places.

[@annas4277]

I have fond memories of going to the mall with my dad, seeing a movie at the theater, and eating at TGI Friday's afterwards because we both liked it and also because it was one of the few things still open late. I feel like maybe that's a niche they could have expanded on, a late night snack alternative to fast food. Those mozzarella sticks and boneless wings just hit different between 11PM and midnight.

[@joelrobinson4497]

They did the unlimited apps late night deal in the late 2010s. That’s when me and my friends when there alot

[@jasonvoigt]

Let's be real: nobody likes to go to those typical "bar and grill" type places anymore. Applebees, Chilis, Ruby Tuesdays, TGI....you get the idea. The younger crowd just isn't having it. We can argue all day that the places I mentioned have been trying to rehab their images but at the end of the day, they are the same place, same format

[@SouthsideKidd550]

I 100% stand with you on this. Im 36, grew up in the 90s and early 00s. These corporate bar and grill restaurants are nostalgic to me because these were the places we ate at on a Friday Night after the High School football games with Mom and Pop. Now that it's 2024, the food quality now doesn't touch on how it was back in like 1995, 96, 98, 2000, 02, 03 type years. I believe these restaurants f***ked themselves by allow consumers to purchase the same menu item appetizers at the restaurant as frozen food from local grocery stores. Giving people the cheaper option to just go to the store and grab a box from the frozen food section, taking it home and prepare it there.

[@alisonk5807]

Chilis is having a bit of a comeback

[@JL-sm6cg]

I go to Chili's a lot myself.

[@cgpxae2119]

Chillis is killing and casual dining is on the rise with the price of fast food

[@bingofromblueyfan]

Honestly out of all those restaurants you mentioned Applebees is the only one that still does great if you think about it

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

I remember when TGI Friday's commercials always got plenty of play time during NASCAR races and NFL games in the early 2000's. It was quite a powerhouse back in the day.

[@danielblock6876]

I do remember that very well, I know my closest one just closed so its highly unlikely I may ever see them again.

[@handsomeX]

Yup. The Friday's bar area was the busiest local after work/sports hangout in my area, by far, back in the late 90s/early 2000s.

[@MightyMandyRee]

My aunt who passed away years ago worked at a TGI Fridays when I was a kid and I have so many good memories of going to visit her. I thought she was cool that she could flare and she had all those neat buttons on her suspenders. I wanted to work there one day at one point 😂 It may seem stupid but losing TGI Fridays is like losing a piece of her. I believe I still have a few of them closer to me since I live in a tourist area but it's just not the same

[@ryanrigley]

My step brother used to bartend at TGI Fridays in the 1990's. I remember him participating in those fancy bartending contests.

[@whackamolechamp]

Once the movie Cocktail came out the tricks by the bartender became a thing. Had a friend who worked at Friday's as a Bartender who had to learn that.

[@leonb2637]

A number of them were operated by franchises. Here in NJ about 5-6 years ago, several units operated by the same franchisor got caught switching cheap booze into more expensive product bottles, watering down booze and their liquor licenses revoked. It is always difficult to keep constancy with franchisees.

[@Blad3sofWaR]

That’s Wild. Surprised they got caught That stated, if the state Liquor commission doesn’t receive sales from you, multiple people notice the swapping of bottles and numbers don’t add Atleast close if not around to what is made in sales, it’s obviously a red flag.

[@elcheapo5302]

Yep. It used to be an hour+ wait to get into my local (one you mentioned) Fridays for dinner on a weekend or during a sports event. After this scandal, it was a ghost town and the writing was on the wall.

[@AMBYT00]

Jersey native (living in a different state now). I forgot about that.

[@Mouradin1224]

Hello fellow Jerseyan. Can confirm. In south Jersey I only know of two. The one by me in EHT closed over a decade ago and is now attached to a mall that literally has half of it sealed off. The other one is I’ve 20 miles away in Turnersville and every time I’ve driven by it, it’s dead. Stopped one night coming back from Philly and my family was the only one in there. Sad to see.

[@RK-kn1ud]

Everybody I know stopped going to Fridays for a single reason...Shrinkflation. Over the years their portion sizes seemed to half and the prices double.

[@emilyadams3228]

Shrinkflation...hot damn, that's perfect. The first example of shrinkflation I saw, two years ago, was Vienna Sausages. Where before, and by that I mean "since I started eating them in 1969", they went up to the ridge where the lid came off, and were stuffed in so tightly that they were hard to get out, now they were only to within ¼" of the ridge, with 1/16" gaps between them. I tried all three brands that the stores near me had, and they were all the same. Weirdly, the prices were the same as when they were full-sized. Funny thing, that. I also stopped buying Tater Tots when they suddenly shrunk to ¾ the normal size last year. I put pictures of the Vienna Sausages on F@cebook, and several people said things like "I thought [x food] was smaller, but everyone said 'Nah, it can't be'. Thank you for proving I'm not crazy." I think it's pathetic that these globo-corporate demon weasels think they can gaslight/Mandela/mindfuck everyone, when A. We have the Internet, and can actually communicate with people other than friends and family, and B. Even the youngest of us can remember further back than a week. What am I, the guy from Memento?

[@highping1786]

In my area they cut back on the number of servers and the service went downhill too.

[@AKAK-rh7lr]

I think this is occurring with every corporate food-chain (snacks, fast food, etc…) It’s just not as significant, so people don’t notice. Shrink the bag by 4-12.5% whilst raising the price by 10-17.5%, while also including what are essentially carcinogenic chemicals to save 10 cents. 😂

[@TEverettReynolds]

That affected everyone else, too.

[@corykulenski3974]

I used to work for a TGI Fridays back in 2007 all the way until 2015 I can tell you that I had probably 7 to 8 different bosses and they all had eight bosses. There was so much upper management and HR their payroll had to be something astronomical, and like the man said they were singles bar that changed their identity and lost their way expand beyond their means

[@ckfinke7625]

Thank you for posting this. TGI Friday's closed a huge number of locations earlier this year. Now they filed for bankruptcy, it was perfect timing. Cannot wait for your videos on the decline of Ruby Tuesday and Chi-Chi's.

[@johnblaze8774]

I'm from the UK and this restaurant concept should have been an easy win. Where they left themselves down is having shit food and somehow even worse service. I remember one opening up in my local town a few years back and my kids wanting to go. Mash potato tasted like newspaper and their boneless wings were small chicken nuggets. No one who isn't a child and has half decent taste buds is going there twice. You go once because your kids begged or you were invited, but then never go again.

[@endersgameover]

It won for years. They just…stopped adhering to the model. Thus, their current predicament

[@Lithilic]

I remember TGI Fridays as being the best of the mid-tier nice casual dining type restaurants that found a sweet spot between formal dining and fast-food. But over time all these places lost their luster as prices kept going up and their mid-tier pricing was suddenly comparable to more higher tier restaurants without the quality to match.

[@jamespohl-md2eq]

As a former employee, you are correct. The food quality didn’t maintain. Nor the preparation. Fridays wasn’t really known for anything. It was really brasserie w a lively bar. But as alcohol marketing went down as drinking laws became stricter they didn’t really adjust. Why go to Fridays for steak when there is Outback or Longhorn. Why go there for burgers or ribs when you have Chili’s for Tony Roma’s. The fact that they don’t serve pizza or a flatbread says everything about how dated their menu is. The space they shoud have been able to move to is where BJ’s, Bar Louie, Cheddar’s, Earl’s, the Keg, Ale House all thrive.

[@LiarNobody]

The one near me recently closed without telling anyone. They didn't even notify the employees and instead just had them showing up to a closed sign. So, you know, very classy on their part.

[@handsomeX]

Same thing happened in July at my local UNO's. Employees found out two days before it closed.

[@angryagain3801]

That's a terrible way to treat people.

[@brentgoeller8257]

Over the last 25 years the food has declined. People had noticed the decrease in quality, then they released TGIF frozen dinners. The problem is, they tasted identical to the restaurant food which just confirmed to people, the food was nothing but microwaved frozen meals. (No clue if it actually was, but that was the impression.) They stopped selling the frozen foods years ago but that hasn't fixed the impression that the food quality is terrible. That's why I haven't eaten there in nearly 10 years even though I had one 10 minutes from my house until 6 months ago. On a plus note, we are about to have a Santa Fe Steak House really soon.

[@pilotgrrl1]

So many of those cookie cutter restaurants have failed: Fridays, Bennigans, Houlihans... All much the same and none very memorable.

[@mindseyemusicreview]

Let me add some more, red lobster, olive garden, chili's etc they just do nothing exciting and have been a joke for a while. "Real Italians eat at olive garden, when you're here, your family" get outta here 😅

[@Gamefreak924]

Houlihans pretty good in my experience. I like em

[@mindseyemusicreview]

@Gamefreak924 never been im located in MD baltimore country, don't think we have them

[@Alverant]

The local Houlihans closed years (decades?) ago and the building is still empty.

[@RobertJarecki]

​@@mindseyemusicreview Mom's family is Italian. Went to Olive Garden with the office. That was *_not_* shrimp scampi.

[@ztomas1]

I asked for an updated TGI Fridays video and here it is.....Thank you

[@austinwyss7796]

My local tgi Fridays closed before the pandemic. It was a place my family would gather often for drinks and appetizers. Ours closed down do to poor food quality, the food was coming cold or under cooked and people were getting sick. And our town had just gone through redevelopment making the down town secne cool again, meaning there's was no room for a poor quality restaurant

[@handsomeX]

The last Friday's in my area closed last year for the same reasons you listed.

[@enigmawyoming5201]

@@austinwyss7796 The one near me burned down and now the lot is just parking.

[@SimuLord]

I loved the Friday's mozza sticks. They were more like mozzarella planks, and I love anything that involves so much fried cheese in one package. Back in the '90s, a couple of friends and I would go there on Friday after work and split a bunch of appetizers as the whole meal. It was Fried Day, after all.

[@christianbuffum-robbins8904]

"Mid-range" chains in the US seem to be dropping like flies. Guess there's just not enough cash to go around? Edit: Of course private equity was involved...

[@SimuLord]

There are too many companies chasing a declining amount of casual dining dollars; private equity just acts as an accelerant for the gasoline being poured on the burning industry.

[@madladofabrit2439]

yeah if the middle class no longer exists like in the 70s-00s then places catering to them will also cease to exist. its hard to justify the value, if you can afford to dine, you can probably afford better than TGIF or Ruby Tues, and if u cant afford to dine, cooking at home is such a better value and you (depending on your skills) can get a better experience. i kinda feel bad for these chains, either theyll die or become some fast food hybrid slop like Steak N Shake.

[@DarDarBinks1986]

When a private equity firm gets its hands on any business, you know they're only going to run it into the ground. They're shit-Midases. Everything they touch turns into shit.

[@Charlottemodel2]

I think people would also rather go to locally owned or small chain restaurants that have better quality food for roughly the same prices. When I think of these chains, I think of crappy food places that I would never willingly go to when there are so many better options.

[@RobertJarecki]

​@madladofabrit2439 Cooking at home is so economical. I confess I went to a local restaurant over the weekend. I took my little old dog (he always feels neglected). I had a shrunkflated burger and he had a grilled chicken breast from the children's menu. The $24 is about a quarter of what we usually spend weekly for food - usually cook everything at home.

[@Afrotechmods]

Everything was just glazed with sugar and syrup. Savory food isn't supposed to be sickeningly sweet. Same deal with Applebee's.

[@fman02]

Here in the UK they no longer have Jack Daniel’s glaze just a poor substitute. We visited their Bracknell location in July. The food was abysmal, the service even worse. When trying to get the bill we could only see one staff member on the floor. After attracting his attention and asking for the bill he informed us that this was his first day in the job and he would need to find someone to help. That speaks volumes of the chain and its managers. What kind of manager leaves a newbie on their own?. Oh, and we had to ask for our garlic bread twice. Eventually a cremated mass was bought to our table. When we pointed out it was burnt the server asked us what we would like to do with it. When we asked for it to be replaced she handed it to another member of staff and told her it wasn’t good enough and should never have been served. Why would you serve it then say that and make it another servers problem?. I used to love TGI 8:42 , I’ll never visit again. It is much harder to do that now because a bunch of their UK locations have closed. Thankfully for the residents of Bracknell that location was one of them.

[@mtbrecords1623]

So crazy.. so many TGI Fridays were closing down and I really wanted to know why, but was too lazy to do the research.. and every time I felt like looking it up, I got sidetracked.. was really waiting for this video so I can put my AirPods on during a shift and listen lol

[@jacktuckblackverion2432]

New company man video for my 18th birthday

[@enigmawyoming5201]

And for my 71st birthday.

[@jacktuckblackverion2432]

@ we might still have different days I live in Australia here it’s the 7th

[@enigmawyoming5201]

@ Which is perfect for me. I was born in Australia, and my birthday is the 7th… which is why I celebrate it on the 6th here in the US…. AND 7th so I get two birthdays for the price of one! My wife thinks it’s funny and goes along with it. I get breakfast in bed 2 days in a row.

[@jacktuckblackverion2432]

@ I was born in Sydney what about you??

[@insufferableMAYNARDfan]

Happy birthday to you both 🎈

[@giancarlofelicianocastaned9316]

Fates of my former local TGI Fridays. Chadds Ford, PA (Now a highly rated Mexican restaurant called Gran Rodeo) Lancaster, PA (To be replaced by a sushi/steakhouse of some sort) Exton, PA (Torn down and replaced by a steakhouse called ChopHouse)

[@enigmawyoming5201]

@@giancarlofelicianocastaned9316 Great comment. Thanks!

[@Sligh_t]

casual dining restaurants all have that similar issue of portion sizes going down, prices going up, and quality going down. They basically want to put as little effort into it then expect to get maximum profits in return so I can totally see why most of them are struggling. I will say though that the frozen apps of theirs that you can get a grocery stores and such were pretty good.

[@mjrodriguez8670]

I have dined at the TGI Friday’s in West Des Moines, IA four times from 2001 through 2008. I have also ate at Friday’s in Orlando, FL back in 2000. The food was decent, and it was reasonably priced. This location has long since closed and the building has been razed. I really miss TGI Friday’s!

[@firerules08]

Part of the reason is also menu/recipe changes. It's not the main reason but many of my friends stopped going to tgi after the mozzarella stick recipe changed in 2012 and slowly their menu and service both got worse. With an empty restaurant they were unable to accommodate our group of 8 people because they "did not have a server to handle the non- bar area" (in 2019). The restaurant in my town closed last January (finally) and is now being turned into a Mexican food restaurant.

[@toejullar]

When I was studying abroad in Japan, they had a TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, and Hard Rock Cafe at the city walk area of Universal Studios in Osaka. That place was absolutely SLAMMED. It was one of the only places around there to get that American casual dining vibe. I had no intention of going, but was coerced to go with local friends. I only ever had mediocre experiences at TGI Fridays in the states. However, that USJ location was a whole nother level of quality and service. I feel like while it's dying out around the country, having it in those dense urban or tourist areas like Hard Rock does could let it survive. I just don't think people care for or want to drive to these chains unless it offers some unique extra value or is a local spot.

[@handsomeX]

I live in the eastern Massachusetts area and there are a ton of top quality mom and pop establishments to choose from. Especially when it comes to sub and pizza shops. We're kinda spoiled in that regard compared to most of the country. That being said, basically every Friday's location in my area did VERY well back in the late 90s/early 2000s. The bar area was always full, even on the weekdays.

[@CollinMacQuarrie]

Two things that will ALWAYS destroy a business -Diverging from your original intent, culture, and vision -Sacrificing quality to make money

[@tim3172]

The former is something that, quite literally, all businesses must do at some point to stay relevant. The latter is something that, quite literally, all businesses that are successful choose to do at some point and, generally, remain successful.

[@WolfHunter1043]

Their food began to taste identical to the frozen food they offered in stores, not in a good way. Like they were taking the food out of frozen bags, microwaving, then serving. This is why I stopped going.

[@MIMIDSH]

It used to be *the* place for singles happy hour, and restaurant staff after hours. I remember being horrified to go there one night and see children in highchairs and "old married people".

[@TerryWhisk]

The Fridays near me (before it closed suddenly) had awful service, inconsistent food, and they changed the menu what seemed like every month. I’d go there and get a sandwich I liked and the next time I went it was gone. Plus it’s more expensive than Applebees

[@wturner777]

The one near me closed as well. Honestly, I never really cared for them anyway. I stopped going after they got gid of the endless apps.

[@carlrood4457]

The one way I think TGI Fridays used to stand out is the bar area was a bit more closed off, so that part operated more like a bar than other casual dining places. However, that kind of limited the seating in the rest of the place and it wasn't suited to parties bigger than say, 6. In the end, I just think that like with fast food, casual dining has grown passed its acceptable price point for many. Two people really shouldn't exceed $100 even if they have a couple drinks.

[@alexp9621]

You're right that the 2/3 to me have shut, both recently when the shit hit the fan. Sadly, a friend was employed (for 12 years, no less) at one of them, and heard of his redundancy while on holiday. Really feel for the guy.

[@jacobfishel8913]

In my head and in my heart, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, and Chili's are all exactly the same thing and have no distinguishing features.

[@Absaalookemensch]

Haven't been to a restaurant in over a year. Wife and I had an extended layover in DFW, so we got a meal. It was EXCELLENT. That place was completely full the entire time we were there. The service and meal was so good I gave the waitress a 100% tip. First time I've ever been to TGIF. 10 out of 10 for us at that meal.

[@TylerR909]

A TGI Fridays near me got shut down and is getting replaced with Idaho's 3rd In N Out. No complaints here!

[@KameraShy]

I haven't thought about TGI Fridays for decades. It used to be a ritual after work. After I changed jobs to a different location, it was Bennigans, another pitiful example of failure in this market.

[@THEEVERYTHINGTHINGCHANNEL]

I’m 29, I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever been to a TGI Friday’s once.

[@nathanjames4576]

My parents never took us there in the 90s because they always said that their prices are to high. I ate there in my 20s and the food tasted like a slightly better Chilis but was also over priced. I like casual dining resturants like chilis, applebees, ruby tuesday, etc. The issue for me is that they are all extremely silimliar and when youve been to one, youve been to them all.

[@jamison74]

I really appreciate your quality content and MAAAAN that intro song/beat is a BANGER! 👍🏼

[@xtremeyoylecake]

Their mozzarella sticks were to die for I also loved listening in on the trivia nights! My table won each time without even competing 😭

[@I.C.Weiner]

Yeah they are.

[@Noah_E]

Frozen mozzarella sticks take less than ten minutes to cook in an air fryer and are magnitudes better than you'll get from a TGI Friday for a fraction of the cost.

[@darthshuster551]

Haven’t finished the video yet, but I was a bartender at one that closed. Waiting to see if “Endless Appetizers” is one of the 5 reasons…

[@knuclear200x]

That's the last time I even went to one. Maybe they should've kept that.

[@dannydaw59]

Did they really use microwaves in the kitchen?

[@gunark]

10:23 really impressed they had the foresight to call off the IPO due to COVID two months before COVID was even a thing….

[@emilyadams3228]

I never ate there, but in 2017, I worked for a food delivery service in Chicago, and one of their clients was Friday's downtown. You know how when you drive by a restaurant, you can detect odors that are recognizeable as food, even when they're mixed with things like diesel exhaust and construction dust? I didn't even get that when I stood right in the kitchen at Friday's. It smelled kinda like food, but not quite, the same way a Russian copy of a Zeiss camera lens is not quite Zeiss. You'd only be impressed with it until you saw pictures from an actual Zeiss lens. The first time I went there, I thought "There's no way in hell I'd ever eat here." The decline following the "toning down" of the flair might be because, to paraphrase what David Letterman said about Don King in the October 1984 Playboy Interview, they were selling the sizzle instead of the steak.

[@enigmawyoming5201]

@@emilyadams3228 You forgot to mention that David Letterman comment about Don King was on page 14. Continued on page 28.

[@gnewsome]

I know it's not necessarily a company, but I'd love to see a review of TGIF and the TV programs that used to air in it. That was a pivotal part of my childhood!

[@ChromeColossus]

That is WAY outside the scope of Company Man lol. There seem to be some decent retrospectives of the TGIF lineup on KZbin already!

[@gnewsome]

@@ChromeColossus Hence why i said "i know it's not necessarily a company". Doesn't hurt anyone to just throw a suggestion out there :) Thanks for your feedback.

[@Housewarmin]

I remember being so excited to go to Fridays, and try their unlimited apps. The server took forever with our food and we got like 2 appetizers before leaving. So underwhelming

[@ohiopigeon]

It was my third month working the night shift at TGI Fridays, and I'd gotten used to the late-night crowd-mostly the usual mix of post-happy-hour regulars, late diners, and some rowdy college kids. But this particular night was different from the start. There was an electricity in the air, a weird static feeling that made the hairs on my arms stand up. Around 10:30, a group of people came in. They looked normal at first, just another group of friends in their twenties. But something felt off. Their clothes seemed... outdated, like something you’d see in a retro ‘80s movie. A couple of them wore dark shades indoors, and they all seemed to move in sync, walking to their booth without even glancing at a menu or a server. I brushed it off, chalking it up to a theme night or something. I was about to take their drink order when one of them looked directly at me with an intensity that made my stomach twist. He was tall, thin, and wore a fedora with a slightly iridescent sheen. When he looked up, his eyes-glowing a faint, unnatural green-locked onto mine. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, voice smooth but almost mechanical. “We’ll take the... special." Now, I’d been working here long enough to know that "the special" was a term we only used among staff, and it referred to something way off-menu: a double Jack-and-Coke with extra lime, a popular pick with regulars who wanted something a bit stronger. But how did they know about it? I hesitated, trying to shake off the strange vibe and just go with it. "Sure, coming right up," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. As I was about to turn to leave, he reached out and grabbed my arm-not aggressively, but with a pressure that felt unnatural, almost cold. The air around him felt static, like a fridge hum at close range. “You’ve seen us before,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “You just don’t remember.” I pulled away, heart pounding. His words were so casual, but they cut deep, leaving me disoriented. I could have sworn I’d never seen these people in my life, but the longer I stood there, the more a strange familiarity crept in. It was like I had seen them before, in some dream or forgotten memory that just wouldn’t surface. As I brought their drinks, I couldn’t shake the feeling. When I set down the tray, I noticed something odd-their table was strangely dim. The light above flickered, casting weird shadows, almost like the area around them was... glitching. The air smelled faintly metallic, like ozone after a lightning strike. One of the others, a woman with short, dark hair, leaned forward and spoke in a voice that sounded layered, like two people speaking at once. “We only have a little time tonight. Please…try to remember.” I wanted to ask what she meant, but my throat felt tight. I watched as they raised their glasses, looking at me in unison before taking a synchronized sip. The static in the air grew stronger, prickling the back of my neck, and for just a moment, their faces seemed to shimmer, almost pixelate, like a bad TV signal. I blinked hard, thinking it was my tired eyes, but when I looked again, their faces seemed perfectly normal, if eerily calm. When I went back to their table a few minutes later to clear the glasses, they were gone-no sign of a check left unpaid, no noise as they left, just gone. I asked around, but no one remembered seeing them walk out. The weirdest part came later, when I was cleaning up. I reached into my apron pocket to count my tips, but instead, I pulled out something cold and metallic: an old-fashioned pocket watch. It was engraved with the date March 15, 2142. No matter how hard I racked my brain, I had no idea how it got there. And yet, as I held it, that strange sense of familiarity washed over me again, bringing back faint memories of faces I couldn’t place, and conversations I hadn’t had…at least, not yet. I kept the watch, though I still can’t look at it for too long without feeling that same eerie twinge in my gut.

[@amtraklover]

Yeah that is pretty freaky to say the least

[@stemratex]

I think one of the biggest trends they failed to adapt was the value meal trend that McDonald's started this year which ended up skyrocketing every food businesses' performance, especially their rival competitor Chili's (they were no were near as bad as TGI Fridays as far as performance but they still were tanking pretty bad since COVID)

[@LedSubmarine93]

I've been to the TGI Fridays in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, a few times in the '90s, and the food and services was either excellent or not good. The last time I was there, the server asked us to pay, before he served us, as it was the end of his shift.

[@yogitam2372]

Been a fan of TGI Friday since 1996. Used to love their food. Over the years, it got worse. I heard from friends that it was management. They got someone from Bennighans management to work at Fridays. Instead of using fresh food, they chose to bring in more microwave food. This concept was good for stats. This same concept killed Bennighans. Less costs but it lead to driving away customers. Taste just got worse on almost every dish. I will miss them. I used to love their French Onion Soup, Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip and they had the best Mud Pie (dessert).

[@DH-mf6jf]

I worked for a TGI Fridays very briefly. I was hired as a bartender, but then they wouldn’t schedule me for bar training. Kept giving me server shifts. In the meantime one of the managers kept taking bar shifts for herself. I just stopped coming in one day because fuck that. If you didn’t want a bartender, why hire for one? Luckily I found another bartending job shortly after. The Fridays closed down like two months after I stopped showing up anyways. A few months later while working at another bar, I actually ran into one of the bartenders from my Fridays. She told me I definitely dodged a bullet. Management was even worse than I had initially thought, and they didn’t even give the employees a heads up that the location was closing. Managers waited until the EVENING on the LAST DAY OPEN to tell all the staff. She said they didn’t even say anything to the employees not scheduled that day. They had to hear it from other servers, cooks, etc… or just showed up to an empty locked restaurant the next day.

[@dannydaw59]

Did they use microwaves to heat the food up? People always accuse McDonald's of using microwaves, but they didn't when I worked there in 1990.

[@MrEricSir]

I don't even consider going to sit-down chain restaurants anymore -- if I want reheated frozen pizza I can just stay home.

[@The_Alexandra_B]

They just closed the location near me in North Dartmouth, MA a couple weeks ago. We have way too many great local spots around for chains to keep surviving here.

[@Markimark151]

TGI Fridays used to be really popular few decades ago, until early 2010s when they stopped promoting the good meal deals, and they started closing once popular locations that were in strip malls, I feel they failed because of that leverage buyout from over a decade ago that hurt the company in the long run!

[@JoshSnares]

My partner and I used to go there every now and then before COVID, then post-pandemic, the food quality dipped so much. We likened it to 'war rations' and never went back again. I'm surprised the location is still open, it's always empty.

[@LouisWritingSomethingCrazy]

The problem is this: you want a good steak, you're more likely to go to Lonestar or maybe Outback or something. You want a good burger, it's probably going to be Ruby Tuesday or maybe Fudruckers. You want italian? You're going to Olive Garden or something. You want to just nibble on appetizers the entire night? Then it's TGIFridays. They have no food that they're really good at other than appetizers. Even they know it. It's why they constantly do those appetizer deals.

[@davidsco27]

The last time we went to one, which was over a decade ago, the service and food quality was so bad we decided then we'd never be back, and we haven't been

[@BoneyardHauntedHouse]

We were consistent customers to our TGIF in S. Arlington Tx for many years, great food, great manager, great service and very clean store. A few years ago the Manager changed, soon all the servers, and BOH staff started leaving, every few months a different manager and each time the quality of the manager diminished, the quality of the food, servers all went down, by 2022 it wasn’t recognizable, dirty store, very poor/ rude servers the manager would just sit at the back table with her kids, baby daddy and his buddies drinking and eating for free (assumed) they closed the doors in 2023 and has been vacant growing weeds since.

[@jarno1208]

I had the best experience of this chain restaurant in London, UK in 2006. Such a fun experience.

[@timetraveler9095]

Maybe just maybe part of the problem was that they needed to pay a consulting firm $200 million to figure out they needed to use less pieces of flair and change their uniforms to black jeans and a black t-shirt.

[@LarcR]

None of those types of chain restaurants seem to last for the long haul. Some have longer lives than others, but most eventually die.

[@John_Locke_108]

What happened? They starteed selling microwaved garbage. But do I remember liking back in the late 80's and the 90's.

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Only time I think of TGI Friday's is either Office Space or the Favorite Japanese restaurant joke from Being the Elite lol. A Rite Aid near me recently closed and had marked down Mozz sticks from TGIF so that was pretty yummy lol.

[@enigmawyoming5201]

Took the family to McDonalds a few weeks ago. The bill for 2 adults and 2 kids was $40. McDonalds is the new “ fast casual”.

[@RobertJarecki]

When McDonald's opened, they advertised that a family of 4 could eat for $1 (one dollar). It was true, more than 70 years ago. The only thing I can get at a burger restaurant for a dollar is a small salt free pattie for my dog (In-N-Out puppy pattie - 92 cents before tax).

[@enigmawyoming5201]

@ Hey, thanks for the tip about In-N-Out! My Great Pyrenees (in my thumbnail) will take 10 of those.

[@RobertJarecki]

@@enigmawyoming5201 👍 😆 🤣 😂 😹 Yes, I'm sure your Great Pyrenees will take 10! My little old brown Jack Russell Terrier is jealous!

[@dannydaw59]

You gotta take advantage of those buy 1 get one free deals on the app.

[@msingleton]

Absolutely loved T.G.I Friday’s in the ‘90s.

[@vaibanez17]

I think there's only three factors here: 1)They became irrelevant bc there are so many better restaurants out there today 2)Their prices are way too high 3)They don't specialize in anything that makes them stand out Somehow my local TGI Fridays has not closed yet. The one in a nearby city with more people closed 5 years ago. But somehow even though mine only ever has a half full lot at best maybe once a week is still open. There's no way it lasts another 5 years.

[@jaegerbomb269]

I liked TGI Fridays. Bummer about the bankruptcy.

[@CountGremlin]

Ew

[@117Chief930]

I can tell you from personal experience they had a massive brain drain after the 08 recession because of their greed. They used the initial drop in the market and general panic to freeze all raises and bonuses for salaried managers. That was bearable because everybody else had done the same thing. But they also promised that the next year they would factor that into the annual raises and basically "double up" the raises. Then 09 came and they cried poor and froze raises again. At this point the economy had recovered, and many of the stores were already back to pre-recession sales and profit levels. Then in '10 they did it AGAIN. 3 years of no raises for anybody, while the company made more money than ever. People quit in droves. They came back and said they would give raises in 2011, but they wouldn't make up any of the last 3 that were skipped, so basically handing out 3-5% raises to people who's salary had stagnated for almost 4 years. At a time when gas was $4.00 a gallon and other concepts were throwing money around to get the best talent. Everybody worth a crap left by then, and you were left with a bunch of people running stores who were barely qualified to be a manager.

[@dmac7128]

Its not just TGI Fridays. All of the others competing with similar restaurant experiences have also been declining. Food is just too expensive. I don't even buy fast food much anymore.

[@thecunninlynguist]

The friday near me has almost slow as molasses service. I am still amazed how theyre still getting business...but buffalo wild wings is slower and still busy...so what do i know

[@sectorcodec]

Honestly my few experiences with the chain were some of the slowest service I’ve ever had and their food wasn’t anywhere near as good as most locally owned restaurants. If you want mediocre food you go to a Chili’s, everyone knows that. No idea how Chili’s is doing so well by the way. Maybe just the one in my town sucks.

[@djp1234]

I just stopped going to restaurants because rent is too expensive. I blame the landlords and real estate corporations.

[@Firemanharv]

Went there some when I was in college. After a few bad experiences (bad food, slow service, expensive) i decided my money was spent better elsewhere. There isn’t one close anymore and based on previous experiences for me if I’m going to drive far to eat it’s going to be somewhere special or with better quality food.

[@hancock63]

The last location in my county closed last month. Frankly, the place looked like it had been closed for years. It was run down and shabby looking. I ate there once and felt no need to return for the mediocre food.

[@zachrichardson5581]

It's the same thing that happens to most failed restaurants like this. The food isn't good. The lack of flair, interesting uniforms, catchy name, ambiance etc. is ABSOLUTELY all secondary to the basic requirement of delicious food. To me as consumer my loyalty is earned pretty simply with a quality product in whatever discipline that may be. For example people can say what you want about McDonald's, but the burgers are really good and the quality is supremely consistent. They have changed their menu and rebranded in various ways but the most important, foundational part of it all has stayed consistent.

[@davidp2888]

There was a location a few hundred feet from the movie theater I used to work at; I went there a few times and it was okay. Over the years the quality declined so much that it became a ghost town. Eventually it closed.

[@evanhizon8112]

The interesting part about TGI Fridays is that it is doing very well in Asian countries like the Philippines. I did not eat there, but I was able to get a brief look at the environment, food, and menu. The reason I think TGI Fridays is doing well is because they are following the pages that made TGI Fridays great in the first place. I guess they really took all the pages which made it special, unique, and made it have the TGI charm, and brought it to the modern age. Fun Fact: Every restaurant chain that failed in the US, is thriving in Asia. Fun Fact 2: There is a TGI Fridays where I live in, Guam. But it is not doing so well. They seemed to be doing everything wrong.

[@angryagain3801]

In Singapore TGIF tried to get into the market . It lasted a couple years maybe, around 2011-2012. It closed as did Chili's a few years later . MorganFields is hanging on by a thread. Tony Roma's closed 5 or 6 years ago.

[@evanhizon8112]

@angryagain3801 Speaking of Tony Romas it also closed down in the Phillppines.

[@angryagain3801]

@@evanhizon8112 TR still has a presence in Malaysia.

[@Dragonairkanto148]

There will be a video like this for Panera soon. Guarantee it.

[@brandonlvns100]

I worked as a bartender in a Fridays in GA by the Mall of Georgia for 2 years around 2006. Our bar was packed 7 nights a week and we were all making crazy money. Of course we were giving away alot of free drinks but we became the #1 Fridays bar in the entire state. Shortly after, our bar manager was promoted to GM at a different store, a new bar manager was hired, within 6 months the entire bar crew was fired, and within 2 years the store closed. I remember we had to start using pour cups and any over pouring was an immediate firable offense. Suddenly the drinks weren't that strong, they certainly weren't cheap, and the new bartenders were strict, by the book, dorks who weren't fun at all. I firmly believe that's why my store closed.

[@cheeseheadflipper]

They stopped being fun both to go to and to work at. For workers the passport was amazing, you could travel and pop into any location and pick up a shift!

[@ferg1680]

I have two TGIF’s near me...one is still fairly busy and the other one is always dead....it all comes down to Managers

[@douglasjensen8986]

Another terrific video, thank you. Here in the Boston suburbs, so many restaurants (of the TGIF genre, and pizza places) continue to go out of business, and blame the pandemic from 2 years ago. (You have such a sexy voice!)

[@davinp]

Chapter 11 bankruptcy which means a reorganization of finances. They blamed COVID as one of the factors. My local one closed earlier this year. It was one about dozen that they suddenly closed in Northern Virginia

[@ckfinke7625]

Apparently it was one of many closed earlier this year...talk about perfect timing.

[@tim3172]

Yep, Springfield Mall, King Street, etc. All gone.

[@davinp]

@@tim3172 There was one in Woodbridge, VA near Potomac Mills Mall that also closed

[@KA9DSL]

Face it, prices have gotten out of hand. Use to go there right after work on Thursdays. Noticed monthly price increases. Got to a point it wasn't worth going anymore. (wish my salary kept up with there prices)

[@bradleyd119]

I would love to hear you talk about Ruby Tuesday! I have such good childhood memories from that place. We always obsessed over the salad bar. Not sure if that's what they were known for or if we just liked it, lol.

[@IgnisPhoenix]

its the prices. I walked out when I saw how much a meal was.

[@Gudi102]

Customers in the US are getting less and less money to spend. We're just getting poorer in general.

[@tim3172]

I used to live across the street from a TGIF for about a decade. I genuinely don't think I was ever able to pick up food without waiting a solid 30 minutes after already waiting 20 minutes before leaving. I'm not talking about 7 PM on a Friday night. I'm talking about 2PM on Tuesday. Of course... that's only one restaurant, but look at how many people complain about the speed of the service. Oh, and if you sat down and ate, you had to prepare to be sitting for at least 90 minutes. It shut down just last month.

[@LaraFabans]

I loved it once upon a long time ago in the 70s when I was a kid and their kid's menu had something called a Hip Pocket that was a pita filled with salami and other things and it came with a small cob of corn! I was entranced. And then they got rid of it. I never went often. There were two locations and one I would go to twice a year, and the other once in a blue moon. I was more enamored with my memories of the place rather than the actual food. I can't swear those two locations are even still open.

[@UmmYeahOk]

They are headquartered in Dallas. The only locations still open in the metroplex is inside the airport. I ate at Fridays last June… …in Japan. I think it was mostly for the novelty. Had it been a Bennigans, I would’ve eaten there instead. Off topic: they also still have Toys R Us.

[@RubesGoodBrainCoffee]

Can we have a Company Man on Chotchkie's Bar & Grill, please?

[@SimuLord]

The employees all quit to go home and watch Kung Fu.