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In it’s heyday, TGI Friday diners were staples for kids birthday parties and tweens who had been let loose in a shopping centre for the first time. Mammoth milkshakes, filthy burgers and sticky BBQ ribs? An 11-year-old’s heaven. But people aren’t going to TGI’s like they used to. Back in October, nearly 40 years after it first opened here, the all-American chain was forced to make major cuts and shut 35 of its UK restaurants.
It was originally thought that its flagship Leicester Square branch would be one of the 51 across the UK that would stay open after the brand was rescued from going bust. But now that site has officially gone.
TGI Fridays Leicester Square shut its doors for good earlier this month. The site opened in 2015 after a huge £3.5m investment. With 260 seats, an open kitchen and four-sided bar, at the time it was described as the ‘Fridays jewel in London’s crown’.
In 2023, the chain was taken out of administration by Breal Capital and Calveton for £9.55 million. But that wasn’t enough to completely revive it. The most recent closure comes after sales at the UK chain reportedly went down by more than 10 percent over the last year.
There are now no TGI diners in central London, though the brand still has outlets in Westfield Stratford City, the O2 in Greenwich and at Wembley Park. TGI’s once had a portfolio of more than 100 UK sites, but that has gone down to just 50.
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