OT: TGI Fridays closings in CNJ

[Ronnie_B]

At least a half dozen of their restaurants have shut down including ones in Woodbridge, Old Bridge, Hazlet, North Brunswick, etc....

TGI Fridays closes more Central Jersey locations

According to Bloomberg News, the chain, headquartered in Dallas, announced Oct. 18 that was considering filing for bankruptcy.

www.mycentraljersey.com

Anyone who has been to one in the past couple years shouldn't be surprised.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Interesting, sounds like the US arm of the chain is in trouble. I know they closed a bunch of North Jersey locations a year or two ago: the one in the Willowbrook Mall area just abruptly closed on Jan. 4th earlier this year.

TGI Fridays Abruptly Closes In Wayne, Other NJ Communities

 

[RW90]

Unless you have a special niche or dedicated clientele base, I think a lot of restaurants are going to shutter until inflation and the economy improves.

 

[RUPete]

Geez, I didn't know they closed the ones in Watchung and Piscataway - haven't been in a long time. I know that Shop Rite is modernizing and expanding its Blue Star store taking over some of the vacant stores there. I don't thing that would apply to TGIF as it was set off from the main shopping center.

 

[RUfromNJ]

Geez, I didn't know they closed the ones in Watchung and Piscataway - haven't been in a long time. I know that Shop Rite is modernizing and expanding its Blue Star store taking over some of the vacant stores there. I don't thing that would apply to TGIF as it was set off from the main shopping center.

Growing up in Scotch Plains, that Watchung TGIF was a catch-all for many birthday dinners as kids, and get-togethers for drinks in our early 20's. On Christmas Eve every year, my father and I would stop there to grab a couple beers as it was on our way home from our pre-Christmas Day food pickups and errand running. We're no longer in NJ, but sad to see it go nonetheless.

 

[JayDogSmooth]

Geez, I didn't know they closed the ones in Watchung and Piscataway - haven't been in a long time. I know that Shop Rite is modernizing and expanding its Blue Star store taking over some of the vacant stores there. I don't thing that would apply to TGIF as it was set off from the main shopping center.

Loved the one at Blue Star
A smooth special during my single days

 

[AdventureHasAName]

The Fridays in Woodbridge on Gil Lane (behind the Toys R Us) was the go-to place to celebrate birthdays for my crew in high school.

 

[RUPete]

Loved the one at Blue Star
A smooth special during my single days

People I graduated HS with worked their way through school as bartenders there.

 

[toby83]

what will we do without the $30 app combo (potato skins, wings, and ??)

 

[RUGuitarMan]

I met my future wife at the Fridays (on a Friday) in Woodbridge some 34 years ago.

 

[RW90]

It will improve after Trump is elected don't you think?

I'd tell you but I wouldn't wanna get the thread banished to the CE board.

 

[JayDogSmooth]

People I graduated HS with worked their way through school as bartenders there.

We’d always stop there whenever I was rolling through my old hood (Scotch Plains)

Then in my new hood, the one in Flemington right off the circle was to go to spot (which I believe is now a chimney rock inn)

 

[gef21]

Honestly restaurants that serve below mediocre food are struggling all over.

 

[T2Kplus20]

At least a half dozen of their restaurants have shut down including ones in Woodbridge, Old Bridge, Hazlet, North Brunswick, etc....

TGI Fridays closes more Central Jersey locations

According to Bloomberg News, the chain, headquartered in Dallas, announced Oct. 18 that was considering filing for bankruptcy.

www.mycentraljersey.com

Anyone who has been to one in the past couple years shouldn't be surprised.

The one at Princeton Market Fair closed early this year. No surprise. TGIF is a remnant of the 90s and 2000s. Fun place that had its time.

 

[T2Kplus20]

Honestly restaurants that serve below mediocre food are struggling all over.

+1
Go to a nice restaurant or just get Chipotle or Shake Shack (or your preferred fast casual). The mediocre sit-down places are getting squeezed out of the market.

 

[gef21]

+1
Go to a nice restaurant or just get Chipotle or Shake Shack (or your preferred fast casual). The mediocre sit-down places are getting squeezed out of the market.

There are plenty of good, locally owned, restaurants that serve significantly better food for the same prices or close everywhere.

 

[RU205]

I met my future wife at the Fridays (on a Friday) in Woodbridge some some 34 years ago.

I spent a lot of time and $$$ in that place in the 90s. There were always WWF wrestlers hanging out there for some reason.

Took my kids there about 2 years ago and it was terrible. Run down, service and food were terrible. Haven’t been back but when I drove by recently I saw it was closed down.

 

[RU205]

+1
Go to a nice restaurant or just get Chipotle or Shake Shack (or your preferred fast casual). The mediocre sit-down places are getting squeezed out of the market.

Chilis is still good.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

I spent a lot of time and $$$ in that place in the 90s. There were always WWF wrestlers hanging out there for some reason.

Took my kids there about 2 years ago and it was terrible. Run down, service and food were terrible. Haven’t been back but when I drove by recently I saw it was closed down.

Which WWE wrestlers were there? Also, I wonder why they frequented that spot? Can't think of a local venue near there where they would have wrestled at, or any that lived local?

 

[ashokan]

Lots of restaurants closing - and supermarkets, pharmacies etc

20 Popular Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds Of Locations In 2024

Rising costs, underperforming stores, and other financial woes are among the reasons behind this year's chain restaurant closures.

www.eatthis.com

Denny's announces 150 restaurant closures, including 50 by the end of 2024

Denny's plans to close 150 of its restaurant locations as the company aims to strengthen its cash flow.

www.usatoday.com

Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores​

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/15/business/walgreens-closures-earnings/index.html

CVS Is Closing Hundreds of Stores by the End of 2024

What is happening to our beloved pharmacies?

www.goodhousekeeping.com

Supermarket Chain with 60 New York Locations Confirms Closures

Hudson Valley residents will soon be scrambling for a new supermarket.

hudsonvalleypost.com

 

[RUGuitarMan]

I spent a lot of time and $$$ in that place in the 90s. There were always WWF wrestlers hanging out there for some reason.

Took my kids there about 2 years ago and it was terrible. Run down, service and food were terrible. Haven’t been back but when I drove by recently I saw it was closed down.

I lived nearby there in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. At the time I was working in NYC and would stop in on a Friday before going home. Don’t recall WWF wrestlers but I probably would not recognize them, wasn’t a viewer of that stuff.

 

[yessir321]

A lot of these ‘American sports bar’ type chains are closing up as more people tend to support the locally owned spots, at least in my area. We’ve seen TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, Applebee’s all close down in my area with BWW always empty unless there’s a UFC fight.

 

[DJ Spanky]

I remember a long, long time ago when I was dating my wife, they opened a new TGI Fridays in Secaucus. Great place, we went there a lot. I think it got more of its clientele from the lunch hour crowd because it never was that packed in the evenings. That one closed quite a while ago, but we have fond memories of it.

 

[RUskoolie]

Honestly restaurants that serve below mediocre food are struggling all over.

Not surprised. We went to one a few years ago and decided we were done with the TGI Fridays, Applebees of the world.

 

[fsg2]

The one at Princeton Market Fair closed early this year. No surprise. TGIF is a remnant of the 90s and 2000s. Fun place that had its time.

Yeah, I'm more surprised it still exists.

 

[e5fdny]

To be honest I thought this was an old thread.

As I assumed they were already gone. Like a while ago.

 

[iReC89]

They had some decent combo meals and would stop at one visiting family. Healthier options like Panera, Chipotle and Honeygrow may be cutting into the glutinous casual dining market.

 

[miketd1]

Times when people feel negatively about the economy, value becomes a priority.

$30 gets you way more at specialty burger joints as many have already mentioned.

 

[T2Kplus20]

They had some decent combo meals and would stop at one visiting family. Healthier options like Panera, Chipotle and Honeygrow may be cutting into the glutinous casual dining market.

Hard to beat a Chipotle bowl for a quick, chain, healthier option. Obviously, without the crazy stuff.....sour cream and guac. Rice, protein, veggies.

 

[newell138]

There are plenty of good, locally owned, restaurants that serve significantly better food for the same prices or close everywhere.

this^^^ Same goes for McDonalds and BK. A crappy hamburger, fries and drink for $15? People went there because it was cheap, now, not so much. Better off grabbing a pizza or sub. $16 minimum wage is the death of all these types of places.

 

[gef21]

this^^^ Same goes for McDonalds and BK. A crappy hamburger, fries and drink for $15? People went there because it was cheap, now, not so much. Better off grabbing a pizza or sub.

Not to mention how absolutely terrible places like that have become with their processed foods. Its not the same "food" it even was a decade ago.

 

[DJ Spanky]

$16 minimum wage is the death of all these types of places.

Spot on!

 

[gef21]

Spot on!

These places have been serving mediocre, at best, food for 20 years. The younger generations are just refusing to spend their money on trash.

 

[DJ Spanky]

These places have been serving mediocre, at best, food for 20 years. The younger generations are just refusing to spend their money on trash.

Oh I completely agree with that. But the combination of falling clientele and rising labor costs are helping to do them in.

 

[iReC89]

In NJ servers only need to make $15.13 including tips. Labor shortages have also driven up costs but the average hourly wage is $15.48 for all hourly roles at TGI Friday.

Zip recruiter summary:

"How much does a Tgi Friday make?​

As of Oct 21, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Tgi Friday in the United States is $15.48 an hour.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $21.39 and as low as $9.38, the majority of Tgi Friday wages currently range between $13.46 (25th percentile) to $17.31 (75th percentile) across the United States. The average pay range for a Tgi Friday varies greatly (by as much as $3.85), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Tgi Friday job market in both Woodbury, NY and throughout the entire state of New York is not very active as few companies are currently hiring. A Tgi Friday in your area makes on average $17 per hour, or $1.46 (94.100%) more than the national average hourly salary of $15.48. New York ranks number 14 out of 50 states nationwide for Tgi Friday salaries"

 

[LetsGoRUwrestling]

Im surprised the Toms River location is closing...The place seemed always to do well and had some great years..The Brick location was great 25 years ago but has been dead for 10 years and it was just a matter of time

 

[Knight Shift]

Fuddruckers, Ground Round, Bennigans, TGI Fridays--nothing about any of them was special and food was mediocre. Chili's is up next?

 

[toby83]

A lot of these ‘American sports bar’ type chains are closing up as more people tend to support the locally owned spots, at least in my area. We’ve seen TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, Applebee’s all close down in my area with BWW always empty unless there’s a UFC fight.

Ruby Tuesdays had a salad bar filled with basically E.coli

 

[bac2therac]

Hard to beat a Chipotle bowl for a quick, chain, healthier option. Obviously, without the crazy stuff.....sour cream and guac. Rice, protein, veggies.

No alcohol

TGIF is a meeting place for drinks especially after work. Its not a fast food joint

Gen Z doesnt know what happy hour is and younger millennials work from home

Its a damn shame

 

[bac2therac]

Fuddruckers, Ground Round, Bennigans, TGI Fridays--nothing about any of them was special and food was mediocre. Chili's is up next?

Disagree...all those places have a spot in Americana in the 80s and 90s into the 00s.

The reality is they now are passe because young people dont go out anymore..there is no workplace...and lazy people loved to get food delivered

I miss Chi Chis and Charlie Browns the most