TGI Fridays Abruptly Closes Location In Newington

NEWINGTON, CT — TGI Fridays abruptly closed dozens of locations across the country this week, including the restaurant in Newington.

Reports of the sudden closures began popping up on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Boston25News.com reported signs posted at the door of multiple locations in Massachusetts stated, “We regret to inform you that as of Jan. 2, 2024, this Fridays location has closed.” Overall, six locations in Massachusetts were closed.

The TGI Fridays location in Newington was listed as permanently closed, according to a Google search, and has been removed from the TGI Friday’s website.

TGI Fridays confirmed in a post on Twitter that the Newington restaurant has permanently closed.

TGI Fridays also announced in a news release that it is closing 36 “underperforming locations” in select markets across the U.S.

“As part of the store closures, TGI Fridays is offering more than 1,000 transfer opportunities, which represents over 80% of total impacted employees,” the news release states.

The TGI Fridays location in Hamden is also closed, but it is unclear if the closure is permanent.

The restaurant chain’s sign has been taken down from the building at 2335 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden. A sign explaining the closure was not posted at the door as of Tuesday afternoon.

TGI Fridays officials have not returned a request for comment regarding the closure.

The restaurant chain also announced Wednesday that eight previously corporate-owned restaurants in the Northeast have been sold to former CEO Ray Blanchette.

“With a history of deep involvement and unwavering confidence in the Fridays brand, Mr. Blanchette brings an unmatched understanding of the TGI Fridays business and the restaurant's commitment to delivering excellence for guests,” according to the news release. “Following the finalization of the sale, Blanchette will lead the locations into a new phase of revitalization.”

The eight locations have not been identified, and it remains to be seen if the Hamden restaurant could be one of them.

TGI Fridays lists five remaining locations, including Hamden, in Connecticut on its website. While Hamden’s hours of operation are “closed” for each day, it remained listed on the website along with restaurants in Orange, Manchester, Enfield and Waterbury, as of late Wednesday night.