Restaurants & Bars
TGI Fridays Locations Close In NJ, Among 36 To Be Shuttered: Reports
Employees of the shuttered locations are being offered the opportunity to transfer to other sites, the company said.
NEW JERSEY — The casual dining chain TGI Fridays is closing 36 "underperforming" stores in 12 states as part of an “ongoing growth strategy” that includes the sale of eight restaurants to a former CEO.
At least seven locations slated for closure are in New Jersey. While TGI Fridays did not announce the specific restaurant locations that will be shuttered, they became apparent by Wednesday: Marlton, Iselin, Hackensack, Wayne, Eatontown, Springfield and Princeton all were permanently closed, Patch has reported.
The TGI Fridays closures also affect six restaurants in Massachusetts, five in New York, four each in Texas and Virginia, and two in Colorado. Restaurants in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are also part of the closure, though the company did not specify where they are located.
Find out what's happening in Across New Jerseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Shuttered TGI Fridays locations announced the abrupt closing, “effective Jan. 2, 2024,” to customers with signs on their doors, according to social media posts and the New York Post.
At the same time, former CEO Ray Blanchette, creator of the Loaded Potato Skins appetizer, will acquire six TGI Fridays restaurants in Massachusetts and two in New Hampshire.
Find out what's happening in Across New Jerseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
About 1,000 workers will lose their jobs as a result of the closures, but about 80 percent of them will be offered transfers within the company, according to the news release.
The chain has about 275 U.S. locations, with 16 remaining in New Jersey.
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