Thirty five TGI Fridays are set to close for good around the United Kingdom immediately with the loss of around 1,000 jobs as a rescue deal keeps another 51 open
TGI Fridays has announced the immediate closure of 35 restaurants around the UK – you can see if your local outlet is affected by searching with your postcode on our interactive map.
The US-themed diner chain is to cut just over 1,000 jobs after its owner went into administration last month. More than a third of the UK’s 86 TGI Fridays restaurants will be shut down straight away but a rescue deal has kept the remaining 51 outlets open.
It is estimated around 2,400 staff will retain their jobs under the deal with Breal Capital and Calveton. Among the 35 restaurants closing down is the branch at Hagley Road in Birmingham which was the first TGI Fridays restaurant in the UK, opening in 1986.
The decision to close down the restaurants was slammed as a ‘disgrace’ by unions. Bryan Simpson, Unite Union’s lead organiser for hospitality, said: “To close venues and lock people out of their workplace with absolutely no notice is a moral outrage.”
Daniel Smith, senior managing director of Teneo, who has been appointed joint administrator of the business, said the rescue deal agreed with Breal Capital and Calveton UK, would keep the brand alive in the UK.
He said: “”The casual dining sector has been adversely impacted by well-publicised pressures on discretionary spend. This transaction with Breal Capital and Calveton UK preserves a significant proportion of jobs and will hopefully provide the business with the stability and support it needs to recover and grow. We thank all employees and other key stakeholders for their support at this difficult time.”
Julie McEwan, CEO of TGI Fridays UK, said: “TGI Fridays is a much-loved brand with a rich heritage. The news today marks the start of a positive future for our business following a very challenging period for the casual dining sector as a whole. We look to the future with confidence that the TGI Fridays brand will continue to attract loyal and new guests.”
She added: “We are devastated for our colleagues who will be leaving TGIs and thank them for their loyalty and contribution during their time with us.”
Full list of 35 TGI Friday restaurants closed down
Barnsley
Birmingham
Bracknell
Brighton Marina
Bristol Cabot Circus
Cardiff Newport Road
Chelmsford
Cheltenham
Croydon
Derby
Dundee
Durham
Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird
Enfield
Gateshead
Gloucester Quays
Halifax
Jersey
Leeds
Leeds Trinity
Leicester
Lincoln
Manchester Royal Exchange
Newcastle Eldon Square
Newport
Northampton
Prestwich
Romford
Sale
Solihull
Southampton West Quay South
Speke
Sutton Coldfield
Swansea
Watford North
Full list of 51 TGI Fridays restaurants staying open:
Bluewater
Trafford Centre
Meadowhall
Aberdeen Union Square
Metrocentre
Basildon
Glasgow Fort
Milton Keynes Stadium
Braehead
Wembley
Birmingham NEC
Glasgow
Junction 27
Castleford
Lakeside Quay
Teesside
Bolton
Norwich
St Davids
Doncaster
Lakeside
Fareham
Liverpool One
Stevenage
White Rose
Cribbs Causeway
Rushden Lakes
Stoke on Trent
Southampton
Silverburn
Watford Central
Aberdeen Beach
Braintree
Bournemouth
Stratford
High Wycombe
Cheshire Oaks
Walsall
Milton Keynes
Sheffield
Nottingham
Edinburgh
Coventry
Ashton-Under-Lyne
Telford
The O2
Staines
Crawley
Reading
Cheadle
Leicester Square