TGI Fridays has closed at least a dozen U.S. restaurants over the past month as troubles continue for the casual-dining chain. The closures were concentrated in the East Coast, Southeast and Midwest.
Hurricane Helene was not kind to restaurants. The devastating storm that left a wide swath of destruction across the southeast also hurt restaurant sales in a half-dozen states the week it hit, according to Black Box Intelligence. Sales the week ending September 29 declined 9.8% in South Carolina, 9.4% in Georgia and 5.4% in Virginia, 4.6% in Tennessee, 3.8% in North Carolina and 2.3% in Florida.
Chili’s has a dress code: Be dressed. George Felix, the CMO of the casual dining chain, noted at the CREATE event this week that the only real dress code at the chain is that customers must wear actual clothing.
Darden Restaurants is officially the new owner of Chuy’s Tex-Mex. The parent of Olive Garden and other full-service chains closed on a deal for the 101-unit Mexican brand Friday.
Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast.
