TGI Fridays

TGIF Holdings LLC operates TGI Fridays, one of the first fern bar casual-dining concepts that popularized happy hour promotions and capitalized on the phrase “Thank God It’s Friday.”

The first TGI Fridays was opened in 1965 on New York City’s east side by Alan Stillman, who sought to create a place for younger people to meet, drink and eat. It promoted the slogan “In Here, It’s Always Friday.”

TGI Fridays, based in Dallas since the 1970s, was a pioneer in both the grill and bar segment as well as in franchising and licensing its concept abroad. It was one of the first U.S. brands in the Russian Federation after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The concept remains known for its cocktail menu and mixing prowess, sponsoring an annual international bartending competition among its worldwide employees.

Carlson, the Minneapolis-based hospitality company, acquired Fridays in 1975 and sold it in 2014 to Sentinel Capital Partners and TriArtisan Capital Partners. Fridays in 2019 agreed to a proposed deal with Allegro Merger Corp., which would have taken the brand public, but those plans were called off in April 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

TGI Fridays has 850 restaurants in 55 countries.

Key data: TGI Fridays

Headquarters: Dallas

Segment: Casual Dining

Restaurant Segment: FSR American

Number of Locations: 336

2020 Sales: $874.4 million

Annual Growth: [click for more information—will lead to Top 200 page] (just link the words annual growth to top 200 page)

Source: Datassential Firefly 500

CEO: Ray Blanchette