TGI Fridays has been saved from administration(Image: No credit)

TGI Fridays to shut 35 restaurants immediately with 1,000 jobs axed

TGI Fridays collapsed into administration last month putting 87 restaurants and around 3,000 jobs at risk - but over the weekend there were reports of a potential rescue deal on the horizon

by · The Mirror

TGI Fridays will shut 35 restaurants immediately with 1,000 jobs made redundant after collapsing into administration.

However, 51 branches will remain open after the high street restaurant chain secured a deal from Breal Capital and Calveton UK. The sale means just under 2,400 jobs will be saved at the TGI Fridays branches that will remain open. Daniel Smith and Julian Heathcote of Teneo were today appointed as joint administrators.

Julie McEwan, chief executive 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.

“We are devastated for our colleagues who will be leaving TGIs and thank them for their loyalty and contribution during their time with us. We are doing everything possible to retain our team and support those impacted. We would like to thank our team and our loyal guests for supporting us during this transition. We are proud to serve millions of customers across the UK and are committed to continuing to evolve our proposition and to give our guests a great value for money experience that keeps them coming back to enjoy TGI Fridays time and again.”

Daniel Smith, senior managing director of Teneo, 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.”

Bryan Simpson , Unite Union's lead organiser for hospitality said the way TGI workers have been treated is a "national disgrace". They said: "To close venues and lock people out their workplace with absolutely no notice is a moral outrage and almost certainly illegal.

“This is the same company that informed the press before they told workers that they had gone into administration. Now our members are being told that they may not even be paid wages for work done. We are currently supporting our TGI members through this incredibly anxious situation made worse by a completely inept senior management who are sending invites to meetings with less than an hours notice. We would encourage any affected workers to contact Unite immediately to ensure they receive everything they are entitled to.”

Reports of the deal first emerged over the weekend with Sky News reporting that the "final details were still being ironed out". TGI Fridays collapsed into administration last month with administrator Teneo being appointed to handle the chain. TGI Fridays parent company Hostmore blamed the collapse on a "very challenging set of circumstances".

The restaurant chain's 87 sites have been trading as normal since the last update. The chain currently employs around 3,000 people in the UK. TGI Fridays first opened in the UK in the 1980s and has been a popular destination for birthday parties and cocktail nights for the last 40 years.

The first branch of TGI Fridays was opened in New York in 1965 to celebrate weekend dining - the name means "Thank God It’s Friday". After first opening in Birmingham, the chain spread rapidly around the country with its popular format of casual American bistro-style dining.

Full list of TGI Friday restaurants to stay 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