Feel sorry for those people but it’s hardly surprising, tgi’s sell the exact same food in Iceland at a fraction of the cost
hundreddollar on
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess it’s probably because the food, service and price are all shit and the restaurants are run down?
bahumat42 on
I forgot they still existed if I’m honest.
I do miss them being reliable for cocktails though.
buggeryorkshire on
I lived in Cheltenham about a third of a mile from TGI Fridays and went once, when I got the worst food ever. They can get fucked.
OneNineSeven1970 on
TGI Fridays feels like a fossil from the early-2000s moment when American culture was idealized. Back then, the US was sold as fun, indulgent, and endlessly cool and chains like this exported that fantasy to the UK.
Now that illusion has been totally shattered. The novelty has worn off. You can buy this food in Iceland and if you want to eat out there a million better options.
Tattycakes on
Great, there goes my local. Ate there twice over Christmas and really enjoyed it.
Why is everything imploding financially with people struggling with cost of living and businesses unable to keep running, it feels like we’re all losing out.
xTerminal_14 on
Use to really like them 10 years or so ago, but over the years the prices just kept going up and the food just kept getting worse.
Shas_Erra on
Do you want cheaply made, overpriced, barely warmed and not even passable imitations of some of the worst food on the planet, all accompanied by refreshments that are more water than drink?
Do you want to sit in a dimly lit booth, at an inexplicably sticky wooden table?
Do you want the sort of decor that screams “1950’s idea of a 1930’s Italian mobster’s money laundering operation”?
No? Well neither did anyone else.
SoulParamedic on
TGI was a favorite of mine and suddenly the food turned sour for some reason.
GooseyDuckDuck on
TGI’s have been awful for well over a decade. I’m surprised they have lasted as long as they did.
Tobemenwithven on
It is the only restaraunt I have been into in 3 years that shocked me for price.
I need to clarify, I go to expensive places all the time, and I go to cheap places. But never have I been to a place of such low quality and such high price.
I dont even think its greed, I think there is something genuinely wrong with their supply chain.
Putaineska on
I’m just confused how they flopped here and also are so low quality. In Malaysia, Japan and I’m sure many other countries they are an excellent option.
Tobias---Funke on
I’ve only been once and it was the worst most expensive food I have ever had.
MCDCFC on
Not surprised. I went once and never went again. Simply not value for the money I paid at the end of day
JoeyJoJoeJr_Shabadoo on
One of the best things to happen to this country in the past couple of decades is the success of cooking TV shows and celebrity chefs, and the ensuing improvements in British people’s tastes and standards.
Sorry for the people losing their jobs, hopefully they land on their feet at better restaurants.
matjk on
Let’s be honest , you can get the same low quality food at your local spoons , and you can wash it down with 5 pints which will make the place seem way better than it is , all for the same price.
They shut our local one yesterday, they told the staff they were closing for maintenance, and then let them know it was actually closed and their jobs have gone, local Facebook is up in arms
prisonerofazkabants on
i remember going back in like 2007 and loving the jack daniels glazed wings. but then i went before covid and it was absolutely awful so i can’t say i’m surprised. i’m only shocked they survived the last 6 years given how shit they were before everything else happened
kimb08 on
We used to eat there regularly as a couple through the years. Went once post covid with child in tow and even factoring in the cost of a kids meal, it was horrendously expensive that we thought there must have been a mistake on the bill. We’ve never been back since. I’m not surprised that the Aberdeen Beach on is closing. Both TGI and Cineworld cannibalised their markets in Aberdeen by opening up at Union Square before the oil slump hit the city and now the beach retail park is run down and grotty.
Harrison1995 on
The restaurant I opened 11 years ago is on this list! Hired as a waiter for the new Staines store back in 2015.
They took the training as a new store opening seriously and I ended up with a lot of knowledge and initially positive thoughts about the brand from that!
However, after all the initial shine wore off and the store settled in, it became apparent it was an absolute shit show.
Left to cover a gigantic, 50 table store as the single waiter on shift, kitchen left on minimum coverage, food often being left in the heat window for up to 30 minutes whilst the cooks moved stations to make the next meal.
All that for £5.31 an hour! The UK isn’t a tipping culture so it’s not like I was getting much else from that.
TGI Fridays deserves this fate for cutting corners and not investing in the vision they want to sell you.
Good riddance to chains like this honestly.
RecentTwo544 on
God I thought they’d gone under ages ago!
I’ve not once, in around 20 years, heard anyone say “I went/am going to TGI Fridays”.
Frost-Cake on
The sauce is decent but £19.95 for some basic chicken strips and chips in a restaurant is insane.
It used to cost me £13.99 back in 2020 from Deliveroo, its now £21.99.
Peac0ck69 on
Used to go very frequently 10-15 years ago.
The deals at the time were 2 courses for £9.99 or 3 courses for £11.99. They had the best items on the set menus (including jack daniels sesame chicken).
I could get free refills on my full sugar coke.
The portions, quality and staff were all great.
Now they sometimes do a 2-3 course deal, but they take all of the good options off it so I don’t ever see any point in going. The staff haven’t been as good the last few times I’ve been and the quality is all over the place.
BasicWeekend9479 on
The food is horrible microwaved, packaged food and extortionately priced.
I’m surprised it lasted this long.
SeymourDoggo on
Sad for the staff but my first and last time at TGIs was 20 years ago when I saw them decanting my chilli con carne and rice from two microwaved packets.
Even_Video7549 on
expensive shite food, not surprised
not good for those losing a job though 🙁
BasicWeekend9479 on
The food is horrible microwaved, packaged food and extortionately priced.
I’m surprised it lasted this long.
GaymerThrowaway1255 on
Sad the one in Stevenage has closed, lot of childhood memories in that place. Cinema > Bowling > TGI’s
jenny_905 on
The rise and fall of various chains just like TGIs since the late 80s is kinda interesting… or not really but it does feel like over the years the same story just repeats itself. Some low-mid quality restaurant, all with very similar themes will emerge, expand and then collapse within a decade or so.
TGIs have been around longer than this though, I remember them expanding in the early 00s I think. The 90s seemed to have various examples that I can remember.
gelatottt on
My local TGIs has no AC so in the summer it’s completely unbearable to eat in there, in the winter they bring in portable heaters, furniture is shabby and old, literal cobwebs all over to the point I think it’s gotta be a design choice.
The food is underwhelming mass produced slop, inconsistent and expensive, service is mediocre.
I think anyone who’s actually been to a TGIs in the last few years is surprised they’ve lasted this long.
mrskristmas on
Used to be our go-to restaurant for the kid’s birthdays about 10 years ago up until lockdown. The sesame chicken was my favourite. Went back in around 2022 and it completely nosedived. Poor service, smaller portions, lower quality food yet more expensive. We went again once more to a different location and had the same experience so never went back. Such a shame because it was once a really decent family friendly restaurant.
MeganJH94 on
I went to my local TGI’s in December and the place was completely empty. I asked for a table for two, but the staff told me they only had one chef and one front‑of‑house worker, so they could only manage five tables, and they had 5 reservations that evening. I genuinely felt bad for the woman explaining it, she mentioned that the staffing issues were down to management.
31 commenti
Feel sorry for those people but it’s hardly surprising, tgi’s sell the exact same food in Iceland at a fraction of the cost
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess it’s probably because the food, service and price are all shit and the restaurants are run down?
I forgot they still existed if I’m honest.
I do miss them being reliable for cocktails though.
I lived in Cheltenham about a third of a mile from TGI Fridays and went once, when I got the worst food ever. They can get fucked.
TGI Fridays feels like a fossil from the early-2000s moment when American culture was idealized. Back then, the US was sold as fun, indulgent, and endlessly cool and chains like this exported that fantasy to the UK.
Now that illusion has been totally shattered. The novelty has worn off. You can buy this food in Iceland and if you want to eat out there a million better options.
Great, there goes my local. Ate there twice over Christmas and really enjoyed it.
Why is everything imploding financially with people struggling with cost of living and businesses unable to keep running, it feels like we’re all losing out.
Use to really like them 10 years or so ago, but over the years the prices just kept going up and the food just kept getting worse.
Do you want cheaply made, overpriced, barely warmed and not even passable imitations of some of the worst food on the planet, all accompanied by refreshments that are more water than drink?
Do you want to sit in a dimly lit booth, at an inexplicably sticky wooden table?
Do you want the sort of decor that screams “1950’s idea of a 1930’s Italian mobster’s money laundering operation”?
No? Well neither did anyone else.
TGI was a favorite of mine and suddenly the food turned sour for some reason.
TGI’s have been awful for well over a decade. I’m surprised they have lasted as long as they did.
It is the only restaraunt I have been into in 3 years that shocked me for price.
I need to clarify, I go to expensive places all the time, and I go to cheap places. But never have I been to a place of such low quality and such high price.
I dont even think its greed, I think there is something genuinely wrong with their supply chain.
I’m just confused how they flopped here and also are so low quality. In Malaysia, Japan and I’m sure many other countries they are an excellent option.
I’ve only been once and it was the worst most expensive food I have ever had.
Not surprised. I went once and never went again. Simply not value for the money I paid at the end of day
One of the best things to happen to this country in the past couple of decades is the success of cooking TV shows and celebrity chefs, and the ensuing improvements in British people’s tastes and standards.
Sorry for the people losing their jobs, hopefully they land on their feet at better restaurants.
Let’s be honest , you can get the same low quality food at your local spoons , and you can wash it down with 5 pints which will make the place seem way better than it is , all for the same price.
They shut our local one yesterday, they told the staff they were closing for maintenance, and then let them know it was actually closed and their jobs have gone, local Facebook is up in arms
i remember going back in like 2007 and loving the jack daniels glazed wings. but then i went before covid and it was absolutely awful so i can’t say i’m surprised. i’m only shocked they survived the last 6 years given how shit they were before everything else happened
We used to eat there regularly as a couple through the years. Went once post covid with child in tow and even factoring in the cost of a kids meal, it was horrendously expensive that we thought there must have been a mistake on the bill. We’ve never been back since. I’m not surprised that the Aberdeen Beach on is closing. Both TGI and Cineworld cannibalised their markets in Aberdeen by opening up at Union Square before the oil slump hit the city and now the beach retail park is run down and grotty.
The restaurant I opened 11 years ago is on this list! Hired as a waiter for the new Staines store back in 2015.
They took the training as a new store opening seriously and I ended up with a lot of knowledge and initially positive thoughts about the brand from that!
However, after all the initial shine wore off and the store settled in, it became apparent it was an absolute shit show.
Left to cover a gigantic, 50 table store as the single waiter on shift, kitchen left on minimum coverage, food often being left in the heat window for up to 30 minutes whilst the cooks moved stations to make the next meal.
All that for £5.31 an hour! The UK isn’t a tipping culture so it’s not like I was getting much else from that.
TGI Fridays deserves this fate for cutting corners and not investing in the vision they want to sell you.
Good riddance to chains like this honestly.
God I thought they’d gone under ages ago!
I’ve not once, in around 20 years, heard anyone say “I went/am going to TGI Fridays”.
The sauce is decent but £19.95 for some basic chicken strips and chips in a restaurant is insane.
It used to cost me £13.99 back in 2020 from Deliveroo, its now £21.99.
Used to go very frequently 10-15 years ago.
The deals at the time were 2 courses for £9.99 or 3 courses for £11.99. They had the best items on the set menus (including jack daniels sesame chicken).
I could get free refills on my full sugar coke.
The portions, quality and staff were all great.
Now they sometimes do a 2-3 course deal, but they take all of the good options off it so I don’t ever see any point in going. The staff haven’t been as good the last few times I’ve been and the quality is all over the place.
The food is horrible microwaved, packaged food and extortionately priced.
I’m surprised it lasted this long.
Sad for the staff but my first and last time at TGIs was 20 years ago when I saw them decanting my chilli con carne and rice from two microwaved packets.
expensive shite food, not surprised
not good for those losing a job though 🙁
The food is horrible microwaved, packaged food and extortionately priced.
I’m surprised it lasted this long.
Sad the one in Stevenage has closed, lot of childhood memories in that place. Cinema > Bowling > TGI’s
The rise and fall of various chains just like TGIs since the late 80s is kinda interesting… or not really but it does feel like over the years the same story just repeats itself. Some low-mid quality restaurant, all with very similar themes will emerge, expand and then collapse within a decade or so.
TGIs have been around longer than this though, I remember them expanding in the early 00s I think. The 90s seemed to have various examples that I can remember.
My local TGIs has no AC so in the summer it’s completely unbearable to eat in there, in the winter they bring in portable heaters, furniture is shabby and old, literal cobwebs all over to the point I think it’s gotta be a design choice.
The food is underwhelming mass produced slop, inconsistent and expensive, service is mediocre.
I think anyone who’s actually been to a TGIs in the last few years is surprised they’ve lasted this long.
Used to be our go-to restaurant for the kid’s birthdays about 10 years ago up until lockdown. The sesame chicken was my favourite. Went back in around 2022 and it completely nosedived. Poor service, smaller portions, lower quality food yet more expensive. We went again once more to a different location and had the same experience so never went back. Such a shame because it was once a really decent family friendly restaurant.
I went to my local TGI’s in December and the place was completely empty. I asked for a table for two, but the staff told me they only had one chef and one front‑of‑house worker, so they could only manage five tables, and they had 5 reservations that evening. I genuinely felt bad for the woman explaining it, she mentioned that the staffing issues were down to management.
I hope all the staff manage to get new jobs!