Reborn on the 4 of July: can TGI Fridays make a UK comeback?

To address this. the brand’s food-led messaging will now be less prevalent, with the 80:20 dry/wet split predicted to come down to 70:30 on average, but some outlets will be more experiential and focus on the bar.

“The core offer is families, but at the Wembley restaurant when events are on, it could be 70% drinks. This could be the first of a wet-led model. In shopping centres, they will be more family-oriented, while retail parks could be more wet-led,” she explains.

This segmentation of the units into ‘hero bars’, ‘party venues’ and ‘family destinations’ is part of phase two of the revamp. For phase one, starting on 4 July, the focus is on the introduction of new menus with value at their heart and a shift to offering more no- and-low alcohol options aimed at Gen Z customers. “Future promos will include non-alcoholic options such as the Miami Vice and Miami No Vice cocktails. It’s about value and flexibility,” says McEwan.

“There will be more proactive generosity, with free popcorn at the table and complementary iced tea at the bar”

Training programmes in the bars have also been remodelled under the ‘Raising the Bar’ banner, with a series of steps that have to be adopted by front of house teams with the underlying theme of delivering speedier service. “The old process was not fit for purpose,” says McEwan. “Now we seat customers promptly and serve their drinks promptly. Gen Z won’t wait.” Helping further cut down waiting times is the introduction of QR codes within the restaurants for faster ordering.

The new training regime also moves the team away from being focused on peak times and encourages them to instead engage with customers at the bar at all times, rather than simply push them to the tables to dine during quieter periods. “Our teams will play a central role in the comeback. We want guests to be welcomed and delighted by their experience and there will be more proactive generosity, with free popcorn at the table and complementary iced tea at the bar,” says McEwan.

The quieter weekdays are a particular area of attention, as TGI Fridays has never had a problem with attracting people during the weekends. “Consumer spending has not dropped at weekends, but they want value on weekdays. Casual dining is about seven days a week, not just the weekend. There are fewer of these mid-week occasions,” she says. To address this, the new menu has been simplified and designed to offer value across seven days a week.

Grill power

Unlike at many rival brands – especially in shopping centres – that have splurged on promotional activity, McEwan says TGI Fridays is cutting out the promos and instead relying on a more straightforward value message. This is reflected in the new appetiser bundle, priced at two dishes for £15 and three for £18, which includes sesame chicken strips priced individually up to £10.49 and available at all times. The Kids Eat Free (up to age 11) offer remains and, unlike some competitors, is in place all week.

There is also a focus on bolder flavours and dishes from the grill, with the Americana theme running across the whole food offer: “We’re ‘hero’ing’ the grill,” says McEwan. “We’d lost this and so we’re expanding the grill options, such as blackened salmon steaks along with steaks and ribs. It’s clear Gen Z wants choice and flexibility.”

These main dishes will be complemented by punchier sides, including the likes of mustard mash, Southern-style barbecue pit beans, and a host of sauces with new additions such as maple sriracha and pineapple ketchup.  

Another new addition ahead of 4 July has been the launch of TGI Fridays’ first ever breakfast menu. The menu was launched in May across 22 restaurants, available from 10am, and has proved popular, especially with orders for delivery. The plan is to offer a to-go breakfast menu across all TGI Fridays restaurants and to consider opening further units for dine-in.

Sixty years young

The bold return orchestrated by McEwan and the team coincides with the 60th anniversary of the launch of the first TGI Fridays in New York City in 1965. But despite the age of the brand, McEwan says awareness among the public remains incredibly strong – the problem is this has not necessarily translated into people considering it as a venue to visit in recent years. “As a place to celebrate, the bar had been lost,” she says, adding that as this is the experiential part of the business it will be important to boost as part of the next phase of the revamp.

Part of the phase two plans could include sports coverage and shuffleboard tables introduced into restaurants, to join the photobooths and candyfloss machines that are currently being trialled in some sites as part of the move to make celebrations more memorable. There is also planned investment in the company’s tech stack, to help deliver a seamless guest and customer experience.

To kick-start this new era at TGI Fridays a national media campaign is set to run across newspapers – mainstream and local media – in conjunction with localised activity. This includes invites being distributed for the party weekend and a ‘Comeback’ offer that will see all 4 July customers who sign up to the TGI Fridays Rewards app receive a free meal if they return within 48 hours. While the brand may have fallen off from its 1980s heyday, it remains to be seen if TGI Fridays’ comeback will be as successful as Cruise’s return in Top Gun: Maverick.