T.G.I. Friday's, once a chain of more than 600 locations across the country, is down to just 74 following its latest Atlanta area closure.
The Stonecrest location closed briefly in 2021 after a kitchen fire damaged the restaurant. DeKalb County property records indicate that the roughly 8,500 square foot restaurant opened in 2012 and occupied a more than two acre property.
The chain started in New York City in 1965 and grew through licensing and franchising to include several hundred locations. After filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 and 2025, the chain was a fraction of its former self. Today, the overwhelming majority of the chain's global presence is abroad, where more than 300 of the chain's roughly 400 remaining units are.
In Georgia, there are just two traditional units left: one on Camp Creek Parkway in East Point and another on Mt. Zion Road in Morrow. There are three other licensed "non-traditional" units at various locations in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where even Uncle Maddio's and Atlanta Bread Co. still exist.
There were once Friday's all around metro Atlanta including one in Doraville where the entire plaza previously carried its name. Other former Friday's around metro Atlanta include those on Cobb Place Boulevard in Kennesaw, Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth (torn down for a new Whataburger), Peachtree Road in Buckhead, Mall of Georgia Boulevard in Buford, Greenbriar Parkway near Greenbriar Mall in southwest Atlanta, Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, and North Point Parkway near North Point Mall in Alpharetta.
Ultimately, Friday's seems destined to become the next O. Charley's, which has shrunk to just two locations in Georgia and only fifty nationwide, rather than Chili's, another casual American chain, but one that is trending once more and saw a 4% increase in its comparable restaurant sales, according to an April financial report from owner Brinker.
Are you surprised to see T.G.I. Friday's closing so many locations? Why do you think casual restaurant chains have fallen out of favor? What would you like to see open in place of the former Friday's in Stonecrest?
Please share your thoughts below
10 comments:
Much like Chili's these once popular chains have resorted to crap food. People still eat. People have options. Service is another story. The young people that used to take these jobs have somehow found a way to get by without working these entry level service jobs. What we are left with are mostly people that don't really like you.
Friday's demise started when they stopped including a giant onion ring on every entree. The article also failed to mention the location at The Prado which was a national training center for Friday's
The last time I went to a TGIF, I felt like a grain of salt in a pepper shaker. That's cool, but I can understand why the majority quit going.
Same thing happened to Red Lobster. I think that's referred to as "Cultural Enrichment." Hope they are able to survive this blessing.
Yeah, the 13% can only sustain it for so long.
Kind of like the Caribbean Cruise Line and Spirit Airlines of restaurants.
My first bartending job in college was at a TGI Friday's on the upper east side of Manhattan in the late 80's/early 90's. Our bar was used as a shooting location for the movie Cocktail. I have some great memories of the chain, and remember going out of my way for the potato skins, but as others have noted, it has gone so downhill over the years, I don't think it will be missed. Service at the ATL airport locations is so bad, I don't even think of it as a travel option.
I feel like Chili's has resurrected itself over the past couple of years. New leadership made a lot of changes from the top down and it feels like the place I used to frequent for 2 for 1 happy hour margaritas back in the day.
I liked the giant onion ring on my chocolate cake!
None of this has anything to do with it. The food is shit, no one likes it. Duh!
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