The furniture is gone. Signage has been removed. Even the door handles are no more.
The closure of the Coral Springs’ TGI Fridays location, at 855 N. University Drive, has left only memories for residents who ate, drank and worked there since its opening in 1985 — 40 years ago.
Only a note was left behind, taped inside two entrance doors: “This TGI Fridays location has proudly served the community for many wonderful years,” it says. “We are incredibly grateful for your loyalty, laughter, and unforgettable moments shared here.”
The note invited patrons to the two closest locations that remain open: In Plantation, at 80 SW 84th Ave., and in Pembroke Pines, at 90 N. University Drive.
The Coral Springs restaurant was the third major closure near the intersection of North University Drive and Atlantic Boulevard in recent years.
A Bru’s Room location across the street closed in February 2024, and a Big Lots store a few steps away from TGI Fridays shut down early this year after the corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last fall.
Closure of the TGI Fridays leaves the tricounty region with just five locations, according to the company’s website. In addition to the Plantation and Pembroke Pines locations, operations continue in Hollywood at 2940 Oakwood Blvd., in North Miami Beach at 14891 Biscayne Blvd., and at Gate D36 in the Miami International Airport.
TGI Friday’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with about $37 million in debt. By April, the chain was down to 85 locations in the United States — down from 446 in 2018. Globally, the number of restaurants peaked at more than 900 in 2015. That was down to 305 earlier this year, according to a report on Yahoo Finance.
The number of Florida locations has shrunk from 43 in 2018, according to an archive of the company’s website, to eight currently. Three locations remain in the Orlando region.
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A majority of restaurants remaining in the U.S. were owned by franchisees, and the remaining South Florida locations are owned by an Atlanta company called Jackmont Hospitality, which also owned the Coral Springs restaurant.
A 2015 report in the South Florida Sun Sentinel detailed the sale of 16 South Florida Fridays restaurants to Jackmont from the Texas-based TGI Fridays corporation.
A majority of South Florida locations have closed in recent years, including in Sunrise, Davie, Miami, Miami Falls, Coral Gables, Palm Beach Gardens and the region’s first location, which opened in 1978 at 6200 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale.
A Jackmont Hospitality spokeswoman said she doubted that the CEO would be able to respond to questions about the closure of the Coral Springs location before this article was posted. The TGI Fridays corporation did not respond to requests for further information.
The building’s owners, Kimco Realty, did not respond to questions about whether the company plans to try to sell or lease the real estate.
But dozens of Facebook commenters reacted to posts about the closure over the past week. A few noted that it was a landmark for residents.
A woman posted about a gathering of former co-workers several days before the restaurant closed on Aug. 25. They had all worked at the restaurant earlier in the 2000s, she said. “Twenty year-old me could never have imagined the life I’d be living now or the lessons I’d learn along the way,” she said. “Reminiscing together last night felt like coming full circle.”
In other posts, patrons recalled gathering at the location for special events and happy hours.
Many lamented the loss of quality over the years. To cut costs, Fridays began substituting handmade food for prepackaged frozen fare, a Yahoo Finance report from April noted, adding that its returning CEO Ray Blanchette was bringing back freshly made dishes, such as hand-breaded chicken tenders.
The story said Blanchette, who purchased several locations out of bankruptcy, planned to spearhead a comeback similar to the one that has recently boosted sales at competitor Chili’s.
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071 or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.
