TGI Fridays closed?
 

Just heard through a Facebook friend, that TGI Fridays closed. Anyone else heard anything?

Yes it is. Saw a report on the web.

wow - are you talking about their Lake Sumter location??? that place was always packed.

There is a very short article about this in The Villages on-line news website. All it basically says is employees were notified of the closing Friday morning.

They were told at an employee meeting this morning. Apparently a new owner will open in 2 weeks.

Fridays closes and Havana stays open! The inhumanity of it all.

a new restaurant and owner or a new owner of the lsl friday's restaurant?

Maybe there's hope
 

Darn!!!!!
That was one of my favorite restaurants!
I loved their appetizers!! And Soup and Salad!

Open last night
 

We just ate there last night (Friday Nov. 1) at about 5 pm. Everything was fine and nothing was said about it closing.

Really Cody's is quieter TGIF's fined that hard to believe. There is no where quiet here right now.

Why is it that virtually all establishments with "live" music allow decibel levels that are dangerous to your hearing?

If you cannot hold a conversation with the person next to you at a table, then the noise level is too high. Many folks will not patronize establishments with very high noise. We didn't frequent TGIF, but wonder if that might be a contributing factor.:MOJE_whot:

Not sure. My friend who works there said the new owner was handing out business cards this morning and said they would be open in 2 weeks. If it was staying a Fridays, can't imagine why it would take 2 weeks.

They didn't tell anyone. It was a shock to the employees. :(

I ate there last night and our server knew about it and said the employees had been given a 'heads up' by mgmt. he told us it would be announced today. and I see now that it was.

Hope it's a TGIF, I'd really miss the cajun pasta and the always delicious vanilla bean cheesecake

I just called and the person that answered said this location is closed permanently. No plans for another rest. to open. 352 259-0443

I would think they aren't allowed to say anything. Like I said, the employee said they met the new owner. We shall see. I assume if it's anything, it would be a sports bar.

Gee rumors, rumors.......I remember someone posting this last year now it is a fact....

I remember the music being too loud the two times we were at Friday's LSL. Wonder why---not like that other TGIF'S. Lease too high or whatever!

Friday's TGIF CLOSED
 

Just a heads up for everyone. TGIF in LSL is closed as of tonight.


Edit: Apologize to the forum for a duplicate thread. I did not see the earlier thread on the same topic when I posted.. Moderator you may delete or merge

Too bad
 

Haven't been there yet. Bad food? Poor location? That's a shame. Something else will go there.

It was always so dark it never looked open.

No big surprise given the service...lack thereof.....long waits in empty restaurant.....only to get cold in edible food.....staff standing around talking.....no surprise.

Shame on the owners......a cherry location for business.

They must be stupid as the formula for a successful food establishment is too easy.

And please don't someone intimate it was the rent TV charges!!!

btk

When they first opened they were really good and better then most Fridays. Good food, good service, no noisy bands. Used to go there often. Then about a year ago they changed management, several good people left, and the place went downhill. Service and food got worse, noise grew to the point I wouldn't go there, and now they have closed. Classic business model failure.

And please don't someone intimate it was the rent TV charges!!! ......Too late someone did in another thread.

Are we talking about the same TGIF in Sumter Landing??? Everytime we went there or passed by it was packed. Never had a bad experience either. Can't imagine for the life of me why it closed.

Billethkid - you must be confusing this with the Havana post!

There were two threads on this topic...they have been merged together so posts will appear in chronological order.

The accoustics in TGIF was very bad. You couldn't carry on a conversation because it was so noisy. Restaurants usually close because of management? Never went there that much but sorry it closed. I know a lot of people really liked it.

There was an article in the Local section of today's paper. It implied this was a TGIF corporate decision and not necessarily a reflection of the local outlet or its volume of business. The Villages commercial property guy was quoted as saying it won't take long to find another tenant for such a desirable location.

Too bad, we didn't go there often but liked the menu and the food. Will have to use my 'free entree' stripes reward at another location I suppose.:mmmm:

Apparently, something was wrong there, even if you liked it or not!! Hopefully, new owners will fix problem, or change into another type restaurant, that will survive.

Always bring ear plugs. You can slip them in partially and save your hearing. I bring them for loud movies, loud performances, and chatty people and crying babies in planes.

Ear plugs provide protection- Do nothing for conversation while eating which is usually the reason for going to a restaurant.:mornincoffee:

Just the transfer of their state liquor license could take two weeks..or two months.

Tgif
 

It's CLOSED. Short article in paper today states it closed yesterday without any prior warning to employees.

Owners
 

TGI Friday's at LSL was jointly owned by the Carlson Companies of Texas, The Villages (Yup!) and Joe Nisbitt & Bill Kearns (operators of Bonifay CC and Evans Prairie CC).
The sudden closure looks pretty fishy. Must be a good story here for The Daily Commercial or The Orlando Sentinel.

Skip

Come on Skip. Spill the beans. At least tell us what you think happened. You are always somehow up on the inside information.

. Boy are some of us getting old!! What ever happened to "drugs,sex and rockinroll"

One poster mentioned that it was a "corporate" decision. Has anyone paid any attention to the advertising for TGIF? They are driving all their ads towards a 21-40 demo with emphasis on singles and couples. TV doesn't even come close to that demo, and in many businesses these days money is not money if it doesn't hit their target demo. Cadillac & Lincoln clearly no longer target their ads to the TV demo which they did for years and years. It is possible that TGIF's closed this outlet with plans to open another one in an area that fits it's target demo.

Apparently "business decision" is sounding more like a plausible reason. In doing a web search I found the following TGI Friday closings this year:

October - Bismarck, ND
August - Knoxville, TN
April - several Arizona locations were closed