TGI Fridays: Revisiting the chain for a final meal

When I was in high school, TGI Fridays was one of the restaurants in my regular rotation, and that experience delivered consistently. 

I wondered what would a TGI Fridays experience be like in 2024, after the chain earlier this year closed 36 underperforming corporate-owned restaurants, including three on Long Island — at the South Shore Mall in Bay Shore; in Islandia and Massapequa Park. Additional locations in Westbury and Rockville Centre, closed earlier this month.

Ray Risley, U.S. president and chief operating officer, said the changes were part of TGI Fridays' efforts to streamline its operations. Founded in 1965, the Dallas-based chain has more than 650 restaurants in 51 countries — but that's down a third from the 900 it had just a decade ago. 

In 1991, after I got my driver’s license, most Friday nights were spent at TGI Fridays on Route 110 — now The Bryant — with my best friend, Jen. The Fridays of my youth was light and bright, full of families and big groups. There was our preferred table — corner window — a preferred appetizer, spinach artichoke dip (before Houston’s) and "chopped" salads, which were just becoming a thing. I was asked to the prom in the parking lot after a double date.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was taken aback when I returned with my daughter on a recent Monday night after dance school practice. TGI Fridays looked different from the place I remembered. This Fridays, in Levittown, was darker and moodier. It felt more like a chain bar than a chain restaurant, with its massive bar anchoring the equally large space and dining rooms beyond.

This made more sense when one of the menus placed on the table was a drink menu full of cocktails of fluorescent colors, Long Island Iced Tea options, margarita variations and more. While all my Fridays memories were alcohol-free, the rest of the world’s clearly were not. 

Adding to the mood were dark leather booths with red accents like the Santa hat-shaped lamps over tables and words like "Kitchen" in bulbed lighting along the shaded walls. One family yelled at each other while complaining about how long everything was taking. An exasperated mom repeated "stop it" until the bill was delivered. Even though the restaurant was more than half empty, I had to ask for a server. 

Little did I know, this location would also close shortly after that visit.

Service was remarkably slow. They sent out hot chips and salsa — which used to be free at the beginning of the meal — as a salve, but the salt alone rendered them inedible. A soundtrack of Jamiroquai, Bruno Mars, Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston played as we waited on appetizers.

TGI FRIDAYS FOOD

Our "Pick 3” combo — three starters for $19.99 — was mozzarella sticks, potato skins and pork dumplings; choices still include classics like wings and queso dip.

The skins and dumplings were high-glossed with a cringeworthy amount of oil. But the bright orange-topped skins were pretty good, the bacon bits flavoring atop oddly comforting and familiar, and the mozzarella sticks offered one of the better cheese pulls my daughter has attempted, but tasted overtly of garlic powder from the breading. The oversize dumplings were a miss, entirely.

The Million Dollar Cobb ($15.99) with grilled (not fried) chicken was robust — while the avocado could’ve been greener, the ranch and honey mustard were thick like I remembered. I was tempted to try the baby back ribs ($19.99 for a half-rack), but they looked dry on another table's order. My daughter's $7.99 cheeseburger and fries kids meal was "amazing." A side of mac and cheese ($5.99) was topped with another layer of slick yellow cheese.

The server wore gloves to box up leftovers, which I appreciated, and we took New York-style cheesecake ($8.99) to-go.

While it wasn’t the TGI Fridays of my teenage years, it was still an affordable trip down memory lane on a Monday. Maybe it’s better for 2-for-1 drinks and a burger? 

There are four remaining TGI Fridays restaurants on Long Island: Valley Stream, Farmingville, Central Islip and Riverhead. For more on nostalgic dining at sit-down chains, see Newsday food critics' recent visits to Friendly's, Applebee's and Red Lobster.

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.