Sometimes when a relationship is failing, one partner will make every effort to fix whatever they might be doing wrong. On one hand, that’s noble, but at some point, you go from being yourself to being an actor.
It’s one thing to remember to send a text message on days you don’t see each other. Your partner might also find it really nice if you occasionally make dinner, take out the trash, do the laundry, or do whatever it is that’s not usually on your list.
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But if a partner has to change more than half of themselves to fit into a relationship, it’s worth questioning whether that relationship was ever meant to be. At some point, if you change enough, you are no longer the same thing.
So it’s very questionable when a popular restaurant chain proudly admits that after Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it changed over 80% of its menu. Under any circumstances, that’s a massive change, and you have to wonder whether it’s really the same brand.
If McDonald’s changed 85% of its menu, it would have to pick between selling chicken McNuggets or hamburgers. That’s a really big number, and it makes you question whether some things aren’t better off being left to die.
TGI Fridays has closed more than half of its restaurants.
Image source: Shutterstock
TGI Fridays has shrunk a lot
After its 2024 Chapter 11 bankruptcy, TGI Fridays emerged with half as many restaurants. You could argue that the chain shut down its weakest locations, but you can also make a case that it does not really have any strong locations.
Over the past few years, the Chili’s rival has struggled to find an identity. For a while, it offered unlimited apps.
That might get people to drink more, but it also calls into question the overall value of the chain’s food. Customers can get some of its most famous items, including potato skins and mozzarella sticks, for $10, all you can eat.
As the chain that arguably made the potato skin mainstream, that seems like putting a very low value on the product. In theory, consumers will see that as a good price, but they will also question whether that price and the unlimited offer comes with a drop in quality.
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Unlimited appetizers have become a permanent part of the new TGI Fridays menu. The chain has not kept much from its past, since the new lineup includes over 80% new items.
Admittedly, these new offerings are closer to “ribs with a different sauce,” rather than the chain all of a sudden selling tofu and other items that are not sports-bar staples.
Sure, let’s call it TGI Fridays
While the chain has less than 100 remaining restaurants in the United States, it has returned longtime CEO Ray Blanchette to that post.
He never truly left the chain, as he has owned a handful of franchises himself. That puts him in a good position to understand the needs of franchisees.
And while the post-bankruptcy TGI Friday’s has touted that its menu is 85% new, that’s really semantics. It didn’t get rid of mozzarella sticks or burgers or even ribs; it merely reimagined the classics.
Yes, the menu has some new dishes, but mostly it has items that improve on its well-loved classics.
“Fridays has a legacy worth celebrating, and we’re leaning into that. We leveled up the flavor of our mozzarella sticks and nearly the entire menu. Longtime fans will see familiar favorites made better and first guests will get a fresh take on what makes Fridays special,” he told Today.com.
So, after bankruptcy, TGI Fridays wants to be itself, but a little bit better. That’s actually a reasonable goal for any sort of relationship.
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Yes, the chain is tweaking 85% of its recipes, but that’s very different from having an 85% new menu. If you liked the chain before, arguably, you will like it more now.
If you didn’t, but like the sports bar genre and that type of food, it might be worth coming in again.