TGI Friday quietly closed dozens of restaurant locations last week as the chain reportedly prepared to file for bankruptcy protection.
The company’s store locator currently lists 164 locations in the U.S., up from 213 open last week, CNN first reported.
The sudden closures come after the value restaurant chain previously closed 36 “underperforming” restaurants in twelve US states in January. TGI Friday’s said at the time that the move was part of its “continued growth strategy.”
TFI Friday’s did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment on last week’s restaurant closures. The company has not released a list of the locations that have closed, but local reports recently shed some light on where restaurants affected by the latest wave of closures are located.
According to mycentraljersey.com, TGI Friday’s locations in Bridgewater and Watchung, both in Central Jersey, have closed abruptly. Another location in Pennsylvania’s Middletown Township has also closed, according to a local news report. Additional local reports indicate that restaurants in California, New York and Ohio have also been affected.
The Dallas-based casual dining pioneer has struggled to execute a growth plan as customers with tighter budgets show a preference for cheaper meals. They even have mocking the prices of faster food at industrial companies such as McDonald’s, which they believe are too high.
