Ocean Drive TGI Fridays Closes, One Miami Flair-Filled Store Remains

Dining at TGI Fridays during its peak in popularity in the '90s and 2000s is an experience that is engrained in the minds of nearly every American — or at least in mine.

Founded in 1965, the restaurant chain was a casual dining pioneer. With its comforting, all-American mismatched decor and paraphernalia splattered along its white and wood-slabbed walls, the red and white-striped uniforms adorned by its smiling waitstaff, Tiffany-style stained glass chandeliers with red grape motifs, red-and-white-striped tablecloths, the busy dining room filled with families yelling to a family member to ask for more napkins, and signs advertising its then-popular "Jack Daniels Baby Back Ribs" (or Jack Daniels-covered anything), the thought alone makes me nostalgic.

Although its decor has completely changed since the 2010s to a more streamlined, sterile, and modern look with only splashes of red here and there, and its menu has become more mediocre over the years (or our tastebuds have evolved) it still hits home.

I remember my father ordering spinach and artichoke dip for my brother and me back in the day, trying my first sip of a virgin strawberry daiquiri at the table, and ordering a Shirley Temple to wash it all down while my brother opted for a classic, crisp Coke. (This was the early 2000s — we weren't healthy back then, OK?) 

This is why when rumors began circulating that the restaurant chain was closing all of its U.S. locations as it prepared to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, I immediately called my dad.

"Is the TGI Fridays in South Beach closing?" I asked almost longingly. "Yes," he said, wondering why I care so much.
As Red Lobster taught us earlier this year, it's the beginning of the end of the sit-down, suburban, casual dining restaurant chain, and I can't help but feel sentimental.

That was last week — and now the rumors are true.

According to a post on Reddit by an employee of the TGI Fridays along Ocean Drive and Fifth Street in Miami Beach, the restaurant is closing its doors after three decades on the beach. It's the last Fridays standing in the entire city (besides the one at Miami International Airport), after the location across from the University of Miami in Coral Gables closed years ago.

TGI Fridays on ocean dr closed permanently!
byu/KingOfNewYork1321 inMiami

TGI Fridays Closes in Miami Beach, Chain to File for Bankruptcy

Reddit user @KingOfNewYork1321 writes, "The Fridays location on Ocean Drive on the corner of Fifth Street in Miami Beach is closing. It has been there for over 30 years. Management did not inform employees of closure or give any notice. All they did was put a piece of paper on the door that says, “temporarily closed.” Completely unfair for all the workers there with the holidays around the corner. Over 30 people without jobs!"

Other Reddit users took to the comments to reminisce about the restaurant chain, with one writing, "That shit used to be lit in the early 2000s," and another responding, "I know I wasn't the only one that remembered! I remember seeing Nelly and Edgerrin James shooting dice out front when I was a little kid, like in 2004 or 2005."

As of October 24, the Miami Beach location is marked as "Permanently closed" on Google.

Earlier this week, sources close to Bloomberg reported that the restaurant chain is seeking new financing as it prepares to file for bankruptcy. According to the report, the chain will close 50 restaurants across the U.S. by the end of 2024.

For many fans of TGI Fridays, the closure of this TGI Fridays (and those impacted across the U.S.) feels like the true end of an era. However, there's still time for one last visit.

The last standing TGI Fridays in Miami is in North Miami Beach at 14891 Biscayne Blvd., while a mini spot exists at Miami International Airport.