TGI Fridays locations in four Las Vegas casinos abruptly shut down last week, prompting more questions about the chain’s future after it filed for bankruptcy in November.
Restaurants in the Orleans, Sam’s Town, Aliante and Gold Coast, all operated by Boyd Gaming, closed permanently on Friday. The locations were the only TGI Fridays in the state of Nevada. The once-popular suburban chain, known for its loaded potato skins and ribs, is dwindling nationwide; it’s down to four owned restaurants in all of California, although there are additional locations that are run by franchisees.
“We are already working on exciting new concepts for these spaces, and look forward to sharing more information on these concepts in the future,” a Boyd Gaming spokesperson told KSNV.
In November, TGI Fridays announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At the time, it said its 39 U.S. locations would “continue to serve customers as usual.” In early January, Reuters reported TGI Fridays had $37 million in debt and was in the process of selling off some of its remaining restaurants.
The chain, which was founded in New York City in 1965 and is currently headquartered in Dallas, had over 600 restaurants worldwide at its height. Most of those restaurants are franchise locations.
