TGI Fridays sparks major fears from fans as restaurant closures quietly continue

TGI Fridays has closed much than a twelve locations successful the past month, including six conscionable this week. 

The fashionable casual eating concatenation is the latest to conflict arsenic Americans, frustrated with higher paper costs, opt to devour astatine location more. Other chains, including Red Lobster, Applebee’s and Hooters, have besides closed locations.

Signs posted astatine TGI's shuttered locations  - focused successful the East Coast, Southeast, and Midwest - described the determination arsenic 'difficult' and directed customers to adjacent restaurants. 

The latest closures follow the 36 'underperforming' TGI locations shuttered successful January, and respective much successful the summer. It present hardly has much than 200 near successful the US.

The six astir caller closures were successful Leesburg, Virginia; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Middletown, Poughkeepsie, and Clifton Park, New York; and Enfield, Connecticut.

Other closures implicit the past period see restaurants successful Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Grand Chute, Wisconsin; Saginaw Township, Michigan; Schererville, Indiana; and 2 locations successful Minnesota - St. Louis Park and Edina.

The concatenation also shut 2 restaurants successful May, including 1 successful New Jersey and different successful downtown Buffalo successful New York State. 

TGI Friday's has not commented connected the latest closures.

But successful May, US president Ray Risley said: 'We've identified opportunities to optimize and streamline our operations to guarantee we are champion positioned to conscionable – and transcend – connected that marque promise.' 

TGI Fridays - which archetypal opened successful New York City in 1965 - was down to astir 215 US restaurants earlier these latest closures. Globally, it operates much than 650 restaurants successful 51 countries. 

At the announcement successful January, TGI Fridays said the 36 would unopen down close away.  At the clip it did not sanction these, but seven of those were besides successful New Jersey - the authorities astir affected by the closures. 

The US limb - known arsenic TGI Fridays Inc - is was owed this year to merge with Hostmore, which runs 89 TGI sites successful the UK.  

But the woody fell apart, arsenic did the program to make a larger steadfast listed successful London.

Casual eating restaurants similar TGI's and accelerated nutrient giants similar McDonald's person seen income autumn as a effect of Americans voting with their wallets successful response to 2 years of paper terms hikes. 

Worst deed person been the older, much accepted chains that person not modernized.  

Red Lobster unopen astir 100 in May and filed for bankruptcy, portion Applebee's is closing 35. 

BurgerFi was the latest for record for bankruptcy in September - sparking sparks fears of wide closures of its 162 locations. 

Meanwhile, it emerged successful September that Hooters - known for its scantily-clad waitresses - is the latest to look fiscal problems as it deals with $300 cardinal of debts. It also closed astir 40 'underperforming' restaurants earlier this year. 

Chains person been worst deed successful California wherever the minimum wage for accelerated nutrient restaurants jumped to $20-an-hour from April 1. 

 In aboriginal June, Mexican concatenation Rubio's unopen 48 locations in the authorities and besides filed for bankruptcy. 

TGI did not respond to DailyMail.com's petition for comment.