Fact or Fiction: Will TGI Fridays in Springfield reopen?

Like all other restaurants in Springfield, TGI Fridays has been closed since the governor’s stay-at-home order took effect in March. However, TGI Fridays is not offering curbside or delivery service and it appears unlikely the location will reopen even when allowed to do so.

The location is listed as permanently closed on Google and both the Springfield and Champaign locations have been removed from the corporate website. Last month, a spokesperson for TGI Friday’s confirmed to a reporter for The News-Gazette that the restaurant in Champaign would not reopen. No one from the corporate office could be reached by phone or email to comment on the fate of the Springfield location.

The real estate at 2100 W. White Oaks Dr. is owned by an out-of-state investment company. According to Sangamon County records, Xing Fu Ga, LLC purchased the property in September 2019 for $2,365,000. A Springfield-area commercial broker who spoke with the owner this week said the owner had not been notified of the restaurant’s plans once the stay-at-home order is lifted.

TGI Fridays is owned by TriArtisan Capital, a private equity firm based in New York. The casual dining chain has closed dozens of locations nationwide after declining sales in 2019. Of the approximately 850 locations still open, nearly half are located in other countries. A planned $380 million deal with Allegro Merger that would have made TGIF Fridays a publicly traded company fell through in April.

Have you heard rumors about a business in town opening or closing but aren’t sure what to believe? Email your question to [email protected] and we’ll check it out. You can also follow Springfield Business Journal on Facebook or Twitter to get local breaking news.

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