TGI Fridays has shuttered another Fairfax County location.
The chain’s restaurant in Springfield Commons at 6751 Frontier Drive permanently closed on Tuesday, Jan. 2, part of a slew of closures that took effect nationwide that day.
“We regret to inform you that Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our doors at Springfield VA effective Jan. 2,” a notice posted to the restaurant’s door said. “We are extremely grateful to our loyal Guests and our Team Members at our Springfield restaurant.”
A generic version of that message was sent to local members of TGI Fridays’ loyalty rewards program. One member told FFXnow that they had visited the Springfield location just last Friday (Dec. 29) and saw no indications of the impending closure.
The Jan. 2 closures targeted 36 restaurants across the U.S. that were “underperforming,” TGI Fridays announced on Wednesday (Dec. 3). Locations in Manassas, Woodbridge’s Potomac Mills shopping mall and Fredericksburg were also affected, according to the company’s guest relations team.
The company said more than 1,000 employees, or over 80% of those affected, were offered the option to transfer to a different location.
“Our top priority has always been delivering a superior experience for each and every TGI Fridays guest, and we’ve identified opportunities to optimize and streamline our operations to ensure we are best positioned to meet — and exceed — on that brand promise,” TGI Fridays U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer Ray Risley said in a statement. “By strengthening our franchise model and closing underperforming stores, we are creating an unprecedented opportunity for Fridays to drive forward its vision for the future.”
TGI Fridays had been at Springfield Commons since at least 2007, according to the location’s Yelp page, where it has an average rating of just 2.2 stars.
The 6,830-square-foot space is now available for leasing. Rappaport, which manages and leases the strip mall, told the Washington Business Journal that it’s actively seeking a tenant for the storefront, which is adjacent to a recently opened Pure Hockey store.
This round of closures was preceded by TGI Fridays shutting down its Fair Lakes location late last year. That restaurant at 12249 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive will be replaced by First Watch, a daytime cafe expected to open this summer.
