TGI Fridays closes 16 UK stores, with 456 job losses

Key Highlights

• "While these have been difficult times for hospitality operators generally, this marks a pivotal step in TGI Fridays' wider turnaround plan, putting in place stable foundations upon which it can begin to move forward."The 16 TGI Fridays sites that closed immediately are:- Ashton Under Lyne, Greater Manchester- Doncaster, South Yorkshire- Staines, Surrey- Stevenage, Hertfordshire- Walsall, West Midlands- Bournemouth, Dorset- Telford, Shropshire- Reading, Berkshire- Coventry, Warwickshire- Edinburgh, Scotland- Crawley, West Sussex- Aberdeen Beach, Scotland- Nottingham, Nottinghamshire- Sheffield, South Yorkshire- Stratford, Greater London- Braintree, EssexOver summer 2025, casual and fast-food restaurants saw a 6% drop in customers compared to the previous summer, according to research from Worldpanel by Numerator. In December, trade body UKHospitality warned the hospitality sector could lose a further 100,000 workers as a result of the Autumn Budget. The government has said it is "protecting pubs, restaurants and cafés with the Budget's £4.3bn support package". Last month, the High Street food chain Leon said it will close 20 restaurants and cut jobs as part of a major restructure. Its co-founder said he believed the company had drifted from its core values under EG and Asda's leadership, and also cited internal challenges, changing work patterns driven by the Covid pandemic and tax increases – all of which have affected the broader hospitality sector. Leon's administration process comes after Pizza Hut's UK operator DC London Pie announced it was closing 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites in October, making more than 1,200 workers redundant. Administrators said DC London Pie had been hit by a combination of "challenging trading conditions and increased costs", including "tax-related obligations". TGI Fridays' UK owner falls into administrationHospitality sector could shed 100,000 more jobs, trade body warnsCompaniesHospitality industryRestaurants.