TGI Fridays,a titan in the American fast casual dining scene since 1965 with more than 800 restaurants nationwide,announced earlier this month that they have closed their Vernon Hills,IL location after 25 years in business. The location,not too far from serviced apartment rentals in the area,has been popular for the restaurant in previous years,so the closure comes as a surprise to some longtime residents. The abrupt closure seems to only have affected this particular TGI Friday’s,though it is unclear if it is a sign of more things to come for the company.
The Vernon Hills restaurant called a 1.5 acre piece of property home since the 1990s,but now the land is for sale at a list price of a whopping $2.2 million. While business apartments nearby ensured that plenty of customers would frequent the establishment,it appears as though that wasn’t enough for the store to stay in business.
“The TGI Fridays restaurant in Vernon Hills was closed by our franchise partner at the end of their lease,” according to a statement that TGI Friday’s officials put out after the closure. “This was a decision that was not made lightly,as we understand the impact it has on its 15 team members and leadership,as well as our guests who have enjoyed dining with us.”
Brian Conway,a spokesman for TGI Friday’s,tried to downplay the news as nothing more than a lease issue.
“We have no indication at this point that this is anything other than an isolated closure,” he said. “All other TGI Fridays restaurants in the area remain open for operation,and we hope that Vernon Hills guests will continue to join us at those locations.”
One positive to come out of the sudden closure is the fact that all of the Vernon Hills employees will be able to switch jobs to nearby locations.