TGI Fridays Makes the Biggest Menu Change in Over 2 Decades

The next time you stop by a TGI Fridays, your experience will have the potential to be a whole lot more customizable. While the casual dining chain has no shortage of appetizers, burgers, pasta dishes, sandwiches, and sides to choose from, it just debuted a brand-new Grilled & Sauced menu that will allow you to tweak and tailor your dinner exactly how you want it.

According to Brandon Coleman III, president at TGI Fridays U.S., this will be the most dramatic modification to the chain's food offerings in more than two decades.

"This is the biggest change to the TGI Fridays menu since we first launched Whiskey Glaze in the 90s," Coleman said in a statement. "Our guests love bold, exciting flavors and the new Grilled & Sauced menu delivers just that."

This new menu was designed with customization in mind. Customers start by picking from a selection of flame-grilled proteins—including salmon, ribs, chicken breasts, and several cuts of steak—and then pairing them with their choice of sauces, rubs, and sides.

The sauces and rubs include classics like the chain's Signature Whiskey-Glaze and Apple Butter BBQ, as well as brand-new options like Hennessy-Infused Spiked Orange Glaze and Korean Red Chile.

After selecting their proteins and sauces, customers round out their meals with a choice of two sides. They can choose from longstanding options like the chain's Seasoned Fries and Garlic-Butter Broccoli, plus brand-new offerings like a Broccoli Slaw and Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad. TGI Fridays' lineup of premium sides has also gotten an upgrade with a few new options including Four Cheese Mac & Cheese, Elote Street Corn, and Garlic-Butter Green Beans with Bacon.

To top it all off, the restaurant chain just debuted a brand-new list of summer cocktails with exciting flavor combos and fun names like Lavender Fields Lemon Drop Martini and Hella Old Fashioned. Check out the full list of the new items in the TGI Fridays' announcement.

If the new menu attracts more customers to TGI Fridays that would be great for the shrinking chain. Its restaurant count has decreased in recent years due to declines in sales and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data company ScrapeHero, the chain was operating 289 locations throughout the United States as of early March this year. That's notably low in comparison to the 418 American restaurants TGI Fridays had in 2018, per Nation's Restaurant News.

On a more positive note, the chain has some ambitious overseas expansion plans in the works. Last year, it struck a deal to open 75 new TGI Friday's locations across South and Southeast Asia. The company currently operates nearly 700 restaurants in 52 countries.