New Address

For those peppy plates of steaming fajitas and spiked up cocktails that were rolled out in handsome numbers at TGI Friday’s (Thank God It’s Friday’s) in Basant Lok,you will now have to drive a little further to DLF Place mall in Vasant Kunj in the coming weeks. The Basant Lok outlet,which marked TGIF’s arrival in India in 1996,will down shutters on June 25. “It was the chain’s flagship store in India and there is certainly a lot of emotional attachment. The lease expired this year and the landlord has different plans for the building. We could not prevail upon him and have to shut down,” says Sanjoy Roy,President and CEO,Bistro Hospitality Limited.

A bustling hotspot for youngsters,TGIF’s is now busy announcing its pack-up plans. A white board inside the restaurant is scribbled with remarks of its guests — some penning their fond memories at the outlet and some expressing their discontent at the closure. “There is a full page on Facebook on our move from Basant Lok. Thankfully,the new outlet is not too far away from Basant Lok and though we would have preferred a standalone,space is a problem,” says Roy. The Basant Lok outlet was spread out in 6,000 sq ft,much larger than the new address.

The new TGIF’s at DLF Place mall in Vasant Kunj boasts a contemporary set up. “It is in sync with the global changes that the brand is making,” says Roy. So there will be more of Elvis Presley on the walls and the 1930s memorabilia will give way to graffiti. “The graffiti will echo the contemporary mood,” he says.

TGIF’s also shut shop in Connaught Place in March and Roy sites lease renewal issues as the main cause. “We are currently short listing other locations in Connaught Place and will be back in CP in around eight months. With our new outlets in DLF malls in Vasant Kunj and Saket,it was easy for us to relocate the staff.”