SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Allentown-area location of a casual chain restaurant and cocktail bar has closed.
TGI Fridays at The Shoppes at Cedar Point, 315 Cedar Crest Blvd., on Monday had a sign on its doors saying the restaurant closed effective Sunday, Oct. 6.
It was not clear how long the sign had been in the window.
"We regret to inform you that Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our doors at Allentown, PA. We are extremely grateful to our loyal guests and our team members at our Allentown restaurant."Sign on the door at TGI Fridays restaurant in South Whitehall Township
"We regret to inform you that Fridays has made the difficult decision to close our doors at Allentown, PA," the sign says.
"We are extremely grateful to our loyal guests and our team members at our Allentown restaurant.
"We can't wait to welcome you at our nearby locations."
It lists those as 4402 Southmont Way, Bethlehem, and 10 North West End Blvd., Quakertown.
The sign doesn't address what will happen to the restaurant's staff.
A man who answered the phone at the restaurant Tuesday declined to comment, saying he was unauthorized to do so, and referred questions to the restaurant's corporate offices.
There was no response Tuesday to an email to the corporate offices seeking comment.
'Ongoing growth strategy'
TGI Fridays announced in January that "as part of the brand’s ongoing growth strategy," it would "close 36 underperforming
locations in select markets across the U.S."
It said that "as part of the store closures, TGI Fridays is offering
more than 1,000 transfer opportunities, which represents over 80% of total impacted employees."
At that time, the location in Willow Grove, Montgomery County, was the only Pennsylvania location to close.
Shops at Cedar Point opened in 1996.
The TGI Fridays there was briefly closed by a fire in 2007.
TGI Fridays is known for its signature whiskey-glazed steak, chicken, ribs and salmon, crispy shrimp and other American cuisine.
