Edinburgh's TGI Fridays at risk after owner collapses into administration

The UK operator of TGI Fridays has collapsed into administration as it scrambles to sell restaurants across the country.

A total of 87 restaurants across the UK, including branches on Castle Street and in Fort Kinnaird, could be at risk if Hostmore fails to secure a buyer.

Hostmore said it had appointed administrators from Teneo after plans to buy the US restaurant chain collapsed earlier this month. Restaurants are now up for sale in a bid to keep the brand alive, but Unite the Union warns that around 4,000 jobs are now at risk.

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As the Mirror reports, these sales were planned to be completed by the end of this month, although it is not clear at this stage whether some or all of the restaurants are likely to find a buyer. The American-inspired restaurant chain will remain open as normal while the administration process starts.

In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, Hostmore said: “The board is immensely proud of all Hostmore colleagues, both in store and in the support centre, who worked tirelessly to execute a turnaround programme over the past 18 months and to deliver a successful result on the proposed acquisition of TGI Fridays, Inc.

“The board inherited a very challenging set of circumstances, but a focus on reducing costs, revising the group’s capital allocation policy and implementing both board and senior management changes, meant that the group was able to reduce annualised expenditures by £12million, significantly reduce losses from unprofitable stores, and operate the group’s stores at a best in class efficiency level for the sector, all while improving guest scores to our highest levels on record.

“Unfortunately, all of the board’s efforts to implement a lasting solution to support the long-term financial future of the business came against a highly challenging trading and macroeconomic backdrop, and efforts to create value for shareholders through the proposed acquisition of TGI Fridays, while well-advanced, encountered adverse events outside of the board’s control."

TGI Fridays first opened in the UK in the 1980s and has been a popular destination for birthday parties and cocktail nights for the last 40 years. The first branch of T.G.I. Friday’s was opened in New York in 1965 to celebrate weekend dining - the name means "Thank God It’s Friday". After first opening in Birmingham, the chain spread rapidly around the country with its popular format of casual American bistro-style dining.

Full list of TGI Fridays' UK restaurants

• Aberdeen Beach

• Aberdeen Union Square

• Ashton-under-Lyne

• Barnsley

• Basildon

• Birmingham

• Birmingham NEC

• Bluewater

• Bolton

• Bournemouth

• Bracknell

• Braehead

• Braintree

• Brighton Marina

• Cabot Circus

• Cardiff Newport Road

• Cardiff St David's

• Castleford

• Cheadle

• Chelmsford

• Cheltenham

• Cheshire Oaks

• Coventry

• Crawley

• Cribbs Causeway

• Croydon

• Derby

• Doncaster

• Durham

• Edinburgh

• Enfield

• Fareham

• Fort Kinnaird

• Gateshead

• Glasgow Buchanan Street

• Glasgow Fort

• Gloucester Quays

• Halifax

• High Wycombe

• Jersey

• Lakeside Quay

• Lakeside Retail Park

• Leeds Junction 27

• Leeds Wellington Bridge Street

• Leeds White Rose

• Leicester

• Lincoln

• Liverpool One

• Liverpool Speke

• London Leicester Square

• London Stratford City

• London the O2

• Manchester Royal Exchange

• Meadowhall

• Metro Centre Gateshead

• Milton Keynes

• Milton Keynes Stadium

• Newcastle Eldon Square

• Newport Friars Walk

• Northampton

• Norwich

• Nottingham

• Prestwich

• Reading

• Romford

• Rushden Lakes

• Sale

• Sheffield

• Silverburn

• Solihull

• Southampton Retail Park

• Staines

• Stevenage

• Teesside

• Telford

• Trafford Centre

• Trinity Leeds

• Walsall

• Watford Central

• Watford North

• Wembley

• West Quay