TGI Fridays has signed its first U.S. franchise development agreement in more than a decade — and COO Ashley Kirkley says roughly 20 new domestic restaurants could follow over the next two to three years.

The deal pairs the casual-dining chain with Bliss Bites LLC, led by owner and managing director Vinod Chand, for five restaurants across New York State over three years. Chand also acquired an existing TGI Fridays in Central Islip, bringing his planned portfolio to six locations. But that's just the start of the pipeline.

"We have multiple opportunities in six to seven states that look very similar to Vinod's deal," Kirkley said.

What does this change for a shrinking chain?

Plenty. TGI Fridays closed a net 212 U.S. restaurants between 2023 and 2025, leaving 69 franchised domestic locations. That's a steep slide for a brand whose global footprint still stands at nearly 400 restaurants across 41 countries. A 20-unit buildout would mark the first meaningful reversal of that contraction.

The expansion feeds the company's 1-2-3 Strategic Vision, which targets more than 1,000 restaurants and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030. Kirkley says the company is deliberately structuring the growth. Most prospective agreements run five to 10 restaurants, with provisions letting operators expand territories if initial locations perform. The company is also evaluating nontraditional sites in hotels, airports, and travel stations.

"The biggest thing for us is franchise health. So making sure that the franchisees that we are currently signing on feel comfortable with the deal as well as the opportunity in the areas that they're in," she said.

A franchisee vetted in person

The New York agreement returns Fridays to its roots — the brand opened its first restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1965. Chand brings more than 35 years of hospitality experience plus hotels and other New York properties. His territory includes the boroughs and North Jersey, with room to add units after the initial five.

Kirkley did her own due diligence. After first meeting Chand over lunch at a Long Island TGI Fridays in January, she stayed overnight at one of his newly opened hotels — without telling him she'd be there. She wanted to see how his staff treated guests when ownership wasn't watching.

"And if he puts that much love into that property, he's going to put that much love into our TGI Fridays as well," she said.

Reviews are climbing, and delivery now drives 30% of sales

Inside existing restaurants, the company launched a weekly program in April examining individual menu items, service practices, and restaurant conditions. Rather than pushing new products, it prioritized improving what guests already associated with the brand. At week 23 of the initiative, Kirkley says Google review ratings have climbed from roughly 4.0 in April to 4.6.

Other operational moves include:

• A new restaurant prototype with updated decor and more guest interaction, including electric shuffleboards already tested internationally
• A global trainer overseeing training across the international system
• An expanded Masters of Service program, bringing GMs and restaurant managers together weekly
• Review monitoring across Google, TripAdvisor, and Toast

Third-party delivery providers now account for approximately 30 percent of the business. But Kirkley's real yardstick is guest traffic — sales can rise on price alone without more people walking through the door.

Franchisees already inside the system are re-engaging too. The largest domestic group operates 23 restaurants, several operators are funding refreshes and local marketing, and three new partners have joined in the past 12 months, some buying locations from retiring franchisees.

Domestic performance, Kirkley argues, underpins the brand's identity overseas. "We're focused on creating the energy and hospitality and the celebration," she said. "We want to be known as a restaurant of celebration." With additional franchise announcements expected in the coming weeks, the test will be whether those celebrations translate into a sustained pipeline of new operators.