TGI Fridays is the kind of cookie-cutter, shopping mall, corporate chain restaurant that New Yorkers tend to avoid, but it wasn't always like this. In this short video from Great Big Story, learn how TGI Fridays started out as the Upper East Side's most popular singles bar in the mid 1960's, long before it evolved into what it is today.
You may know it now as the popular suburban chain restaurant, but back in the day, TGI Fridays was THE PLACE to be if you were young and single in New York City. Alan Stillman, a former perfume salesman, opened the flagship bar and restaurant in 1965 on the Upper East Side. He had no restaurant experience, but sensed a need for an informal place where singles could have a drink and socialize. So yeah. Can we buy you a drink?
Submitted via Viewing NYC Tips
Matt Coneybeare
Editor in Chief
Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.
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