TGI Fridays is ready to get hip.
The chain that began as a handful of bars for single people in the 1970s turned family-friendly mega-chain in the late 80s is working hard to bring young people back through the doors. TGI Fridays' solution: the millennial-friendly food truck.
Fridays is hitting the road with the "Summer of Fridays Road Tour," driving food trucks selling TGI Friday's menu favorites across America. The trucks will stop in 20 cities and towns, including Minneapolis, Houston and Brooklyn. The stops primarily coincide with various festivals, such as the Boston Calling Music Festival and a Taste of Dallas.
Related: Longtime Owner Sells TGI Fridays for $800 Million
The trucks are accompanied by a four-man team of "storytellers," dedicated to "bringing you the best of handcrafted America." Summer of Fridays' website presents bios, websites and Instagram shots of these photography-minded "storytellers," as well as photos that strongly fit the hipster stereotype: heavily filtered, trendily dressed in vests and plaid, and no eye contact with the camera.
TGI Fridays seems to be following the Taco Bell model creating business by appealing to millennials. However, while Taco Bell has struck gold with it's over the top, tongue-in-cheek style, TGI Fridays needs to be careful not to hop on the food truck trend right as the oversaturated market makes the trend go from "cool" to "mainstream," or worse, "passé."
With TGI Fridays recent sale from its longtime owner for $800 million, the chain is clearly ready to revamp its image and bring in new customers. The question is – will millennials bite?