Inside UK's first TGI Friday's - now abandoned and graffiti-covered

A derelict TGI Fridays has been left in ruins, with graffiti daubed across its boarded-up front and shards of broken glass scattered across the floor.

The once-bustling Edgbaston restaurant, on Hagley Road, Birmingham, made history as the very first TGI Fridays in the UK before shutting its doors last October. But now, the famous site has been reduced to a vandal’s playground.

Spray paint covers much of the exterior, while one window appears to have been smashed, leaving glass littering the ground. The place is now surrounded by boards to keep intruders out. It comes after a Brit abroad slams all-inclusive hotel food asking 'what on earth is this?'

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It’s not the first time an abandoned TGI has been targeted this year. In March, the Sutton Coldfield branch, which also lay empty, was broken into, with vandals leaving a gaping hole in one of its windows.

The closures come after the US diner chain axed 35 of its restaurants in a shock move last year. But 51 sites were saved in a dramatic rescue deal by Breal Capital and Calveton UK, including the popular Birmingham NEC and Walsall Waterfront locations.

Since lighting up British high streets back in 1986 with its neon-gilded entrance in Birmingham, TGI Fridays has been a beloved hangout, but the past year has seen its fortunes nosedive.

In September 2024, Hostmore, which is the UK operator of the chain, pulled the plug on a fabled £177million buyout of the American parent and entered administration, triggering a wave of panic. Suddenly, 87 UK restaurants hung in limbo, and 4,500 jobs trembled on the brink.

A rescue deal in October by private equity titans Breal Capital and Calveton UK swooped in to save the day. They bought 51 restaurants, preserving around 2,000 jobs, but left 35 sites to shut their doors with immediate effect, etching more than 1,000 redundancies into the record.

The shuttered list reads like a UK road trip: Birmingham’s historic Hagley Road, Leicester Square’s flagship, Brighton Marina, Sutton Coldfield, Swansea, all which are boarded up amid growing despair.

In January 2025, the cherished Leicester Square branch, once deemed safe, quietly closed too—a poignant sign of how perilous the chain’s path remains.

Now, behind the scenes, the brand is trying to stage a comeback. With an Americana-infused “brand reset” in the works, which involves revamping 70% of its menu and leaning into its old-school charm,TGI Fridays hopes to re-ignite the spark that once made it a Friday-night staple.

Birmingham City Council has been asked for comment.