DMV Residents 'Shocked' to Learn TGI Fridays Still Exists

People across the DC Metro region were stunned by today's announcement that TGI Fridays was closing 36 underperforming locations including four in Virginia and two in Maryland. Most thought the restaurant chain went belly up decades ago.

"That place still exists? I thought it died around the same time as my Tamagotchi," said Sharon Talbot from Chevy Chase.

Talbot's sentiment was echoed across social media, where Gen Xers reminisced about coming of age over TGI's Signature Slushes and buckets of beer. "The Rockville TGI Fridays in 1991 was like Tinder but with alcohol instead of photo filters. I always wondered what happened to it," Ray McGower wrote on Nextdoor.

Andrea Mocciato of Manassas said the last time she went to TGI Fridays was the night of the OJ Simpson Bronco chase. "Imagine it's been there all this time, and I've been going to Panera when I crave mediocre food," she said.

The TGI Fridays in Rockville and White Oak are not affected by the closings. "Our position as the second-choice restaurant when Chi-Chi's is overbooked is solid," Rockville manager Brent Callahan told The Montgonion.