TGI Fridays bankruptcy: Concerns about nearly $50 million in unused gift cards

[jbycho 606]

Chop chop people. Better use those cards quick if you have one.

As TGI Friday's bankruptcy process moves forward, some of the beleaguered chain's restaurants are afraid they will be stuck handling nearly $50 million in gift cards.

If you are a card holder, you may want to use your card sooner than later, so you aren't stuck holding something worth a fraction of its stated value. "Go use it, otherwise, you could end up in line for repayment behind a bunch of other creditors … (and) you'll be lucky, frankly to get pennies on the dollar for it," said John Bringardner, head of Debtwire, an analytics and debt tracking firm that assists businesses.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/11/05/tgi-fridays-bankruptcy-gift-cards/76064934007/

[nobody 2,568]

If someone gave me a gift card to TGI Fridays, I'd use it slice their throat.

[Sean Mooney 1,948]

Poor utilit99....he better find a new job soon. 

 

[jbycho 606]

19 minutes ago, nobody said:

If someone gave me a gift card to TGI Fridays, I'd use it slice their throat.

Oh, another food snob. I would bet I've eaten at more high end restaurants in the last 10 years than you have in your whole life. Yet I also enjoy Popeye's chicken every now and although  Fridays ain't great, I don't need every meal to be the greatest ever. Just have a beer, and maybe some whatever looks like I'm in the mood for.

And you make me want to give you a Friday's gift card so I can deal with you trying to slice my throat. It would be the last thing you would ever be able to try to do other than drool. 

[nobody 2,568]

First of all, Popeye's is high end, so take that blasphemy somewhere else.

[easilyscan 865]

The percentage of gift cards that go unused, also known as the breakage rate, is typically between 2% and 4%. However, breakage rates can vary by business, and some restaurants may have breakage rates as high as 10–15%. If I owned a restaurant, I'd really push gift cards.

How about those commercials for rocket money. The company that helps you find and cancel subscriptions you might have forgotten about.
They scan your bank statements to identify recurring charges that could be subscriptions you're no longer using. People can't look at their bank statements themselves ?

The dumbing down of America continues.

 

[jbycho 606]

2 minutes ago, nobody said:

First of all, Popeye's is high end, so take that blasphemy somewhere else.

Had it for dinner last night. For some reason the coleslaw was like abnormally sweet. Very uncharacteristic.

[Sean Mooney 1,948]

3 minutes ago, nobody said:

First of all, Popeye's is high end, so take that blasphemy somewhere else.

Watch out though for noted Internet tough guy utilit99....he is going to make you drool if you try to slice his throat. 

 

[jbycho 606]

2 minutes ago, easilyscan said:

The percentage of gift cards that go unused, also known as the breakage rate, is typically between 2% and 4%. However, breakage rates can vary by business, and some restaurants may have breakage rates as high as 10–15%. If I owned a restaurant, I'd really push gift cards.

How about those commercials for rocket money. The company that helps you find and cancel subscriptions you might have forgotten about.
They scan your bank statements to identify recurring charges that could be subscriptions you're no longer using. People can't look at their bank statements themselves ?

The dumbing down of America continues.

 

Fridays had their day 25 years ago or so. It's simply their time to go.

Somehow, Applebee's made a comeback though. Must have been that song. 

[jbycho 606]

5 minutes ago, Sean Mooney said:

Watch out though for noted Internet tough guy utilit99....he is going to make you drool if you try to slice his throat. 

 

Put up or shut up MDC. People making threats online but can't handle being responded to is right up your alley. 

[lickin_starfish 1,893]

I can't count the number of times I've had my throat slit by someone with a gift card.

[jbycho 606]

3 minutes ago, lickin_starfish said:

I can't count the number of times I've had my throat slit by someone with a gift card.

I'm very wary of people wielding gift cards and paperclips. 

[League Champion 1,896]

Hell, I probably have $250 in unused TGI Friday gift cards. No joke. 

They've been given to me over the last few years, I don't eat that crap!!! 

[MLCKAA 547]

37 minutes ago, jbycho said:

Oh, another food snob. I would bet I've eaten at more high end restaurants in the last 10 years than you have in your whole life. Yet I also enjoy Popeye's chicken every now and although  Fridays ain't great, I don't need every meal to be the greatest ever. Just have a beer, and maybe some whatever looks like I'm in the mood for.

And you make me want to give you a Friday's gift card so I can deal with you trying to slice my throat. It would be the last thing you would ever be able to try to do other than drool. 

I tend to consider you a quality poster, but that 2nd paragraph says you might need to start looking for your marbles.

Aside from that, I’m squarely in the food snob category.  If I’m going out, it’s for something that I know will be really good.  My kitchen skills are pretty elevated and I cook a lot.  I’m not going to a restaurant and paying for grub that will be lower quality than I could make at home.

[jbycho 606]

20 minutes ago, MLCKAA said:

I tend to consider you a quality poster, but that 2nd paragraph says you might need to start looking for your marbles.

Aside from that, I’m squarely in the food snob category.  If I’m going out, it’s for something that I know will be really good.  My kitchen skills are pretty elevated and I cook a lot.  I’m not going to a restaurant and paying for grub that will be lower quality than I could make at home.

It's simply back and forth about someone saying they would slice my throat if I gave them a gift card. It's not real life. 

My wife and I are foodies who love cooking too. We plan most of our trips, well maybe 60%,  around the restaurants we either want to go back to, or go experience for the first time. I should not have said that I went to more high end places in the past 10 years than he has in his life, because I don't know him.

But, my wife and I appreciate more common food when we don't have the time, or don't feel like cooking. It:s an everyday topic we ask ourselves. We enjoy some of the "lesser" food items out in the market from time to time. Like it's a treat actually. Why? I don't know. She likes Shake Shack, I like frozen store bought ravioli, we both like Popeyes. 

Those things are literally like treats to us from time to time. 

And I really don't love Fridays, haven't been there is maybe 30 years. But if I had a $100 gift card, damn right I would use it. 

[easilyscan 865]

This is a perfect example of why I love this forum. A thread regarding a restaurant filing chapter 11 & unused gift cards, turns into a battle royal regarding everything from food, to committing murder 1 with said gift cards. 

[thegeneral 2,929]

Is this part of RFK’s plan to help Americans eat better food?

[jbycho 606]

12 minutes ago, easilyscan said:

This is a perfect example of why I love this forum. A thread regarding a restaurant filing chapter 11 & unused gift cards, turns into a battle royal regarding everything from food, to committing murder 1 with said gift cards. 

It is kind of a fun break from the Trump is going to destroy this country talk. 

The election is over. Time to have some fun. 

[MLCKAA 547]

1 hour ago, jbycho said:

It's simply back and forth about someone saying they would slice my throat if I gave them a gift card. It's not real life. 

My wife and I are foodies who love cooking too. We plan most of our trips, well maybe 60%,  around the restaurants we either want to go back to, or go experience for the first time. I should not have said that I went to more high end places in the past 10 years than he has in his life, because I don't know him.

But, my wife and I appreciate more common food when we don't have the time, or don't feel like cooking. It:s an everyday topic we ask ourselves. We enjoy some of the "lesser" food items out in the market from time to time. Like it's a treat actually. Why? I don't know. She likes Shake Shack, I like frozen store bought ravioli, we both like Popeyes. 

Those things are literally like treats to us from time to time. 

And I really don't love Fridays, haven't been there is maybe 30 years. But if I had a $100 gift card, damn right I would use it. 

To be honest, I eat White Castle about once a year.

But the Chili’s barbecue popcorn shrimp caesar salad isn’t getting me out of the house.

 I can also admit that if I’m ordering pizza, it’ll come from Papa John’s.  However, I delivered for them in college and remain loyal because of that.

Have a great weekend and try not to kill anyone.

Wait, what am I saying.  Go out and kill.

[nobody 2,568]

59 minutes ago, easilyscan said:

This is a perfect example of why I love this forum. A thread regarding a restaurant filing chapter 11 & unused gift cards, turns into a battle royal regarding everything from food, to committing murder 1 with said gift cards. 

I'd plead down to murder 2.  Crime of passion.

I'm just going to need digby to delete this thread prior to him sending me the gift card.

[nobody 2,568]

5 minutes ago, MLCKAA said:

To be honest, I eat White Castle about once a year.

But the Chili’s barbecue popcorn shrimp caesar salad isn’t getting me out of the house.

 I can also admit that if I’m ordering pizza, it’ll come from Papa John’s.  However, I delivered for them in college and remain loyal because of that.

Have a great weekend and try not to kill anyone.

Wait, what am I saying.  Go out and kill.

Papa Johns was good for about 10 years.  The CEO left and they must've changed how they source toppings because now I can't even eat it.

[Engorgeous George 2,151]

No TGI Friday's in Colorado.  I guess potato skins can only take a place so far.

 

I can't remember which I saw last, TGI Fridays or Bennigans.  Been years for either.

[MLCKAA 547]

5 minutes ago, nobody said:

Papa Johns was good for about 10 years.  The CEO left and they must've changed how they source toppings because now I can't even eat it.

When founder John Schnatter was ousted, they abandoned his quality standards.  Tis a shame.

[jbycho 606]

4 minutes ago, MLCKAA said:

When founder John Schnatter was ousted, they abandoned his quality standards.  Tis a shame.

4 cheese frozen Red Baron pizza as we don't live in a good pizza area. Put our own toppings on. We put on fresh tomato, jalapenos, maybe slice up some pepperoni, whatever we're in the mood for. Super unhealthy but once every few months? 

 

[Strike 5,219]

18 minutes ago, Engorgeous George said:

No TGI Friday's in Colorado.  I guess potato skins can only take a place so far.

 

I can't remember which I saw last, TGI Fridays or Bennigans.  Been years for either.

The last two TGI Fridays in CO closed in January so only about 10 months ago.

[easilyscan 865]

1 hour ago, jbycho said:

It is kind of a fun break from the Trump is going to destroy this country talk. 

The election is over. Time to have some fun. 

Agree. I was being sincere when I said threads like this are part of the reason I love the forum. 

[easilyscan 865]

39 minutes ago, jbycho said:

4 cheese frozen Red Baron pizza as we don't live in a good pizza area. Put our own toppings on. We put on fresh tomato, jalapenos, maybe slice up some pepperoni, whatever we're in the mood for. Super unhealthy but once every few months? 

 

I have those on a couple Fridays during lent. Not bad at all.

[Mark Davis 339]

1 hour ago, Engorgeous George said:

No TGI Friday's in Colorado.  I guess potato skins can only take a place so far.

 

I can't remember which I saw last, TGI Fridays or Bennigans.  Been years for either.

Same here.  I think our local one closed 20+ years ago.  I think the last time I saw one was in the Tampa airport back in the early 2000s

[MLCKAA 547]

1 hour ago, jbycho said:

4 cheese frozen Red Baron pizza as we don't live in a good pizza area. Put our own toppings on. We put on fresh tomato, jalapenos, maybe slice up some pepperoni, whatever we're in the mood for. Super unhealthy but once every few months? 

 

Frozen pizza always has to be worked up a little.

I briefly toyed with the idea of a website or blog dedicated to amping up store-bought foods.  For example, if you have to eat Kraft mac n cheese, it’s amazing what a little parmesan, onion powder and thyme does to improve it.

[Bier Meister 1,658]

I can’t remember the last time I was in a tgif… maybe an airport  

 

they seemed ok for happy hour type grub. Maybe a notch higher than the other chains in their tier. 
 

Very rare we’ll visit spots like that for the reasons mentioned above. 

[jbycho 606]

2 hours ago, easilyscan said:

Agree. I was being sincere when I said threads like this are part of the reason I love the forum. 

Oh yeah. I got that from your post. I have no issues with devolving with the thread if it leads to something more interesting in the end. 

[jbycho 606]

1 hour ago, MLCKAA said:

Frozen pizza always has to be worked up a little.

I briefly toyed with the idea of a website or blog dedicated to amping up store-bought foods.  For example, if you have to eat Kraft mac n cheese, it’s amazing what a little parmesan, onion powder and thyme does to improve it.

That's a good idea. I think most of those ideas come from back when people were in their late teens and 20s when not that financially stable. Most of those experiments fall by the wayside over the years but some just stuck around for the occasional "comfort food"night. 

[Hardcore troubadour 14,959]

5 hours ago, thegeneral said:

Is this part of RFK’s plan to help Americans eat better food?

You’re just not funny. Please stop trying to be. 

[thegeneral 2,929]

1 minute ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

You’re just not funny. Please stop trying to be. 

Your face is funny.

[BunnysBastatrds 2,319]

7 hours ago, nobody said:

First of all, Popeye's is high end, so take that blasphemy somewhere else.

  Popeyes is garbage now!  And I should know because Al Copeland started it in Chalmette, LA. Decades ago. Having Popeyes was a must growing up since I was a kid for Mardi Gras. Twenty piece box spicy, you had to have. Now it’s not good. I’d rather lick my fingers after eating Olive Oil out after smelling potato salad.

[thegeneral 2,929]

If I’m ever in an airport and I see Popeyes I’m eating that shet.

IIRC they have some jambalaya thing that’s straight delicious garbage. 

[nobody 2,568]

Sides by tastiness... Leaving out biscuits because those are obviously the best thing in the world.

Red beans - if done right.  Hit or miss on the location and typically gets worse over time probably because they don't clean/maintain the gear properly

Mac & Cheese - they didn't have this one back in the glory days of the 3 piece platter but it's good.  They seem to be smart enough to always give you some of the browned cheese on top too which is a bonus.

Mashed potatoes - the potatoes are obviously the boxed kind, but that gravy is the shìt

Cajun fries - sometimes I get the fries just so I can eat them while I'm driving.  The batter makes them legit.  Although to be honest, Rally's does the Cajun batter better than Popeye's.

Coleslaw - one of the best coleslaws around and I'm not a big coleslaw guy.  Also taking a penalty here for approaching something resembling a green vegetable.

Cajun rice - at a new store this is a pretty good side.  The trick is, it has to stay moist, but after awhile, it seems like they just refrigerate the leftovers from the day before or something and it ends up coming out dry.

They had jambalaya for a bit in my area as I recall, but it suffered from the same problems as the Cajun rice where by the time they served, it was too dry.  It also needed more kick.  Too bland for jambalaya and especially bland for Popeyes. Plus they needed a bit more chicken in it.

[nobody 2,568]

1 hour ago, BunnysBastatrds said:

  Popeyes is garbage now!  And I should know because Al Copeland started it in Chalmette, LA. Decades ago. Having Popeyes was a must growing up since I was a kid for Mardi Gras. Twenty piece box spicy, you had to have. Now it’s not good. I’d rather lick my fingers after eating Olive Oil out after smelling potato salad.

I haven't had New Orleans Popeyes in probably 15 years, but I will say California Popeyes pales in comparison to what I remember from the New Orleans area Popeyes.  But I wasn't eating at the mothership.

I bet they corporatized even the New Orleans area Popeyes by now.

[TimHauck 2,627]

14 hours ago, jbycho said:

4 cheese frozen Red Baron pizza as we don't live in a good pizza area.

You live in a top 3 pizza area in the country 

[jbycho 606]

5 hours ago, TimHauck said:

You live in a top 3 pizza area in the country 

I guess you are a big fan of Red Baron pizza. Well news flash, they sell it all over the country.