T.G.I. Friday's Opens 500th Domestic Restaurant

Catching a flight at Newark International Airport never tasted so good. That's why Newark Mayor Sharpe James and T.G.I. Friday's® Restaurant will celebrate on June 26 at 2 p.m. EDT when they officially toast the opening of the restaurant chain's 500th domestic restaurant during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new restaurant location will be located in the main concourse and will be open for business upon the completion of the ceremony.

Friday's® 500th domestic restaurant opening milestone falls in conjunction with Newark International Airport's $3.8 billion redevelopment project, nicely complementing the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey's commitment to enhance the experience of the millions of travelers who pass through its terminals each year.

The new restaurant, which is 4,694 square-feet, will accommodate 244 guests and will employ approximately 100 full- and part-time employees. Normal operating hours will be 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. each day of the week. A second T.G.I. Friday's restaurant, measuring 1,134 square-feet, will also open in Concourse A-1 on June 26.

The new T.G.I. Friday's restaurants in Newark International Airport are owned by the Newark Airport TGIF Restaurant LLC, whose members are TGI Friday's Inc. and The Hooper Group, Inc., a hospitality services management company. Dr. Theresa Hooper Marshall, president and CEO of the Hooper Group, Inc. and a native Newarker, accepted a Presidential Appointment to serve as the executive director of the U.S. Department of Education's Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education (IACE) in 1982. After several years of service to the Department of Education, Dr. Hooper returned to Newark to pursue her entrepreneurial interests.

Since the first T.G.I. Friday's restaurant opened its doors in New York City in 1965, Friday's restaurants have embodied the spirit of a quintessential American bistro for millions of guests. Now operating in 53 countries, Friday's restaurants feature trend-setting American appetizers, entrees and beverages as well as a vintage-style decor of classic antiques, stained-glass windows, brass accents, Tiffany-style lamps and red-and-white stripes. The restaurant has popularized many American favorites, including the "potato skins" appetizer and a wide array of frozen and ice cream drinks.