An iconic American restaurant is opening soon in Joondalup

Joondalup will soon have a third restaurant of the iconic American hospitality brand TGI Fridays when it opens on 1 October at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre.

In a global portfolio of nearly 1,000 restaurants, the Joondalup location is the 15th in Australia. The new outlet follows the launch of TGI Fridays at Westfield Whitford City in May, which broke first-quarter sales expectations despite the launch coincident with a snap lockdown.

A range of American-style burgers, loaded potato skins, barbecue ribs and eclectic cocktails have proven to be popular with diners in Perth to date - its world-famous happy hour, exciting atmosphere, and friendly service have made it a success.

Born in New York in the 1960s as the city’s first singles bar and grill open to unchaperoned women, TGI Fridays went on to pioneer hospitality mainstays such as ‘happy hour’ and of course serve as a filming location for 1988’s Cocktail starring Tom Cruise and Australia’s own Bryan Brown.

Upon acquiring the Asia-Pacific arm of the business, Melbourne-based Signature Hospitality Group quickly sought to elevate its share-style food offerings and enhance the guest experience.

“After the year that’s just passed, it’s never been more important to come together with friends and family and enjoy each other’s company over great food in a fun atmosphere,” said SHG chief executive James Sinclair. “This is exactly the type of place that we’ve created at TGI Fridays Joondalup – a place where you can enjoy classic American dishes with a modern twist and a well-made drink in an unpretentious setting.”

“This location has also been enabled with digital ordering on each table so guests can choose to either order from your server or simply tap, order and pay with their phone in a jiffy. I find this really convenient when having a bite during a busy day.”

When asked about the must-try items for first-timers, Sinclair added: “Our Ultimate Long Island iced tea paired with our famous cheesy potato skins is the perfect way to kickstart a fun weekend in Perth.”

Joondalup is the fourth opening for TGI Fridays in 2021, having also unveiled their new-to-market Tuggerah restaurant in New South Wales earlier this year. In an environment where the hospitality industry is contracting nationally, Signature Hospitality’s lazer focus on customer experience and TGI Fridays’ core product offer has ensured customer loyalty has remained strong and their ambitious growth plans can continue.

“With our venues throughout Victoria, NSW, QLD and South Australia performing stronger than many other casual dining chains at the moment, we could not be more excited to up the ante in Western Australia.”