All About That Bar

Indeed, the bar has always been important to the brand, ever since Alan Stillman opened the first TGI Fridays on New York’s Upper East Side in 1965. Stillman wanted to create a place specifically for socializing with the stewardess and models who lived in the neighborhood.

Fridays, which is jointly owned by private equity firms Sentinel Capital Partners and Tri-Artisan Capital Partners, today operates more than 900 restaurants in nearly 60 countries.

Durbin points out that Fridays is the only national brand of its size that hosts an annual global bartender competition, now 25 years running. He would know: Durbin was the 1994 Fridays World Bartender Championship winner.

He transitioned into management and is now responsible for all concept and menu innovation at Fridays. Durbin has also held marketing leadership roles with E&J Gallo and Fox and Hound Restaurant Group.

“We’ve always believed that the bar is the center of the restaurant,” he says, “both physically and in terms of providing the energy, atmosphere and profitability.”

The chain makes fresh in-house cocktail mixers every day, Durbin notes. For example, the BFM (Best Fridays Margarita) is made with Patron Silver tequila, Grand Marnier, and proprietary house-made fresh agave sour mix.

The Ultimate Casamigos Strawberry ’Rita, is made with Casamigos blanco tequila, Cointreau, fresh strawberries, and Fridays’ blend of organic agave with fresh lemon and lime juice.

“The premiumization trend has been among the most pervasive changes in cocktails in the past 15 to 20 years,” Durbin says. “We are continuing to provide access to premium ingredients” in the beverage program.

The classic Long Island Ice Tea is also a consistent bestseller, Durbin says. Fridays makes it with Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi rum, Bombay gin, triple sec, brandy, Fridays original sweet & sour, Coke and fresh lemon.

In line with Fridays’ social theme are the BFD Shareables. These are Big Fridays Drinks, served in a 38-oz. glass with giant straws, intended for two. Flavors include Barbados Rum Punch, Crown Apple Cooler, Peach Sangria and Frozen Margarita.

Fridays has also introduced mini cocktails. These typically sell for $5 to $6 and include the Pink Punk Martini, with Skyy vodka, cotton candy, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, fresh lime. The Fresh Strawberry Daiquiri mini is made with Captain Morgan spiced rum, fresh lime, muddled fresh strawberries, passion fruit purée, organic agave and lemon juice.

“These drive trial and have great margins,” Durbin explains. “They fit into our ‘Happy Every Hour’ platform, which is something we use to try premium drinks at a limited-time price point.”

The Happy Every Hour menu also includes low prices for bar staples such as Bud Light ($3), Jameson Irish whiskey ($5), Fireball Cinnamon Whisky ($4) or a mini Long Island Iced Tea ($4).

The new look of Fridays.

Getting Crafty

Craft beer has been on Fridays’ radar for several years, Durbin says, and the chain is fully embracing this hot category as part of the rebranding. Individual locations of Fridays will now have more leeway in designing their own craft lineup.

The typical Fridays has 12 to 16 taps. A number of these will always be allocated for top-selling macro brands, including Bud Light, Miller Light, Dos Equis, and big-name craft beers such as Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Abita. But the rest of the taps can reflect local brews.

For instance, the Corpus Christie location recently had a blonde ale on tap from Lazy Beach Brewing Co., which is located less than 10 miles away. Corpus Christie also poured the Karbach Weisse Versa Wheat Hefeweizen, and the Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Kolsch. Both craft brews are from Houston, bringing a local Texas flavor to the chain.

Further incorporating local craft, the new concepts host Tap Takeovers Tuesdays. These weekly showcases pour multiple beers from area microbreweries, at discounted prices when possible.

“We appreciate craft beer, and want to support and help drive businesses for local breweries,” Durbin says.

This focus has expanded elsewhere in the beverage program. “We see and are incorporating a trend towards authentic and local flavors in spirits, as well,” Durbin says, “such as Tito’s vodka or Deep Eddy vodka in Texas.”

Fun and Games

After working a long day, many guests want to unwind at night with interesting and engaging social activities—especially on weekends. And they are not averse to staying out late if they’re having fun. So bars and restaurants with the right nighttime events can capture significant, consistent revenue from the late-night crowd.

“This is at the heart of our promotions,” Durbin explains. “The number-one thing that Millennials are looking for is fun social experiences.”

Fridays is offering more activities for the guests who want to stay out later, such as “Lip Sync Showdown,” which is a take on karaoke night, Durbin explains. “This gets posted and shared all over social media.”

The lip sync aspect encourages participation from the vocally-challenged guests. And it plays into a popular trend  in TV shows and talk-show bits, in which competitors (often celebrities) go toe-to-toe in lip-sync battles.

Also in the new late-night lineup is a trivia night that “asks relevant, pop-culture” questions, Durbin says. Some trivia competitions can turn off participants with obscure and outdated questions.

To ensure that its contests are contemporary and culturally relevant, Fridays partners with local trivia companies to come up with questions with a uniquely Fridays spin.

Tapping into Millennials’ love of nostalgia, Fridays will roll out a “simple game night” that focuses on board games and similar activities, Durbin says. The restaurant also offers live music and DJs on the weekends.

Mobilizing the Couch Potatoes

To give guests a reason to come in and enjoy a meal at Fridays, the chain in May announced a Dine & Drink menu, which was available through June 19 at participating restaurants. The deal gives customers an entree and drink—alcoholic or non-alcoholic—for $12.

What’s more, the Dine & Drink menu offers pairing suggestions based on trending entrees and flavors so guests can “choose-their-own-culinary-adventure” by mixing and matching food and beverages.

For instance, the Sriracha Shrimp Naan’wich might be suggested with seasoned fries and a Blackberry Margarita.

Robust WiFi, couches, games and special offers might tempt some guests to venture into the restaurant. The trick is getting them to keep coming out and choosing Fridays.

The food and drinks are central to the experience, Durbin notes. “As much as we talk about the great atmosphere in our restaurants, it’s equally important that we provide food and beverages that appeal to the eyes as well as taste buds.”

Kyle Swartz is associate editor of Cheers Magazine. Reach him at kswartz@epgmediallc.com