'We had no warning': TGI Fridays in Elmira abruptly closes, staff asked to leave

TGI Fridays in Elmira abruptly closed at 7 p.m. Monday, and a letter posted on the exterior door of the restaurant on county Road 64 offers little in the way of explanation.

"We regret to inform you," the letter reads, "that as of April 3, this location has closed. We are extremely grateful to our guests and to the staff."

The letter goes on to encourage customers to visit TGI Fridays locations in Vestal and Syracuse.

Alicia Nuckles, a server and bartender who has worked at the restaurant for eight years, said staff were given the news while customers were still in the restaurant Monday night.

"We were all just in shock," Nuckles said. "We had no warning."

Nuckles said employees were told to leave without finishing their shift.

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"I love Fridays, my co-workers, and the bond we built," she said. "It was just tragic and unfortunate how it happened."

TGI Fridays' corporate office has not yet returned requests for comment. The Elmira restaurant has been removed from TGI Fridays' list of locations in New York.

In 2020, the casual restaurant chain planned to close as many as 20% of its 386 locations as a result of the losses incurred during the pandemic.

This article originally appeared on The Leader: TGI Fridays in Elmira near Arnot Mall abruptly closes, staff dismissed