T.G.I. Friday's, one of the first American casual dining chains, is a dining experience that has become the favorite pastime of millions since 1965. The first T.G.I. Friday's was located at First Avenue and 63rd Street in New York City and featured red and white stripes, a blue exterior and its name -- T.G.I. Friday's. Inside were wooden floors, Tiffany lamps, bentwood chairs and striped tablecloths. The bar area, with its brass rails and stained glass, contributed to the ambiance. For T.G.I. Friday's interior decor, a full time antique "picker" traveled extensively to auctions and flea markets. Memorabilia had to be authentic and, if possible, unique to the area where the new restaurant would be located. In a Nashville warehouse, this "clutter" was restored before being loaded on a truck bound for the next T.G.I. Friday's opening.

The New York T.G.I. Friday's enjoyed an immediate and spectacular success. First year revenues totaled $1 million. This restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side had become THE meeting place for single adults. In fact, according to Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post, the opening of T.G.I. Friday's heralded the dawn of the singles age.

By 1972, the restaurant as we know it today was taking everyone by storm. By 1975, there were ten T.G.I. Friday's restaurants in eight states. As of January 7, 2003 there were 713 in 56 countries!

As the guests have changed, so has Friday's. The company has grown and the guests have matured. Now many of them bring their children with them when they dine at T.G.I Friday's and, T.G.I. Friday's still offers an unsurpassed menu selection of food prepared to perfection, served in a lively, engaging atmosphere.

T.G.I. Friday's is a leader in the industry in innovation with menu items such as Friday's Jack Daniel's® Grill.

In response to the growing demand for flavorful non-alcoholic beverages, T.G.I. Friday's introduced Smoothies and Flings® . The popularity of these drinks has been amazing.

"The credo of T.G.I. Friday's is to treat every customer as we would an honored guest in our home," said Richard Snead, president of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent company of T.G.I. Friday's, "and it is reflected in everything we do." This commitment to superior guest satisfaction is exemplified by the 80 million guest visits per year. The overwhelming success of the restaurants comes from a very large guest base. Traffic draws primarily from the 21-49 age bracket with a median income of $45,000 - $50,000. Some college or a degree is the norm for most T.G.I. Friday's guests.

Realizing that an important part of a restaurant's appeal is its atmosphere, T.G.I. Friday's created a comfortable, relaxing environment in which their guests could truly enjoy quality food served by friendly waiters and waitresses, and beverages served by bottle-flipping, entertaining bartenders. Decor, music, lights, air conditioning, and housekeeping are all carefully designed to please the guests.

T.G.I. Friday's has created an environment in which employees have the opportunity to excel. From greeters to servers, barbacks to bussers, management to executives, we have the power to create change. It is this freedom that allows the company to develop necessary promotional activities to ensure an unbroken upward trend, increase public awareness, improve our image, and provide incentives for guests to keep returning to T.G.I. Friday's.

In 1990, for the first time in the history of T.G.I. Friday's, network media was utilized to support the national marketing efforts. From 1990-1993, network radio programming was a vehicle by which Friday's was able to greatly increase sales and penetrate new markets. In January of 1994 -- in addition to continued spot radio in select markets, outdoor advertisement, print placement and national and local promotions -- T.G.I. Friday's gained coast-to-coast exposure through network television. In 1995, Frequent Friday's® was introduced and has made Friday's a leader in restaurant frequent-dining programs. While some competitors are getting out of the "frequency" business, T.G.I. Friday's member base has soared to nearly five million members. In 1999, Frequent Friday's changed its name to Friday's® Gold Points.

The objective is to convey T.G.I. Friday's high standards of excellence by maintaining the high quality of marketing that the public and the restaurants have come to expect.

Industry leadership, innovation and standard of excellence continue to be T.G.I. Friday's hallmarks. "We are proud of our history in the industry and look forward to the excitement and challenge of the future," said Snead. T.G.I. Friday's celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2000 and was the first casual dining chain to reach that milestone and in August of 1998, Carlson Restaurants celebrated the opening of their 100th international T.G.I. Friday's restaurant.