TGI Friday's to fill hole in New Tampa

TGI Friday's hopes to make every day a good one in New Tampa when it refurbishes a shuttered restaurant on a corner of a busy intersection.

A franchisee is renovating the former Bennigan's at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Highwoods Preserve Parkway, the signature drive to the area's shopping, business and entertainment district, to accommodate the new Friday's.

Joe Godbey of Strategic Restaurants said the location is ideal for the franchisee's first restaurant in the Tampa Bay area.

"That was one of the better-performing Bennigan's, one of the best in the state," he said. "We know that our restaurant will do well there."

A soft opening is scheduled for late June, Godbey said.

The Bennigan's at 18001 Highwoods Preserve Parkway closed last year after its parent company, S&A Restaurant Corp., filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy court liquidation.

The building was idle until recently, when TGI Friday's construction workers began renovations and put up a temporary sign facing Bruce B. Downs Boulevard announcing the new restaurant.

Godbey said his company purchased the site at auction. Strategic Restaurants, a California-based company, owns fast-food chains across California, the Midwest, the South and on Florida's east coast.

An extensive makeover of the 7,000-square-foot restaurant is under way, Godbey said. When completed, the new Friday's is unlikely to have any resemblance to the old Bennigan's, he said.

The project includes replacing the flooring, seating and other equipment, and outfitting the building to seat between 250 and 300. Extensive work will be done to maximize exterior seating under a new awning.

Plans include providing live entertainment on the patio and designated curbside parking for purchase-to-go meals, Godbey said.

At a time when Friday's is reinforcing its brand in the Tampa Bay area, the company also is shaking up the menu, offering a new selection of $5 sandwiches and salads.

The discount menu offers 16 entrees, including nine new selections, such as the Jack Daniel's Chicken Sandwich and Shanghai Salad for a limited time. "That's the deepest price point Friday's has ever done," Godbey said.

The promotion aims, he said, to give customers a break during the current economic slowdown as well as debut new entrees on a trial basis.