From crisis to comeback: inside TGI Friday’s big, bold brand reboot

When Rhiannon Scarlett joined TGI Friday’s as chief marketing officer in April 2022, she was fresh from helping rejuvenate The Body Shop. Hired as chief marketing officer to spearhead a brand transformation, the role was her first CMO post and a chance to bring her digital and CRM expertise to a heritage restaurant chain with ambitious growth plans.

“I was really excited about the opportunity,” she recalls. “It felt like an entrepreneurial role, having come off the back of working for big corporations like Tesco and The Body Shop.”

In that first year, the pace was relentless. TGI Friday’s opened six new sites, launched a fast-food spin-off and delivery service and rebuilt its entire digital ecosystem from website to booking platform to app. But behind the scenes, storm clouds were gathering.

Scarlett had joined at a precarious time. The hospitality sector was still reeling from Covid, government support had tapered off, the cost of living crisis was biting and consumer spending was in decline.

“We were set about just driving savings across the business,” she explains. The measures were hard. There were team restructures, a headcount reduction and cutting costs in operations. Those efforts paid off, though, with the team managing to deliver a significant amount of savings over 12 months. But the cost was high. “We were successful in the task that was given to us, but it came at a huge cost to the brand and the value proposition.”

By August 2023, TGI Friday’s went into administration and had two weeks to find a buyer for the business. Fortunately, the brand’s recognition and customer affection made it attractive to new owners. The business was acquired by the group behind German Gymnasium and Chelsea’s Bluebird, rescuing jobs and stabilizing operations.

But survival didn’t shield Scarlett and her team from scrutiny. “I felt like the worst marketing person in Britain,” she admits. “The headlines were brutal. It was things like ‘the brand is dead,’ ‘the experience hasn’t moved on.’ It was really hurtful.”

Putting the headlines to one side, just three weeks after administration, Scarlett turned her attention to brand. Partnering with agency Boldspace, she devised a relaunch strategy rooted in TGI Friday’s core identity. “As a heritage brand, it has such a rich history. You don’t need to throw that away – you serve it up differently.”

The idea and the campaign name she landed on was ‘Everyone Loves a Comeback.’ The restaurant chain had to return to the market with a big, bold statement: TGI Fridays is back. The timing played into a wider cultural moment. With comebacks trending, TGI Friday’s positioned itself as part of that revival.

The new owners backed the approach, albeit with “cautious investment” rather than a spending spree. The relaunch campaign went live on July 4, fittingly aligned with the brand’s Americana DNA.

The focus was on three pillars: ‘product,’ by making the grill a destination, ‘celebration,’ because everyone knows us for birthdays and ‘brand.’ “We decided the brand story was the most compelling. No other competitor could tell it in the same way.”

The campaign leaned into self-deprecation, embracing the “cheesiness” that had once been used against it. Ads cheekily labeled the brand ‘old-fashioned,’ ‘dated’ and ‘cheesy.’ Scarlett explains: “We wanted to take the mickey out of ourselves. We’re not a serious brand; we are about having fun.”

So far, the signs are promising. Covers have been up 10% and the brand metrics are tracking well. “We’ve got stronger visitor growth, though sales are still catching up because we’ve invested in value. These things take time,” Scarlett notes. “But from a brand metrics perspective, the shifts have been really strong. Positive media sentiment has jumped from 49% pre-administration to 70%. Relevancy is up six points. Guest satisfaction is over 90%.”

After a challenging two years, Scarlett is determined to look forward. “The past 12 months have been about rebuilding. Now we need a clear runway to innovate with flavors, recipes and new ways of eating. That’s how we grow.”

For Scarlett, the journey has been equal parts exhausting and transformative. She has navigated brand collapse, public criticism and survival under pressure, only to emerge with a revitalized platform to build on. “We’ve been on a journey,” she reflects. “But the love for the brand is still there.”