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Server Stephenie Rinehart brings food to customers Diane and Val Gardner at the newly refurbished T.G.I. Friday's in Utica.T.G.I. Friday's debuts new decor in Utica
Updated restaurants are designed to appeal to baby boomers as well as generation Y diners.
An earth-colored tower and a cocktail tumbler atop a glowing red tray mark the outdoor motif.
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UTICA - T.G.I.Friday's is redesigning eight restaurants in Metro Detroit with bold, contemporary decor and updated memorabilia, which the 40-year-old chain hopes will broaden its appeal among baby boomers and generation Y customers. alike.
T.G.I.Friday's in Utica and Southfield already sport the new look -- earth tones, steel accents, stone-finished tables and granite-like ceilings and countertops. Renovations also are under way in Dearborn and Lansing. Locations in Canton, Farmington Hills and Sterling Heights will be upgraded next year.
"We wanted to lighten it up," said Dennis Greer, director of operations in Metro Detroit for T.G.I.Friday's. "It's appealing to a different type of crowd while not alienating our customers of 40 years."
The Carrollton, Texas-based restaurant chain is trying to reinvent itself as the restaurant industry in Michigan struggles to recover from a four-year slump.
"We found ourselves in the middle of the road," Greer said. "We wanted to reintroduce ourselves as the leader in the industry."
Maintaining an updated, fresh image is as important as good food and service, said Ken Seawell, a retail consultant in Ferndale.
"You have to remerchandize who you are," Seawell said. "A good retailer knows that the market is fickle, tastes change and current events change the way people look at things. Retailers have to constantly ask what drives people to (them) compared to the next guy, and who they are and what their vision is."
At an average cost of $400,000 for each restaurant, it is the largest redesign in the chain's history. Nationwide, T.G.I. Friday's plans to renovate all restaurants by 2007 as part of a $200 million effort. The chain is owned by Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., which owns 878 restaurants including T.G.I. Friday's and Friday's spin-offs.
The restaurant's old wall decor -- antique street signs, washboards and red wagons of the 1940s and 1950s --have been replaced by more modern icons like disco balls, replicas of MTV's Moon Man, and posters of Jackie Kennedy and Muhammad Ali .
More flat-screen TVs were added. Steel handrails and a brushed metal and star-embossed glass partition separates the bar from the eating area.
The chain's signature red and white striped awnings remain, but an earth-colored tower and a cocktail tumbler atop a glowing red tray mark the chain's new outdoor motif.
Brittany Clute, 22, of Waterford Township, likes the new look.
"It's very nice," Clute said. "I like the different decorations. It's a clean look."
Longtime customer Shawn Kungel, 41, of Washington Township, also approved of the new look.
"It's more open, inviting, and the colors are nice," Kungel said. "It appeals to every age group easily. young people and middle-aged people.
Next year, the chain plans to open locations in Taylor and Troy, Greer said.
You can reach Tenisha Mercer at (313) 222-2401 or tmercer@detnews.com
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