The appetizers at Fridays already last forever, but if the chain’s new revamp is an indication, the next phase is to make the restaurants places customers never have to leave. A location down in Corpus Christi, Texas, is being reinvented as a bar/restaurant/café/off-site work space/spot where people “just hang out.” The idea, seemingly, involves throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks: late hours with live music and “Drop the Mike” nights, special “bear-shaped graham crackers,” a full-blown coffee program, plus “hang-out spaces” for when it’s not mealtime. Adding an extra-awkward touch, Friday’s president Ricky Richardson is describing it as “a social place to be.”
The sprawling 10,000-square-foot complex will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Besides the usual cheese sticks and Jack Daniels Grill dishes, Richardson says, “We brought in great Wi-Fi, and we now have a deli case with grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, parfaits, cookies and brownies.”
This is not all: The chain will also roll out fresh-squeezed juices, because why not? And just in case that wasn’t enough, the shop will also have a “Hangover Brunch” that pulls out all the stops, featuring stupid-big Bloody Marys and dishes like bourbon steak, or chicken and waffles. For all Grub knows, this revamp will be a huge success, but we’re still happy they aren’t launching it in Times Square.
[NRN]
