Global restaurant giant Fridays made its ‘world first’ debut in Dundee, in a grand opening filled with jugglers, unicyclists and acrobats.
Formerly known as ‘TGI Fridays’, the Reform Street branch of the chain officially opened on a wet Wednesday morning, marking the first ‘Fridays and Go’ Quick Service Restaurant (QSR).
Punters braved the dreary weather to attend the opening ceremony and check out the menu.
Lord Provost Ian Borthwick cut the ribbon alongside Fridays’ CEO Robert B Cook.
Opening the restaurant, Mr Cook said: “This is a world first for Dundee.
“We had two dummy runs on Monday and Tuesday and it was really well responded to.
“The interest of people people going up and down the street has been enormous.”
He added: “Dundee seems to have really grabbed it.
“We’re really excited to have opened the first one in the world in Dundee.
The Fridays and Go menu left some disappointed as cocktails are not available but this did not stop customers queuing to enter at the 11am opening time.
There are plans to expand up to 30 QSR sites across Scotland and the UK.
It is hoped Fridays will bring success to the Reform Street unit, which has been plagued with closures in recent years.
The unit has been empty since Fatburger closed in 2019, less than 12 months after opening.
Opening the restaurant, Mr Borthwick said: “I think it is an excellent addition to the city and I genuinely wish them every success.”
He added: “Reform Street has been up and down, closures and opening and so on, but I think there will be an increased number of people walking in from local offices and it is important to have a facility here for them.”
