RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK So long, TGI Fridays
A robot rushes food orders out to customers at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
After 33 years of offering an American-inspired family dining experience, TGI Fridays is leaving Korea. The restaurant presents a fading slice of Americana, and its decline is painfully on the nose, considering what's happening to that country.
I decided to break my boycott of U.S. products so I could have one final TGI meal — on a Friday, no less.
"Get the potato skins," a coworker said as I was leaving, "they're the only good thing on the menu."
Presently, only four locations remain open in Seoul; I chose the one in Lotte Mall at Gimpo International Airport, the TGI Fridays of Korean airports — both peaked in the early 2000s.
TGI Fridays is in the second sub-basement of Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
What's left to say about TGI Fridays that wasn't already said in the 1990s? It just has not been relevant for a long time. There are Korean men doing their mandatory military service right now who are probably too young to remember the restaurant in its prime.
In its heyday, TGI Fridays was where Koreans celebrated family milestones, where the workers would probably sing you happy birthday, and where foreigners used to go for burgers that were slightly better than fast-food quality.
The decor and brand have not aged well. Its red-and-white color scheme, junk on the walls and servers' uniforms (even with the flair toned down, following Mike Judge's 1999 classic "Office Space") all seem tacky and out of date. I hear Y2K is the retro craze these days, but if you want to get a feel for what life was like in Korea 25 years ago, you have a week left to experience it at TGI Fridays.
Motorcycle parking is offered at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
When I arrived, a third of the 12 customers already there were blue-haired grannies. Later, a family with loud kids arrived, rounding out my family restaurant experience.
It wasn't all as old-fashioned as I imagined, as the server presented me with a tablet menu, and when food came it was delivered by a robot. It made me feel like I was in "The Jetsons."
Happily, one more thing that seemed frozen in time was the prices: 15,800 won ($10.79) for a chicken burger? That seems surprisingly reasonable. I got the Classic Bacon & Cheese Burger priced at 21,900 won, which may have felt prohibitively expensive the last time I visited, probably over 15 years ago, but now seemed about average. These are approximately the prices I remember from back then; they just don't seem as bad now.
TGI Fridays sets off nostalgic feelings in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Sadly, there were no more potato skins, just a loaded sweet potato I wasn't going to try. The menu seemed to be pared down to a limited selection, and even among what was on there, many items were listed as "sold out." Without those potato skins, I got an order of fries. Another thing the menu had in abundance was typos — seriously, they had 33 years to hire a proofreader.
First came a bread roll with cinnamon-flavored butter. That's certainly something you don't get at a regular burger restaurant these days.
Next came the fries, which were seasoned with "TGI Fridays special salt" and needed lots of ketchup for me to eat. The first review of TGI Fridays published in The Korea Times on March 1, 1992, emphasized the availability of "bottles of that other all-American winner of proven staying power, Heinz tomato ketchup," which shows you just how much things have progressed in the restaurant's lifetime here.
A robot delivers the Classic Bacon & Cheese Burger at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
When my burger arrived, courtesy of the robot, it came with more fries, much to my surprise.
I also received a little bowl of sweet pickled cucumbers and daikon radish cubes, the traditional substitute for kimchi at Korean restaurants serving foreign food; fortunately, they weren't too pungent, and I could ignore them peacefully.
Pickled cucumbers and radish take the place of kimchi at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Also arriving with my entree was my bill, dropped off by a human server. It certainly wasn't like they needed the extra table in a hurry, though.
The burger itself was drenched with cheese. I had no complaints about the patty, and they were generous with the bacon, but all of the cheese came from a squeeze bottle. It certainly didn't leave me longing for my country to become the 51st state. What looked like mustard turned out to be even more cheese.
The Classic Bacon & Cheese Burger at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
After, I glanced at the menu, wondering if I should get a milkshake or dessert to cap off the meal, only to find there were no more milkshakes. They only offered three desserts, with the one I would have tried — the Double Brownie Obsession — being sold out.
The bar is empty at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Drinks-wise, the only beer offered on tap was Kloud — quite sad considering this place used to be known for its draft beer selection. Instead, the menu seemed to be really pushing Johnnie Walker. Not sure what kind of people would pair a highball with their rib (yes, singular rib — I told you the menu had language problems).
The "Signatuer Glazed Rib" at TGI Fridays in Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport in southwestern Seoul, Friday / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Before I left, I found a server and thanked her. I felt bad thinking they would all be out of a job soon. Then I turned around to go, and the robot rammed into me. Thankfully, neither of us was harmed — if anything, it was that lingering aftertaste of the cheese that made me queasy for another hour.
The TGI Fridays locations in Lotte Castle Jamsil, Lotte World and Lotte Department Store near Konkuk University closed permanently on Saturday. The Lotte Mall Gimpo Airport TGI Fridays, as well as the Hyundai City Outlet location in Daegu, will stay open until March 31.
Visit tgif.co.kr if you want one last trip down memory lane.