Don't go on Friday, or any other day (TGI Fridays)

Member Name: magenta23

Product:	TGI Fridays
Date:	16/05/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Unprofessional staff, expensive, poor quality drinks

**Review of bar only**

My view of TGI Friday's has never been a good one since we went when I was little. I don't remember it all that well, but I know that my family left being highly unimpressed with the food. I know it's now got a good reputation for it's food and probably more so for it's cocktails. It's also known to have a bit of a price tag attached. A friend decided she wanted to visit the TGI Friday's bar for cocktails before heading on to a club for her birthday do. I decided to leave my former judgements about the place at the door and try and discover why everyone was raving about this place so much.

All the branches have an iconic red and white logo lit up on the front of the building, and the inside is American Diner style. It was a Saturday night and the place was heaving, if we wanted to eat it didn't look like there was a spare table. Although the decor was done well it was looking a little bit sad and worn. I can understand with a place that busy wear and tear happens fast, but I feel if they want to charge the prices, they should make sure everything is just so.

I was right in having my reservations about the prices. The cocktails were expensive. The bar was impressive however, and the bar man very skilled at the throwing the glasses in the air and suchlike. Good showmanship from the barman as he was making our drinks. It's a shame he wasn't as charming when the show was over, but I'll come to that later.

The bar had every spirit under the sun and the cocktail menu was about five pages long. Each cocktail was served in two sizes, the smaller for £6-8 depending on the cocktial you wanted and the bigger sizes £9-11. I though this was expensive, especially for the ice -drink ratio. Big glasses, filled to the top with ice made the drinks look deceptively big but just sipping and chatting, we weren't knocking them back by any means and they just didn't last long for £10 a drink.

I had my favourite, a Margarita. It wasn't bad, not quite sour enough for my taste, but it was in the wrong glass! For most people it probably wouldn't bother them, but I've inherited lots of bar knowledge from my former publican partner who was very impressed when we visited Sticky fingers that all cocktails were served in the correct glass for the drink and not just what ever looked most fancy. I would have thought a company for being famous for having the best cocktail makers in the business would go for being correct over flashy. Maybe not.

Moving on, as is the norm we all tried a little bit of each others cocktails and I have to say I wasn't particularly impressed with any of them. Even some of their signature ones. Average is the word I'd use.

As I mentioned previously, watching the cocktails being made is part of the experience and that part I can't fault them on. I can fully appreciate how much skill and practice goes into it. It's a shame our barman didn't have the basic customer service skills to go with it.

As it was my friend's birthday he made her a 'special' brithday cocktail with god knows what in it, he said he'd made it as alcoholic as possible for her. Gentle banter insued as they are probably told to do, but he was way too cocky for his own good.

A little later on her egged her on to down a pint of beer and he wouldn't have to pay for it (I think it was one poured in error). She didn't really want to saying she didn't like beer but he egged her on so she did. Inevitably, after all this alcohol she was starting to get a bit giggly and her voice was getting progressively louder! He then turned round and told her which way it was to the clubs, in a very unplesant manner as if we were no longer good enough to be there.

I would have though there would be rules in place that meant staff were to encourage resposible drinking, not try and get their customers drunk! Secondly the manner in which he spoke to all of us was uncalled for, and I felt I had to complain. I'm usually the last one to complain as usually make do, but on this occasion I felt it called for. Unfortuneatly I wasn't given the chance as when I requested to speak to him he simply walked away. Neither would anyone else speak to me. Clearly I'd been labelled as a no good drunk. May I point out that all but our merry birthday girl were sober and on the ball, which is a shame for him as we remember his name.

Overall, I've come out with a far worse opinion of TGI Friday's than I previously had, if that's at all possible. Go there if you like for second rate, overpriced drinks, bad service and rude staff.

Summary: Bad, all bad!