TGI Friday's quietly leaves Carpentersville

The TGI Friday's in Carpentersville has taken off for the weekend -- for good.

A staple along Route 31 for the past 15 years, the restaurant's closing early last week caught village officials and residents off guard.

"I had no prior knowledge, and I was told a year ago that they were not closing," said Janice Murphy, the village's economic development and special projects manager. "It was very surprising. I found out the day after when they were taking down the signage."

Rumors had circulated for months that the restaurant would be closing, but word from the national headquarters in January quashed those rumors.

Friday's spokeswoman Amy Freshwater said it was a business decision to close the restaurant Oct. 1 but would not elaborate on specific details.

Murphy, however, said the restaurant's lease expired with General Growth Properties, which also owns Spring Hill Mall and the Famous Dave's building nearby.

"Friday's corporate office said it didn't make sense to update the building to their standards," Murphy said. "They are not opening a new restaurant, and this one will be absorbed into the three other locations."

The nearest Friday's locations are in Crystal Lake, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg.

Murphy said at least 11 employees had transferred to area restaurants.

Village President Bill Sarto said the restaurant's closing, coupled with buzz that Famous Dave's also could leave town, is alarming.

"These are two pretty good restaurants that were doing pretty good business," Sarto said. "This is a blow to our economy at a time when we are looking at ways to raise revenue. This is going to be huge hit to our sales taxes."

Although Famous Dave's is planning to open another restaurant in Algonquin next year, Diana Miller, general manager of Spring Hill Mall, said the restaurant will remain in Carpentersville.

As for the Friday's vacancy, neither Miller nor Murphy expect it to sit empty for long.

"We are not too discouraged because this is a great location for a restaurant, with great traffic flow, and it is in an outlot of a regional shopping center," Murphy said. "With all of the other restaurants around, that could be a very appealing location for a restaurant."

Nearby restaurants include Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Taco Bell and Wendy's.