TGI Fridays unveils new look at Corpus Christi concept restaurant
Restaurant chain TGI Fridays has ditched its dark wood and red-striped interiors in favour of a muted Scandinavian-style aesthetic at a branch in Corpus Christi, Texas, following similar revamps by McDonalds and Burger King (+ slideshow).
The American company's in-house team "completely re-imaged" its standard interior and exterior formats for the outpost, which opened earlier this year.
![Corpus Christi TGI Fridays](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/08/corpus-christi-tgi-fridays_dezeen_3408_0-852x568.jpg)
Instead of the dark diner-like interiors filled with booth seating, light-coloured wooden furniture and flooring create an atmosphere more typically associated with Scandinavian design.
Red upholstery and stripy tablecloths are replaced with grey, brown and pale green fabrics.
![Corpus Christi TGI Fridays](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/08/corpus-christi-tgi-fridays_dezeen_3408_1-852x568.jpg)
The move follows a series of similar decision made by chain restaurants to pare-back their interiors.
Last year, McDonalds piloted a design with concrete tables and atmospheric lighting as an alternative to its standard bright and colourful fast-food restaurants.
A similar aesthetic was then applied its branch on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. In 2012, Burger King opened a more rustic restaurant in Singapore.
![Corpus Christi TGI Fridays](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/08/corpus-christi-tgi-fridays_dezeen_3408_2-852x568.jpg)
TGI Fridays has created a larger footprint for this restaurant compared to its others, providing space for multiple bars and a casual hangout area more akin to a coffee shop.
Also part of the overhaul, the branch has extended opening hours to encompass late-night events and a "hangover brunch" on the weekend.
The branding for the restaurant is also more minimal, again in line with McDonald's simplified packaging launched in January 2016.
![Corpus Christi TGI Fridays](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/08/corpus-christi-tgi-fridays_dezeen_3408_5-852x568.jpg)
TGI Fridays will now roll out similar design principles to its other restaurants around the world.
"It isn't a one-size-fits-all approach," said a spokesperson for the company. "Fridays is taking the learnings gained from the Corpus Christi location and applying them to the subsequent restaurant re-imaging."
It will begin in the US, with the next opening in Forest Hills, New York, later this month.