One of three TGI Fridays airport locations gets reprieve

Fans of TGI Fridays at the Pittsburgh International Airport can celebrate a little early this holiday season.

One of the three TGI Fridays locations in the airside terminal is being spared after being scheduled to close at the end of December because the concessions manager, Airmall Pittsburgh, declined to renew the leases.

The fast-casual chain — located in the main area known as the center core — will remain open “on an interim basis” as plans for the space are developed as part of the airport’s upcoming modernization program, Airmall Pittsburgh/ Fraport USA said in a statement.

The company did not explain the reason for the reprieve, or say how long the restaurant would remain open. According to one source, the agreement is for another two years.

The center core restaurant is the largest of the three TGI Fridays locations at the airport, where customers can eat their meals while watching airplanes taxiing to their gates.

Two smaller locations — situated in concourses A and D — still are scheduled to close, Airmall Pittsburgh said.

Last month, Airmall said it wanted to replace TGI Fridays with local brands “to give passengers a sense of place and the opportunity to experience our region’s rich offerings.”

The operator of the airport’s TGI Fridays franchises — the Bistro Group in Cincinnati, Ohio — did not return phone calls

seeking comment on the latest developments. The company previously said it wanted to keep all three locations open.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority in September unveiled plans for a $1.1 billion makeover of the 25year-old terminal complex that would include a new building for ticketing and security, new parking garage, streamlined boarding facility and the elimination of the peoplemover system.