Coronavirus News

Colleyville defies state orders and reopens restaurants and churches

Houston, Burger Joint, April 2016, patio

Here's a patio with hella social distancing.

Photo by Becca Wright

Defying a lockdown across Texas as well as the most basic common sense, the town of Colleyville is going to allow churches, restaurants, and other businesses to reopen with certain limitations, despite an unresolved ending to the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 20, Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton issued a proclamation that allows:

resumption of religious services, provided that physical distancing applies
restaurants to serve diners, although on their patios only
retail stores to host in-store appointments, in addition to pickup and delivery
gyms, beauty salons, massage parlors, and other "hands-on" business to do one-on-one services

Fitness classes are also allowed, as long as there are 10 students or less and they're observing physical distancing.

Also, groups of 10 or less are no longer restricted to family members. Reunion with your friends, Colleyvill-ites.

Religious services are no longer prohibited "provided that physical distancing applies and such services should, whenever possible, be conducted via remote audio, video, or teleconference means."

The town is also allowing elective surgery and other non-necessary medical procedures.

"While safety remains our top priority, we also recognize the need to re-open our city," a statement from the city said. "We are taking the first steps in that process in a methodical and safe way."

On March 19, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a public health disaster in the state of Texas, imposing statewide closures of restaurants, bars, schools, gyms, nursing homes, and retirement centers, in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.

One month later, on April 17, Abbott announced plans to reopen Texas in stages, beginning with state parks, then retail stores for pickup and delivery only. Texas still does not allow unlimited contact between those not in the same family.

As his rationale, Gov. Abbott stated that "we're seeing glimmers that the worst of COVID-19 may soon be behind us."

Healthcare professionals say that widespread testing is the best way to identify and isolate those who have the virus, and help contain the spread. However, availability of COVID-19 tests is sorely lacking; Texas comes in second-to-last, ranked at no. 49 in the United States in terms of tests per capita.

On April 20, the head of World Health Organization warned that "the worst is yet ahead of us" in the coronavirus outbreak and called for global solidarity in fighting what he called Enemy No. 1. "It's a virus that people still don't understand," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

As of April 19, Colleyville had 17 cases of coronavirus, as reported by the Tarrant County Health Department.

Abbott said in a press conference on April 21 that Colleyville Mayor Newton's new order seemed to follow Texas's restrictions, but that his staff "will just talk to him" to confirm.

The new changes go into effect on April 24.

health politics

Flair News

TGI Fridays files for bankruptcy, all 6 Dallas locations now closed

TGI Fridays

Restaurant chain TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection on November 2, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand after closing many of its branches in 2024.

The Dallas-based company's Chapter 11 filing in a Texas federal court accelerates a gradual decline for an iconic chain that was once near the center of American pop culture but has seen its customer base dwindle as tastes changed.

TGI Fridays executive chairman Rohit Manocha said in a statement that the challenges were a result of COVID-19.

"The next steps announced today are difficult but necessary actions to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, including our domestic and international franchisees and our valued team members around the world," Manocha said. "The primary driver of our financial challenges resulted from COVID-19 and our capital structure. This restructuring will allow our go-forward restaurants to proceed with an optimized corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential."

Until recently, Dallas-Fort Worth had 11 locations including five at DFW Airport. Those airport locations are the only ones still open. The remaining six are all now closed — some closures very recent, most after being in business for a decade or more: 4951 Belt Line Rd. in Addison; 311 N. Clark St. in Cedar Hill, southwest of Dallas; 3700 Towne Crossing Blvd. in Mesquite; and 220 Cornflower Dr. at Firewheel Town Center in Garland.

A Plano location at 2444 Preston Rd. closed in 2022 and is now home to Rise Souffle, while the flagship in Dallas' West End at 1713 Market St. closed in 2020 after 32 years.

Privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, TGI Fridays has been a beloved dining destination since its inaugural bar opened in Manhattan in 1965. It expanded over the following decades to become a ubiquitous suburban gathering spot known for its ribs, potato skins topped with cheese and bacon, and a decor bedecked with red stripes and Tiffany-style lamps.

The company has boasted that its bartenders trained Tom Cruise for his role in the 1988 film Cocktail, while its serving staff's button-filled uniforms, meant to evoke a fun atmosphere, were later parodied in the 1999 satire Office Space, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Its empire peaked in 2008 with 601 restaurants in the U.S. and a $2 billion business, according to Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research at Technomic. Its sales in the U.S. were $728 million in 2023, down 15% from the prior year, according to Technomic.

It now counts 163 restaurants in the U.S., down from 269 last year and 213 from a week ago. It closed 36 in January and dozens more in the past week. TGI Fridays Inc. said it only owns and operates 39 restaurants in the U.S, a fraction of the 461 TGI Fridays-branded restaurants around the world.

A separate entity, TGI Fridays Franchisor, owns the intellectual property and has franchised the brand to 56 independent owners in 41 countries. Those are independently owned and not part of the Chapter 11 process, and remain open.

A United Kingdom-based franchisee, Hostmore, also sought debt protection in September and abruptly closed locations throughout that country after a failed takeover deal to acquire TGI Fridays.

During the pandemic TGI Fridays made an effort to expand into the delivery market by making itself a hub for ghost kitchens, which have no storefront and only prepare food for delivery. Among the major creditors owed money by TGI Fridays is the delivery service DoorDash, according to Saturday's bankruptcy court filings.

Sit-down chain restaurants more broadly have faced challenges in recent years as diners choose to get food delivered or visit upscale fast-food chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack. In September a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a reorganization plan for the seafood chain Red Lobster after years of mounting losses. Italian American food chain Buca di Beppo filed for bankruptcy protection in August. PAnother iconic U.S. sit-down restaurant, Denny's, announced in October that it is closing 150 of its lowest-performing restaurants in an effort to turn around the brand’s flagging sales. Wendy’s is also closing up to 140 restaurants, according to a statement from The Wendy's Co. on October 31.