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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
This joint is coming back for seconds.
A year and a half after Hurricane Sandy shuttered the TGI Fridays in Sheepshead Bay, the chain’s only Brooklyn location is re-opening with a new look and some neighborhood decorations April 29.
“We’ve incorporated local sensibilities,” said TGI Fridays chief operating officer Ricky Richardson. “While they might not be iconic images, they are symbols of the neighborhood.”
An outdoor eating area will resemble neighborhood architecture, including railing and light fixtures that match those along Emmons Avenue, and the interior walls are graced with a panorama of Manhattan’s skyline.
The re-opening is a homecoming of sorts for the restaurant.
The Harkness Avenue eatery closed its doors in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy inundated the building with more than three feet of water. Richardson said the company tried to make the best of a bad situation.
“We took the storm as an opportunity to rebuild and come back with something great,” he said.
The company is using the Sheepshead Bay location to launch a new look for the iconic restaurant chain. The space sports a more contemporary design, with exposed duct work and brick. Richardson said the company used high-quality materials like real leather for chairs and solid wood for tables.
The bar is doubled in size, and an open kitchen will give guests a view of the chefs at work. A new menu will include all-natural chicken and never-frozen beef, Richardson said.
Fridays’ return will create about 130 local jobs, as well. When the spot closed, employees had the option to work at other locations, and now that the store is re-opening, about 40 are returning. The restaurant plans to employ about 130 people, so there are 90 positions for residents looking for work, Richardson said.
The redesigned restaurant is one of five totally rebuilt stores, the first of which opened in 2012. The Sheepshead Bay location will be used as a pilot and if it does well, the new design may spread to other Fridays locations in the city, Richardson said.
In the meantime, Richardson said the chain is excited to get cooking in Sheepshead Bay.
“We had a great connection with local guests, and we can’t wait to rekindle that,” he said.