We decided to take a trip out to the Fort for something to eat and, despite several poor experiences with TGI Fridays in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Orlando, for some reason I wanted to try the TGI at the Fort.
The outside of the restaurant is very bland, less flamboyant than both the Glasgow and Edinburgh branches.
The interior was also a bit different, one wall with a big T in the Park homage. The rest of the place had small items, but it wasn't filled with the nostalgic clutter of other TGIs.
We were quickly shown our table and our drinks order was back in a flash. Our food order was taken soon after.
The food was fresh and tasty, our drinks were refilled as soon as they started getting low and the service was great.
Considering our past poor experiences with the TGI chain, we were happy to have had our faith in the brand resurrected.
As I sat eating my meal, the place felt right. There were loads of families, some with screaming kids ( with balloon flowers etc that staff had made for them) but we were seated above the noise, on the second of the three levels. It was great to see such a mix of people, from family groups of adults, families with young to teenage children, couples and even a group of older ladies having a good natter with their cocktails and snacks.
After our main meal, we decided to stay for desert and a few extra drinks ( something we don't often do) and, despite my better half's first choice of drink not being available ( which was dealt with very professionally), it was a great end to the meal.
When getting the bill, we found out that our server had just started serving serving tables that day, which was a surprise considering the service we received.
I'm sure we will be back, and I'm glad we visited as our experience yesterday saved the reputation of the brand in our eyes. read more