As if New Year's Eve in Times Square isn't horrible enough, the Post today gives us a peek at the man who's making it even more insufferable: meet Andrew Fox. more ›

Here in America who you vote for is entirely your business—you don't have to tell your wife or your kids, your friends or your boss. Especially that last one. Because otherwise you might end up like Michael Verzillo, a black manager at a Long Island T.G.I. Friday's for 15 years who says he was fired after he told a white manager that he was going to vote for Barack Obama. Before we go on though—15 years at T.G.I. Friday's? Wow. more ›

According to the Post, The Riese Organization has put their 15,000-sqare-foot building at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 46th Street on the market, asking for a new owner and retailer. And that building just happens to house a TGI Friday's, the epitome of the glamor and refinement that Times Square was famous for before those ingrates at the M&M store moved in. Where will the tourists go for authentic, New York-style Friday's Fusion Skewers?! more ›

The NYC-founded fun bar food franchise T.G.I. Friday's has finally brought its flare to Union Square, opening up its multilevel location in the old Zen Palate space earlier this week. This is obviously wonderful news, but why do we still have to schlep all the way up to Times Square just to enjoy a Dave & Buster's? Can't that weirdo Union Square Cafe get with the program and sell out to an Applebee's or something? Variety is so two thousand late. To celebrate Friday's triumphant arrival in style, here is video of the Dead Kennedys performing "This Could Be Anywhere," live in 1985. The audio is surprisingly not bad!: more ›

Recently the Riese Organization took over 34 Union Square East... the old Zen Palate space. Sigh. And what's going up in its place? The much rumored T.G.I. Friday's and a Tim Horton's of course, helping to complete the circle of chains around the park. Now Andrew Fine has photographic evidence; today he reported, "I spotted signage and crews working feverishly to complete a Tim Horton's... this is a downgrade and really counter to where we would like Union Square to be going. The burbs are invading!" The burbs... and Canadians! [via Curbed] more ›

We know what you're thinking: Who orders broccoli at Friday's? Gross! But while dining with his girlfriend at a T.G.I. Friday's near Schenectady on Sunday night, art director Jack Pendleton thought he'd make the healthy choice by substituting a side of vegetables for the fries that usually come with the Jack Daniels Chicken Sandwich. Well, Shesha the thousand-headed snake god works in mysterious ways! In an email obtained by Consumerist, Pendleton writes: more ›

The TGI Friday's in the Financial District known for its uppers as much as its poppers has been reopened with an entire new staff after last week's drug bust. The Times checks in with the eatery where a bar maid tells them everyone was fired after the place was shut down following two men being arrested for openly selling pot and coke at the bar. One woman dining on mozzarella sticks was surprised to hear of the news and said, "He was selling it right here at the bar? Dag. I didn’t know it was that kind of place.” Friday's parent company, Riese Restaurants received a $50,000 fine for the bust where staff was accused of knowing about the dealings, an accusation the Times says is supported by the cramped quarters of the location. One patron at the bar seemed to think the incident gave the chain some character, telling the paper, “If some guy’s selling drugs at a bar—I don’t know, it doesn’t bother me. It’s actually kind of cool.” more ›

Cops raided a TGI Friday's in the financial district on the day of its namesake and shut it down after discovering that the family eatery was striped with cocaine. Apparently the business plan at this franchise location included looking the other way as dealers at the bar lured in high rollers from nearby Wall Street institutions. The Post says that the bankers and traders would "spend their nights getting high after the market spent the day going low." more ›

The Staten Island Advance reports that police are "zeroing in" on a suspect involved in the Tuesday night shooting outside a Richmond Avenue T.G.I. Friday's. Two men were shot: Sean Dooley was hit multiple times (possibly in the chest, stomach and hand--he's in critical condition at a hospital) while Zachariah Gray was shot in the elbow. A police source suggested that the motive may have been prompted over a woman: "Apparently she has multiple partners and someone wasn't too happy about that." And customers at shopping plaza where the shooting took place seem unconcerned about the shooting. One Outback Steakhouse customer said, "I feel pretty safe here. These things happen. It is scary, but what could you do? Stay in your house every day?" more ›

Around 10:30 p.m. last night, two friends who were smoking outside the T.G.I. Friday's at the Staten Island Mall in New Springville were shot--the Staten Island Advance reports that Sean Dooley was shot 6 times while Zachariah Gray was shot once (a third friend was not injured). Police believe Dooley and Gray were shot in a case of mistaken identity; WABC 7 reports the "shooters were involved in an argument in the parking lot - when the victims walked by" - and "believed the victims were involved with the other party in the dispute." Both men are expected to survive and police are looking for "two or three men who sped toward Richmond Avenue in an older model white Jeep Cherokee with gray body trim" as well as two women who sped away in a Kia Spectra. more ›

Wildly successful young chef and restaurateur Michael Psilakis – whose Anthos is one of only two Greek restaurants in the world with a Michelin star – refined his talent not in culinary school but in the kitchen beside his Greek mother during his childhood on Long Island. After earning a business degree, he found himself drawn back to the food world, where he worked his way up from waiter to owner of the Long Island restaurant Ecco. His subsequent enterprise with celebrated restaurateur Donatella Arpaia, called Dona, was one of Esquire's Best New Restaurants in 2006, but the place closed when the building housing it was sold to a developer. more ›

Happy New Year, by Pixietart. If you're going out tonight, send us pix of your revelry: photos (at) goth dot com. more ›

Gothamist thought that Brooklyn Heights had suffered enough of a foodie blow with the closing of the neighborhood's D'Agostino supermarket. Now, two independently owned restaurants have bitten the dust as well: Thai 101 and Annie's Blue Moon. more ›

Jill Singer, Mediabistro Deputy Editor more ›