Plenty of restaurant upstarts pin their hopes on building a better mousetrap. They’re not so much bringing something new to the market as promising an improvement over what consumers already know and love. Look at the better-burger pack, or the now-wheezing fast-casual pizza market. 

TGI Fridays took a sledgehammer to that approach. It owed its initial success to mating rituals and sheer irreverence. No entrepreneur had dared mine that potential before. Young consumers had never seen anything like it, and they embraced the rebellion with zeal.

Then the concept spent the next six decades trying to scrub its image and temper its points of difference for the sake of mainstream success and scalability.

This week’s episode of Restaurant Rewind provides a condensed version of the journey, starting with the now-forgotten days when Fridays raised parents’ eyebrows—along with young adults’ hopes for a hookup. 

It’s also a reminder of the challenges that face heavily themed restaurant operations as they age. 

So pull up a barstool, top off the Harvey Wallbanger and give a listen.