New Restaurant Set to Open in Former TGI Friday’s in Braintree

A new restaurant is coming to the South Shore Plaza in Braintree.

According to a Patriot Ledger article published on Wednesday, May 14, the former TGI Friday's at 60 Forbes Road will likely become a Tavern in the Square location.

The restaurant chain, now more than two decades old, has two locations in Rhode Island and one each in Connecticut and New Hampshire. It also has several locations throughout Massachusetts, including one in South Weymouth.

The first Tavern in the Square opened in Cambridge's Central Square in 2004 and closed in 2017. The Patriot Ledger noted that Authentic Restaurant Brands, part of the private equity farm Garnett Station Partners, purchased Tavern in the Square's parent company, Broadway Hospitality Group of Boston, in March, according to several industry reports. 

Braintree's licensing board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, May 27, to discuss the restaurant chain's application to acquire the food and alcohol licenses that were previously held by TGIF Friday's, which closed in January. TGI Friday's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024.

A legal notice published in the Patriot Ledger noted that Tavern in the Square plans to add a 1,200-square-foot outdoor patio to the existing building's footprint.