DALLAS - T.G.I Fridays's Site Goes Retro (date glitch)

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T.G.I. Friday's(R) Newly Redesigned Web Site Is Retroactive - Literally; Web Ghost Visits Fridays.com in Time for Re-Launch of Retro Site

Story Filed: Friday, July 07, 2000 5:00 AM EST

DALLAS, Jul 7, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Last week, the ghost of T.G.I. Friday's(R) past made a surprise visit to the Internet in time for the re-launch of T.G.I. Friday's newly redesigned Web site ( www.fridays.com). The company sent a pre- launch e-mail announcement of the site's new features to some members of Friday's(R) Gold Points(R), the company's guest frequency program. The e-mail that members received from the company was dated 1969. What seems like a common computer glitch was made extraordinary when the source of the problem was not and has not been found.

"This is the strangest thing. Our technical team checked out every possible cause and could not find conclusive reasoning for the date change," said Stacy Baw, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Internet marketing manager. "It could only be something supernatural -- the new retro 50s look of the site is first announced with an e-mail date that somehow changes to 1969?"

Just as the date changed to 1969, bizarrely, a similar e-mail featured the year 2000 when Baw announced the site to more than 40,000 Carlson Restaurants Worldwide employees the same day. Is this part of the fifth dimension Rod Serling so often spoke about? Or is it simply a computer glitch? We'll let the public decide ...

Editor's Note: Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of TGI Friday's Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies, Inc., a world leader in the hospitality, travel and marketing industries. Carlson Restaurants currently operate, franchise or license over 600 restaurants in 52 countries, including T.G.I. Friday's(R), Front Row(R) Sports Grill and Friday's American Bar(R). Carlson Restaurants Worldwide is included in the Carlson Hospitality Worldwide division of Carlson Companies, Inc.

SOURCE TGI Friday's Inc.

CONTACT: Amy Freshwater, 972-450-5549, or afreshwater@crww.com, or Stewart Slocum, 972-450-3674, or sslocum@crww.com, both of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc. /Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/117434.html or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 117434

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), July 07, 2000


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