I love a creative, fun and well-thought out social media-based campaign, so when I received my third invite from the brilliant lot at TGI Friday’s (Manchester) for a ‘saucy evening of hot love, Burger Blind Date’, I was intrigued but not surprised with the witty approach. Promising a night of mysterious meaty romance, the concept was focused on ‘choosing the burger who gets you hot under the collar by reading about their naughtiest personality traits’. What’s not to like about a chance to try out the brand’s new handcrafted burgers while enjoying a cheeky cocktail or two on a week night?
James and I were greeted by the friendly bar staff, who recognised us from the Cocktail and Art event we went to back in November which was a lovely gesture! These guys clearly know their stuff when it comes to shaking up all kinds of wondrous drinks and created our very own cocktails based on our prefered flavours; James went for a berry-based alcoholic one while a passion fruit twist on a Pina Colada went down a treat.
Seated with our friends, fellow blogger Kate and her chilli-loving boyfriend Tom, we giggled over the list of cheeky descriptions of each burger and went with the one which most floated our boat. This surprise element was great and part of the fun but it was a tough choice! I eventually settled on Contestant #5 who described itself as: “I bring a certain je ne sais quoi to this date. I’m rich, romantic and mysterious…but pour your sauce over me and Voila! I’m yours.” After our previous date at TGI’s, James cheated and went for the surprise #8 “Wanna know what it is? Then ask for Jack”, which, to be honest was one of the best burgers we’ve ever had so I let him off.
The four of us certainly were not disappointed with our meaty dates when they arrived, complete with sweet potato fries for us girls while the lads opted for Chilli & Cheese loaded chips on the side. Mine was a unveiled as the ‘French Dip’, a delicious beast of a meat-fest topped with caramelised onion, Swiss melted cheese and garlic mayo accompanied by a rich beef sauce to pour over. Being wheat-intolerant, it was a shame to leave the bread but the contents were so tasty it didn’t matter. As I mentioned in my previous blog, compared to other restaurants and chains in the city centre, TGI Friday’s is well up there as a place serving the best burgers in Manchester; everyone else agreed.
Once we had all enjoyed some alone time with our dates, we were all certainly satisfied and the clean plates, greasy hands and messy mouths were there to prove it. Along with the attentive and amusing staff, a bit of entertaining close-up magic from the lovely Ron @ronismagic plus great company, the blind date was a success all round and left us wanting more. If you’re looking for tantalising food, fast but friendly service and a choice of some of most creative cocktails out there, I couldn’t recommend TGI Friday’s highly enough – whether for a date, a meal with friends or a family occasion.
For now, I’ll leave you with the full new Burger Menu for you to drool over and fall in love with one or more of the contestants – please do let me know if you give any of them a go!