THE TGI Fridays restaurant at Fort Kinnaird has closed with immediate effect, as more than 1,000 jobs at the company have been lost UK-wide. 

Last month, the American-style diner's UK owners announced that they had fallen into administration and many restaurants across the country were at risk of closure. 

It has now been confirmed that 35 restaurants across the UK will shut their doors immediately, but 51 others will remain open, including the TGI Fridays on Edinburgh's Castle Street. 

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The announcement means that nearly 2,400 jobs have been saved across the US-themed restaurant and cocktail bar's outlets.

Breal Capital and Calveton UK have acquired 51 restaurants after the group’s previous operator fell into administration.

Julie McEwan, chief executive of TGI Fridays UK, said: “The news today marks the start of a positive future for our business following a very challenging period for the casual dining sector as a whole.

“We are devastated for our colleagues who will be leaving TGIs and thank them for their loyalty and contribution during their time with us.

“We are doing everything possible to retain our team and support those impacted.”

Daniel Smith, senior managing director of Teneo, said that the acquisition “preserves a significant proportion of jobs and will hopefully provide the business with the stability and support it needs to recover and grow”.