CLEVELAND, Ohio — Whether you visit popular restaurant chain TGI Fridays for a casual dinner or for the party atmosphere, appetizers are likely to be involved.
Fridays is famous for its appetizer specials and extensive cocktail menu.
Alan Stillman opened the first TGI Fridays restaurant in 1965 in Brooklyn, N.Y. The franchise began as a singles bar that happened to serve food, and it was one of the first to use promotions such as ladies’ night and appetizer specials.
While no one knows for sure the origin of the potato skin, Fridays lays claim to the invention of the scrap food elevated to a meal starter.
In 2016, the company served three million pounds of potato skins at its 900 worldwide locations. Banking on the phenomenon, the restaurant began selling frozen potato skins in U.S. grocery store freezer cases, followed shortly by an entire line of frozen appetizers from Fridays’ menu.
cleveland.com reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez scoured grocery and big box store freezers for all the frozen appetizers they could find (regardless of brand) and ranked the 95 best appetizers for Super Bowl week.
With TGI Fridays being so popular, they broke out the eight Fridays apps into a separate ranking below. These eight Fridays apps ranged in price from $3.99 to $7.98.
The rankings:
No. 8 Chicken wings – Buffalo style, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $7.97
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 240 | Fat 16g | Cholesterol 45mg |Sodium 850mg | Carbs 10g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Chicken wing sections
Box says: Crispy breaded chicken wing sections with buffalo style sauce packets.
Our thoughts: There was more breading than chicken, making these wings appear much larger than they actually are. A tale of two appetizers: one of us enjoyed a meaty experience, while the other team member got a large amount of slimy skin. The sauce adds a nice kick. Standard breaded wing.
Buy it on Instacart $10.99 | Buy it at Walmart $7.97
No. 7 Boneless chicken bites – Buffalo style, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 170 | Fat 6g | Cholesterol 30mg |Sodium 1050mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: Boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat.
Box says: Formed chicken breast fritters with rib meat, with a buffalo style sauce packet.
Our thoughts: These are close to what you would get if you went to a TGI Fridays restaurant. Meaty chicken bites, a crispy coating and a tangy sauce. Our tip: Toss the bites in the sauce before baking.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 6 Boneless chicken bites – Honey BBQ, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 180 | Fat 4g | Cholesterol 25mg |Sodium 700mg | Carbs 24g | Protein 11g
First ingredient: Boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat.
Box says: Chicken breast fritters with rib meat, with a honey barbecue sauce packet.
Our thoughts: As with other chicken bites from this brand, they are typical of what you get if ordering in the restaurant. These bites seem to be more thigh meat than breast and the batter coating is lightly fried. It got a little mushy in the sauce.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 5 Chicken wings – Honey BBQ, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $7.97
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 290 | Fat 15g | Cholesterol 45mg |Sodium 610mg | Carbs 24g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Chicken wing sections
Box says: Crispy breaded chicken wing sections with honey barbecue sauce packets.
Our thoughts: The sweet and tangy sauce makes all the difference on these over-breaded wings. We cooked ours to a nice crunch before adding the sauce.
Buy it on Instacart $10.99 |Buy it at Walmart $7.97
No. 4 Mozzarella sticks, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 290 | Fat 15g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 640mg | Carbs 30g | Protein 10g
First ingredient: Part-skim mozzarella cheese
Box says: Real mozzarella cheese coated with a crispy garlic seasoned panko breading.
Our thoughts: The most unique of the mozzarella sticks we tried, the flat shape keeps the garlicky breading crisp and the large slices of cheese intact during the baking process. The cheese stays firm and chewy with just a slight, pleasant saltiness. The tangy marinara dipping sauce that’s included really ramps up your snacking experience.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $4.29 | Buy it on Instacart $3.99 |Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 3 Poppers – cream cheese stuffed jalapeños, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 250 | Fat 14g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 450mg | Carbs 27g | Protein 4g
First ingredient: Cream cheese
Box says: Jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese in a crispy breading, with raspberry habanero dip.
Our thoughts: Touchdown! The raspberry habanero dipping sauce sets these poppers apart from the others we tried. The creamy cheese filling cools down the jalapeno, which remained fresh and crunchy, but no worries, the sauce packs the heat that builds into a nice after-kick.
Buy it on Instacart $10.99 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 2 Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $3.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 30 | Fat 1.5g | Cholesterol less than 5mg | Sodium 125mg | Carbs 2g | Protein 2g
First ingredient: Water
Box says: Spinach and artichokes blended with parmesan, mozzarella and Neufchâtel cheeses.
Our thoughts: This was the smallest portion of dip we encountered but was rich in cheesy flavor. Sadly, it was a bit watery and lacking artichoke. It thickened up upon sitting but was still slightly salty.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $4.29 | Buy it at Heinen’s $3.99 | Buy it at Walmart $3.66
No. 1 Angus Sliders, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $5.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 210 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 280mg | Carbs 19g | Protein 9g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: Grilled angus beef patty with pasteurized process cheddar cheese and sautéed onions on a sesame seed bun.
Our thoughts: These tiny sliders taste like real beef burgers, grilled on an old-fashioned charcoal grill. The beef was juicy and the cheese melted nicely. Unlike other sliders we tried, the sesame seed bun tasted fresh. Hard to tell these were ever frozen.
Buy it on Instacart $6.99
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