After 17 Years in Pleasanton, T.G.I. Friday's Closes

is one of those staples that is just sort of always there, beckoning with its buffalo wings and loaded potato skins. Maybe it's not fine dining, but it's family friendly and the food is sufficiently carbalicious.

But anyone driving along Santa Rita Road in the last few days has noticed that the restaurant's overhead sign has been stripped away, and a note on the door simply says "After 17 years of service to Pleasanton, T.G.I Friday's is closed."

There wasn't any notice; in fact, an unaware gym group that meets there had to write a note on the door telling friends to go to the in the Walmart shopping center on Rosewood Drive. Oops.

Calls to the T.G.I Friday's corporate office led to either dead ends or more corporate numbers, but no answers about why the restaurant left the city after almost two decades of doing business here.

The Briad Group, based in New Jersey, operated the restaurant, as well as the still-open Union City T.G.I. Friday's; that is now the closest one to Pleasanton.

One Patch reader said on Facebook that she and her family were saddened to see the restaurant go. How do you feel?

Now that it's gone, what would you like to see go into that location? Another restaurant? And if so, which one? Or maybe you'd like a non-restaurant in that spot? Tell us in the comments.