New Delhi, Aug. 14: TGI Friday’s (TGIF) — the 40-year-old American casual dining chain — will open an outlet in Calcutta next year.

“The location of the restaurant will depend on the availability of land. We are considering areas such as Park Street, Ballygunge and Salt Lake,” said Sanjoy Roy, CEO and president, Bistro Hospitality — the master franchisee of TGI Friday’s in India.

Depending on the restaurant’s performance, the company may open another outlet as well, said Roy.

TGI Friday’s is the flagship brand of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (CRW), a part of the $24-billion Carlson Hospitality Worldwide. Bistro is also considering becoming a franchisee for Pick Up Stix, another Carlson Restaurants brand. This is an Oriental cuisine chain in the US that is operational for the last five to six years.

Bistro is also in talks with other American chains to expand its current line of business. “We are in talks with two to three American chains which are in the quick service restaurants business. These will be largely self-service restaurants.”

Operating in India for over a decade now, Bistro has opened six restaurants in the country. Expanding its footprints, the chain plans to open six more TGI Friday’s by the end of 2008. These will include locations such as Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Noida.

At present, there are three TGI Friday’s in Delhi, one in Gurgaon and one each in Mumbai and Bangalore. According to Roy, Bistro Hospitality is also looking at tier II and III cities such as Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Goa and Kochi.

“There are certain pockets which are price conscious. Therefore, we may have to keep prices low in these areas,” said Roy.