An Open Letter to T.G.I Fridays

To whom it may concern,

My name is Logan B******** and I recently purchased a bag of T.G.I. Friday's Bacon Ranch Potato Skins Snack Chips. Prior to my purchase, I was enticed by the images on the front of the bag and the promises inscribed on the back—"mouth watering flavor sensation" and "savory bacon and ranch." However, my fervor was short-lived.

Upon opening the package I was greeted with an aroma that neither resembled ranch nor bacon. This, however, did not faze me. As an avid chip-eater, I know that some of even the strongest flavor profiles may not always be reflected in the collective scent of the chips. Though after I picked up one of the "Potato Skins," I realized my initial fears may have been based in reality. The chip was nowhere near similar to the hunger-arousing images plastered on the bag and after tasting the first chip, I was severely disappointed. I've had my fair share of zesty or cool ranch based potato chips and I know what the market standards are for this flavor profile. I also have experience with artificial bacon extracts and flavoring as this snack-food market is continually expanding and readily available for consumers. 

What I can tell you, with confidence, is that these "Snack Chips" are nowhere near the quality of other potato chips and are a sorry attempt to compete with current snack-food conglomerates. I tell you this not out of spite but out of concern. The flavor of these chips was simply underwhelming and bland. I understand that these are not regular potato chips and are classified under the 'Potato Skins" category but that wasn't the issue. Their crunch and texture were unique and satisfying but the failure was in their seasoning. Although salty and addicting as other MSG snack chips are, these lacked any sort of individuality or "mouth watering flavor sensation" as promised. 

These chips tarnish the reputation of T.G.I. Friday's restaurant chain as a whole and I believe, undermine the tenets of T.G.I. Friday's. Personally, I had never tried T.G.I. Friday's chips nor been to a restaurant and this experience makes me think I was better off before. Don't get me wrong, I have faith in this corporation and would like to see your "snack chips" make a booming impact on the current market. Though with these chips to represent your business, I think an attack on the snack food giants of today will be largely futile. Fortunately, I've been around this industry long enough to know that chips can change—flavor chemists discover new compounds and consumers seed out the premier snacks by voting with their hard earned dollars. I'm still open to attending a T.G.I. Friday's chain or purchasing an alternative flavor of Potato Skins Snack Chips but my relationship with the brand will be hard to mend after this experience. 

I've invested more time in this correspondence than originally planned because I really do hope to see improvement in a brand I was excited to try for the first time.

Best regards,

Logan Brockbank