Bubba’s 33 is seeking to replace a closed TGI Fridays in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, but published reporting gives no city approval or opening date.
The U.S. Sun reported that plans submitted over the summer seek permission to demolish the former restaurant and construct a 6,686-square-foot Bubba’s 33.
The proposal would turn the former TGI Fridays property into a sports bar created by Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor. The TGI Fridays location closed permanently in 2024.
The Reynoldsburg proposal follows the same growth path examined in our coverage of Bubba’s 33 in Ohio. Existing restaurants operate in Canton and Toledo, according to the account.
But the filing remains a proposal. No final city decision, construction schedule or planned opening date was disclosed.
The requested approval would allow the old TGI Fridays building to be demolished. Bubba’s 33 would then build a new space on the property rather than merely changing signs and menus.
That distinction matters for Reynoldsburg residents and customers. The plan describes a full redevelopment of a closed restaurant site, with city review required before work can proceed.
Texas Roadhouse also has pursued growth through another restaurant concept, Jaggers. Readers can find more on that effort in our coverage of Jaggers entering Ohio.
Bubba’s 33 has a different identity. Taylor created the sports-bar concept and named it after his alter ego, “Bubba,” while “33” refers to 1933, the year Prohibition ended.
The U.S. Sun reproduced comments that Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan gave to Restaurant Business Online about the chain’s name:
“There was Kent Taylor, and then late at night, there was Bubba,”
Morgan continued:
“And Bubba liked him a burger and pizza after midnight. So we thought it was kind of a great thing to call a restaurant chain.”
The playful name now sits behind a concrete development request. Reynoldsburg must decide whether the proposed demolition and 6,686-square-foot replacement can move ahead.
The project also belongs within Texas Roadhouse’s larger expansion push, which readers can follow through our coverage of six planned restaurant openings.
The available details stop short of an approval. They also provide no exact filing date, property address or target opening date for the proposed Bubba’s 33.
That leaves the project in a familiar stage: a business has put forward a specific private investment, while local government holds the next decision.
A closed restaurant site should not remain idle without good reason. Reynoldsburg should review the plan fairly, act promptly and give residents a clear answer.