Skip to content
TGI Fridays

Multi-brand digital architecture and accessibility framework

Scaling TGI Fridays’ digital presence through inclusive virtual brand integration

Onetree partnered with TGI Fridays to integrate diverse brand concepts into their traditional digital experience, enabling a unified and inclusive platform for ghost kitchens and virtual brands.

Executive Summary

TGI Fridays sought to evolve its digital ecosystem following the acquisition of a portion of C3 Company, with the objective of integrating multiple ghost kitchen concepts and virtual brands into its transactional platform. The company needed to transform a traditional digital presence into a growth engine capable of supporting diverse business models under a cohesive brand identity.

The core challenge lay in the rigidity of the existing technical infrastructure and internal processes, which limited the ability to respond to market demands for online ordering. The complexity of the project required not only the technical integration of brands with distinct visual identities but also a deep transition toward agile product development methodologies to ensure scalability and organizational agility.

Onetree executed a data-driven, user-centric approach, prioritizing the redesign of corporate and ordering platforms. The work included an exhaustive UX analysis and a comprehensive accessibility audit under WCAG standards, ensuring that menu navigation and the checkout process were inclusive and free of operational friction.

The collaboration was structured through a multidisciplinary team model working across market, user, and product dimensions. As a result, the backend architecture was modernized to host virtual kitchens, and technical enhancements such as semantic HTML and keyboard navigation were implemented. This effort consolidated a flexible, future-ready platform, improving the customer experience at scale.

The Challenge: Integrating virtual brands into a legacy digital ecosystem

TGI Fridays faced the necessity of transitioning from a static digital presence to a multi-brand business model following the acquisition of assets from C3 Company. The organization had to assimilate ghost kitchen concepts into a technical infrastructure that was not originally designed for the coexistence of divergent visual and operational identities, creating significant pressure on existing systems.

This transformation process encountered critical constraints across three levels:

The project objective was defined by the need to integrate multiple virtual brands while strictly maintaining the unique identity and integrity of each concept. This required eliminating complex friction points identified within the menu navigation and checkout processes to improve conversion. Furthermore, the initiative demanded a complete modernization of backend systems to ensure the scalability of delivery and pickup operations while achieving full WCAG compliance for a barrier-free guest experience.

The TGI Fridays delivery site on laptop and phone: the “Fastest Delivery & Easy Pickup” hero with a location search, and the mobile special offers list

The Solution: Multi-dimensional digital transformation and accessibility implementation

To address the complexity of TGI Fridays, Onetree implemented a transformation strategy divided into three critical dimensions: Market, User, and Product. This approach ensured that technical decisions not only resolved technological debt but remained strictly aligned with the brand’s commercial expansion goals.

The execution focused on the following technical and methodological pillars:

User Experience and Testing.

The team conducted an in-depth UX analysis, utilizing heuristic evaluations and real-world user testing to identify friction within the conversion funnel. By observing specific user behaviors across the ordering platforms, the team redesigned the navigation flow to significantly reduce cognitive load during the selection of products from virtual brands.

Technical Accessibility Framework.

A comprehensive accessibility audit was executed under WCAG standards, combining automated scanning tools with manual navigation testing. The technical intervention included the implementation of semantic HTML and the advanced use of ARIA labels to ensure screen readers correctly interpreted dynamic content, guaranteeing a barrier-free experience for all users.

Architecture and Agile Delivery.

To support the Market Dimension, the backend architecture was modernized to allow the coexistence of multiple menus and business rules from ghost kitchens within a single transactional engine. The adoption of agile methodologies was fundamental to enable continuous deployments and a rapid response to the operational needs of the business, ensuring the digital product remained scalable and flexible for future launches.

The redesigned tgifridays.com with the accessibility bar, promotional banners and the Family Style Meals hero

Results & Impact: Inclusive digital ecosystem and multi-brand scalability

The collaboration with Onetree transformed TGI Fridays’ digital infrastructure into a resilient, future-ready platform. Beyond the technical deployment, the project established a new standard for how the brand manages digital inclusion and rapid market expansion within the competitive food and beverage landscape.

The observable outcomes of the execution include:

The final validation confirms that TGI Fridays now possesses a unified digital ecosystem where technical accessibility and multi-brand complexity coexist without friction. This transformation has successfully mitigated the risks associated with legacy architecture, providing the brand with the architectural foundation necessary to sustain long-term growth and continuous innovation in the virtual dining space.

Strategic Insights: Reducing operational risk in multi-brand environments

Mature product thinking is required to balance rapid brand expansion with technical stability and inclusive user experiences.

How was the integration of virtual brands managed without compromising the main TGI Fridays identity?
The solution relied on a flexible UI framework and a decoupled backend architecture. This allowed each brand concept, such as those from C3 Company, to maintain its specific visual language and menu logic while sharing a robust, unified transactional engine, ensuring operational consistency across the entire ecosystem.
What measures were taken to ensure the long-term reliability of the accessibility implementations?
Beyond the initial WCAG audit, Onetree integrated accessibility best practices into the agile development workflow. By using semantic HTML and standardized ARIA labels as part of the core design system, the platform ensures that any future feature or brand addition remains inclusive by default.
How did the transition to agile product development impact the project timeline?
Moving away from legacy waterfall processes allowed for parallel workstreams. While the UX team conducted user testing and heuristic evaluations, the engineering team modernized the backend architecture. This synchronized approach reduced bottlenecks and enabled a faster response to shifting market demands.
How does the platform handle the high volume of data generated by multiple ghost kitchens?
The system was re-architected to eliminate data silos, creating a centralized flow for inventory, pricing, and order management. This ensures that even with the addition of multiple virtual brands, the platform maintains high performance and real-time accuracy in order processing.
Why was manual user testing prioritized alongside automated accessibility tools?
Automated tools are effective for identifying syntax errors, but only manual testing and real-world observation can validate the actual user experience. By observing how users with different capabilities interacted with the checkout flow, we were able to identify and resolve nuanced friction points that software alone would have missed.

Is your digital architecture ready for multi-brand scale and universal access?

At Onetree, we specialize in helping global brands navigate complex digital transformations by balancing multi-brand scalability with rigorous inclusive design. Our approach ensures that technical debt is resolved through architectures that support rapid growth, operational efficiency, and universal access.

Let’s discuss how our multidisciplinary teams can strengthen your digital product strategy.

Get in touch