T.G.I. Friday's pulls out of McHenry Village

T.G.I. Friday's has pulled out of a deal to open a restaurant in Modesto on the site of the former Mallard's Restaurant in McHenry Village.

A Modesto official with the village's ownership, Standard Management Co., said restaurant representatives had walked away from the plan, but would not give further details.

Standard Management property manager Bob Fleischer and restaurant developer John Trani said the restaurant's franchising managers backed off the deal days after it was announced in March. "Friday's got cold feet," said Trani, who had planned to raze the former Mallard's and build a T.G.I. Friday's bar and grill there.

Standard Management agreed to a deal with Trani after also discussing the site with CVS Pharmacy officials.

CVS, based in Rhode Island, had stated intentions to open a store at McHenry and Briggsmore avenues, which is home to the closed Mallard's. It is moving into the California market aggressively and just opened a store at Briggsmore and Orangeburg avenues in Modesto.

Standard Management chose Trani's proposal after lobbying by other village tenants, who were concerned that CVS would not complement their stores and would, in some cases, compete with them.

Fleischer, based in Los Angeles, said there still is interest in the Mallard's site, but no one has signed a lease since Friday's backed out.

"We're actively seeking a tenant, and we've had a few inquiries," said Fleischer, who would not identify any interested parties. He said a new tenant could come in as soon as 30 days.

No notable construction has taken place at Mallard's since the longtime eatery closed late last year.

A spokesman for CVS did not return a call seeking comment. Trani said he's no longer involved with Friday's or any other projects in the area.

"The whole thing kind of left a bad taste in my mouth," Trani said.

In March, Trani said the 11,000-square-foot Mallard's was too big for the restaurant he had in mind. The T.G.I. Friday's would have been about half that size, he said.

CVS had planned to tear down the Mallard's building and replace it with a new one.

Fleischer said he's had inquiries about tearing down Mallard's and about moving a business into the building.

Bee staff writer Ben van der Meer can be reached at bvandermeer@modbee.com or 578-2331.

This story was originally published June 7, 2008 at 4:36 AM with the headline "T.G.I. Friday's pulls out of McHenry Village."