T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants recently honored its top performers during the annual T.G.I. Friday's Global Leadership Conference, held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas March 4-6.

"We are pleased to honor these exceptional team members who led T.G.I. Friday's to a great 2006," said Richard Snead, president and chief executive officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent of T.G.I. Friday's. "These individuals create a great environment for our team members, who in turn provide a great experience for our guests."

A "Great People Awards" gala held March 5 honored the following winners:

Overall General Managers of the Year:

• Corporate - Michael Jordan, Gainesville, Fla.

• Franchise - Steve Henning II, Charlotte/University, N.C..

• International - Fariz Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Divisional General Managers of the Year:

• Northeast Division U.S.A. (Company) - Mary Curtin, Rockville Centre, N.Y.

• West Division U.S.A. (Company) - Mary Quinn, Katy, Texas

• Midwest Division U.S.A. (Company) - Kevin Phillips, Arundel Mills, Md.

• Non-Traditional U.S.A. - Jen Johnson, DFW Airport, Terminal E

• Northeast Division U.S.A. (Franchise) - Jenn Hansen, Wilkes Barre, Penn.

• Midwest Division U.S.A. (Franchise) - Melissa Brown, Charleston, W. Va.

• West Division U.S.A. (Franchise) - Gina Maese, West Covina, Cal.

• U.K./Canada/Ireland - Mairead Murphy, Dublin/Blanchardstown, Ireland

• Middle East/South Asia- Mohammad Moslaeh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

• Latin America/Caribbean - Midori Hayakawa, Cancun Airport, Mexico

• Europe - Therese Eriksson, Stockholm, Sweden

Directors of Operations of the Year:

• Corporate Operations, U.S.A. - Tracy Staples

• Franchise Operations, U.S.A. - Andy Simpson

• Corporate Operations, International - Michael Olk

Along with general managers and directors of operations of the year, several other awards were announced at the celebration:

• Franchise Operator of the Year, U.S.A. - Jimmy Cabanban, United Restaurant Group

• Franchise Operator of the Year, International - Robert Santos, Bistro Americano Corp.

• Franchise Developer of the Year, U.S.A. - Livingston, New Jersey-based Briad Restaurant Group

• Franchise Developer of the Year, International - Seoul, South Korea-based FoodStar, Inc.

• Franchise Group of the Year, U.S.A. - Cincinnati, Ohio-based The Bistro Group

• Franchise Group of the Year, International - Madrid, Spain-based Grupo VIPS

More than 1400 Friday's® general managers, corporate leadership, franchise owners, operators and supplier partners representing 58 countries gathered for the annual conference.