Friendly's facts for kids
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Friendly's in Augusta, Maine, in June 2014 (closed in April 2019)
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Fate | bankruptcy |
| Founded | Springfield, Massachusetts (1935) |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Wilbraham, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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105 |
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Key people
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George Michel (CEO) |
| Products | Sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups, breakfast foods, ice cream, hot dogs |
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Number of employees
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10,000 |
| Parent | Dairy Farmers of America (dairy products) Amici Partners Group (restaurants) |
Friendly's is a restaurant chain on the East Coast of the United States. It's famous for its tasty food and many ice cream flavors. The first Friendly's opened in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1935. It started by selling only ice cream cones.
The company was founded by two brothers, S. Prestley Blake and Curtis Blake. Friendly's has about 10,000 employees. George Michel is the current CEO. You can find Friendly's restaurants in Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. They also sell their ice cream in some supermarkets.
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History of Friendly's Restaurants
Friendly's began in 1935 during the Great Depression. Brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake opened a small ice cream shop. They called it "Friendly" and sold double-dip cones for just 5 cents.
In 1940, they opened a second Friendly's in West Springfield. This new location offered more food items. The brothers closed their business during World War II. They reopened it after the war ended.
By 1951, there were 10 Friendly's restaurants. They were located in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. The company grew, so its main office moved to Wilbraham in 1960. By 1974, the chain had grown to 500 restaurants. These were spread across the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest regions.
In 1979, the Blake brothers retired. They sold Friendly's to Hershey Foods Corporation. Hershey operated Friendly's as a part of their company. In 1988, Donald N. Smith bought Friendly's from Hershey. In 1989, Smith officially added the apostrophe "s" to the name, making it "Friendly's."
In 1997, Friendly Ice Cream Corporation started selling shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Around this time, 34 stores were sold to another company. Friendly's also left the Pittsburgh area in 1997. All six restaurants there closed and became Bob Evans.
In 1998, Kim Andereck helped create a plan for more Friendly's restaurants to be owned by franchisees. This means other people could open and run Friendly's locations. By 2021, about 66% of Friendly's restaurants were owned by franchisees. In 2007, a company called Sun Capital Partners, Inc. bought Friendly's.
Friendly's started opening smaller "Express" locations in 2009. These were designed for quick service. In 2014, all 14 Friendly's locations in Ohio closed. In 2016, Dean Foods bought Friendly's Ice Cream business. This deal did not change who owned the restaurants.
In 2018, Friendly's opened a new "prototype" restaurant. This location tested new ideas like delivery and online ordering. In April 2019, many Friendly's locations in upstate New York and New England closed suddenly.
Co-founder Curtis Blake passed away in May 2019 at 102 years old. In August 2019, the last Friendly's in Rhode Island closed. The last restaurant in Virginia closed in October 2019. Co-founder S. Prestley Blake passed away in February 2021 at 106 years old.
Friendly's Financial Challenges
Friendly's faced tough economic times and rising costs. In October 2011, the company announced it was having financial difficulties. It closed 63 stores. The company worked to get financial help to stay open.
In December 2011, Friendly's canceled an auction to sell the company. This was because no other companies made offers. Sun Capital Partners Inc., which already owned Friendly's, bought it for about $75 million. In January 2012, Friendly's announced it would continue operating. However, it closed 37 more locations.
In November 2019, the grocery part of Friendly's, which was owned by Dean Foods, also faced financial challenges. In November 2020, Friendly's announced more financial difficulties. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The company said it would sell most of its assets to Amici Partners. They stated that "nearly all" locations would stay open.
Friendly's New Ownership
On January 19, 2021, Amici Partners Group, LLC, bought Friendly's. This group includes experienced restaurant investors. Amici acquired 130 Friendly's restaurant locations. They plan to keep all of these locations open.
Friendly's Slogans
Friendly's has used many slogans over the years:
- "You're in for a nice surprise" (1979–1982)
- "There's no place like home" (1985–1989)
- "Where ice cream makes the meal / I wanna go to Friendly's" (2008–2011)
- "Oh, that looks good!" (2010–2011)
- "High 5, it's Friendly's!" (2011–2012)
- "Oh yeah!" (2012–2013)
- "Where ice cream makes the meal" (current)
- "Creating memories since 1935" (2015)
- "Life with extra sprinkles" (current)
- "Deliciously fun" (current)
