Can FRIENDLY's Be Saved? Trying The Dying Chain - Friendly's Ice Cream and Menu Review
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2025
- Do any of you remember Friendly's? It may have been mostly based in the northeast, but at least where I grew up Friendly's was once immensely popular. So much so that at its peak Friendly's had over 800 locations, but now they are down to barely 100. That is like a 90% reduction in locations!
But why is Friendly's, once known as Friendly's Ice Cream, dying out? Is it the food? Is it the ice cream? Is it the decor and the atmosphere? Is it competition? We will delve into the Friendly's menu and also try the ice cream at a Friendly's near me to see why Friendly's is declining and why Friendly's is dying out.
I do not remember liking the food much there, I remember it being extremely mediocre and akin to like Applebee's, but probably worse. But we will try it and see if any of the nostalgic items from my childhood, like the Friendly's sundaes, particularly the Friendly's monster mash sundae, still live up to my memory and if they are good enough to survive in 2024, 2025 and beyond!
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Restaurant Deets:
Friendly's
240 Rte 46 East, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
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Such a nostalgia trip eating at Friendly's again! What dying chain should I review next?
Ponderosa Steakhouse/Buffet
Love this video! How about the 99 restaurant?
Dennys
Have you done Macaroni Grill?
Philadelphia isn't a state...
UA always puts a smile on my face … thank you UA!!!!
I grew up with Friendly’s in Manchester CT, back in the 1950s into the 60s. Their Big Beef cheeseburgers, rare on white toast or a “rye setup” were unique and very special. The ice cream was premium, with that high butterfat bite. After the family sold to the Hershey’s Corp, everything went south. After too many disappointments, I never went back.
It's no Shady Glens
My mom used to take me to the Friendly's inside the Willowbrook Mall as a post-shopping treat. However, I don't think I ever had anything that wasn't ice cream off their menu. I used to love the Wattamelon Roll, which was their watermelon sherbet with a lemon sherbet "rind" and chocolate chip "seeds". I think Friendly's is so associated with ice cream that it probably loses business in the winter.
I remember that I miss Friendly’s
Good old willbrook mall, good mall shout to nj
I grew up in Massachusetts in the 1960s, and Friendly’s was a favorite hangout.
The one near where I lived in Maryland was very popular until it wasn’t. It started to go downhill in the early’90s, and eventually closed.
Both founding co-owners of Friendly’s lived to over 100 years old. The chain was started in Springfield MA in 1935.
Wow they had long and hopefully happy lives!
there used to be one on cape cod we liked. not sure if its still there
Man, I used to love Friendly’s as a kid!
Same!
Grew up on Friendly’s, western Mass with a lot great memories, Black raspberry ice cream yum.
Also asking a young waitress for a ‘happy ending’ meant a very different thing back then (ice cream)
Same here!
Dude grew up on it in New York. We called it friends. Coffee fribble was the move. Coffee shake
As a teenager in the late '70's, I was first exposed to coffee ice cream through the Friendly's coffee fribble. Loved it.
Really like how you set the scene, talking a bit about the history of the place and show the surrounding area.
Yeah! I wanna get you all in the right frame of mind and I show the area to try to put you guys in my shoes
Loved Friendly’s as a kid. We went to the one in Naussau County near the border to Queens. Loved their chilli and square hamburgers, yum 😋
Friendly's was my first job, it was the absolute worst place in the world behind the scenes. Literally was just like the movie 'Waiting" but without the alcohol 😅
Lol. Sorry to hear that. Friendly's was my first restaurant job at 16. Boss was demanding but fair. Perfect training for my future in food service. Had a blast socially with my coworkers.
The food looks pretty good, nice presentation. Now the line cook can back to nap in his car ……l😴
100%. it was my first job too lol and i worked off and on all thru college. EXACTLY like waiting the movie
I worked there too mine was so fun got free food
@ my dad does
@UA Eats I finally had to subscribe, watching you be super awkward in social situations is the best! Like in this video when you ordered coffee and oddly raised your hand, not once, but twice. And on the Cracker Barrel video when you tried ordering collard greens and then just sat there in confusion without asking any follow up question to get clarification. Keep up the entertaining channel dude!
I would call it "personable".
@@LauraSmith-z4p whatever someone chooses to call it, its entertaining and gives me a laugh. I will continue to watch and like future uploads...
He’s not
I grew up in Jersey, so I definitely remember it. I used to love their Reece’s peanut butter cup ice cream when I was a kid. Don’t think I’ve seen one in years though, maybe even a decade or more.
But if you're going for total and complete childhood little kid nostalgia, then it's the conehead sundae ftw lol.
Yeah they are becoming few and far between
The conehead and Reese's sundaes were legendary!
Great review, UA! Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to your next video.
Thank you!
Who doesn’t love a Friendly happy ending?!?
You need God in your life.😂
@@maltlickytexas party pooper
OMG, Friendly's!!! Haven't even thought about that place in decades! There was one everyhwere on Long Island, NY. Looking forward to this review. Thanks UA! 😊
We grew up with Friendlys . Loved the ice cream. The food is was ok. Sorry to see it decline. Great Video! Jim and Harriet ❤
You crack me up. "the sooner we can accept american cheese was designed to melt, the sooner we can go on with the rest of our lives"
Whew, that's a load off my mind, I feel much better now!
Friendly's was once an incredibly good chain. I'm from the Akron Ohio area and ours was inside the beautiful Rolling Acres mall, which sadly also doesn't exist anymore. My best friend and his brothers and sisters all worked there during thier high school years and almost every trip I made to mall I had lunch or dinner there or at the very least a fribble (shake) or ice cream. The service, food and ice cream was fantastic at our location. Always a smiling happy employee and good food. I miss those days. I didn't even realize they had any locations open anymore. After the ones in my area disappeared, so did the advertising, and that why I didn't realize they were still open in some areas. I really do miss it and I still have great memories of always stopping by and having great food and seeing my friends. My friend and all of his family members enjoyed working there and took pride at well ran, how good the food was and how clean it was.😊
I used to go to Friendly’s in the 70s like the early 70s when I was a teenager. I used to love it. They used to make great patty melts,ice cream soda’s,club sandwiches. I also used to like Howard Johnson’s, but that was yesteryear.
My sister put herself thru college working at Friendly's! She worked the morning shift mostly truckers and the like but she raked in the tips! And she would always bring her kid brother ice cream every day. Great place!
Im in my 40's. I had a job in the kitchen at a Friendly's as a teenager back in the 90's. This brought back a lot of memories.
Another great video, UA. You seem to be able to bring up good memories for me. My mom and I would go for a late breakfast, so it wasn't considered too early to have ice cream, too. I probably have only been there one time since she's passed away.
Wishing you and Tina a great week ahead. Looking forward to your next review.
Thank you! Glad to see I'm not the only one with nostalgia for these places!
Your server was so lovely. Next time I might suggest asking the server for recommendations as well😊 this was fun. Thanks, ua 😊
This was my parents' go-to place for me and my sisters after one of us did something notable, from a school concert to a ballet performance. I don't recall eating meals -- just the ice cream, or in my case, a Fribble, the name given to their milkshakes that were so large they were served in the large metal container used by the their blenders -- it would fill a large glass more than two times.
The family-owned company that ran them, beginning in Massachusetts, eventually sold out to Hershey's the first of many purchasers, but at it's peak, there were more than 500. Co-founder S. Prestley Blake died on February 11, 2021, at the age of 106.
I hope Friendly's survives..... when I was with my ex we would always stop there for her kids when we travelled down from Canada to Massachusetts or New Hampshire back from 2010 to 2015-ish...... we all loved eating there. I wish we could have something like this up here.....
Send a letter to the company. You never know!
There was a Friendly's in South Jersey near where I lived. We mostly went there for ice cream. I don't remember eating other food there. Steelers sent down to defeat! Go Birds!.
"The sooner you accept that the sooner we can all go on with our lives" Sounds quite profound even in spite of the fact that you were talking about the meltability of American cheese.
It is a pretty big deal for some of my European copatriots. :)
I live near Hershey Pa and have been eating at Friendly's since I was a kid in the 70's. We used to have at least 6 locations within 30 miles and now we have 2 left.
When I was a teen in the 80's I would always get the New England Clam Chowder Soup, Clam Strips Platter, and the giant Reese's Pieces Sundae. And sometimes being a hungry calorie burning teenager I would get a Fishamajig sandwich on the side for only $1.99.
I’ll always remember drinking fribbles as a kid at friendlys !
I grew up with Friendly’s restaurants. It’s not gourmet food, but it definitely works for a diner/ family restaurant. I had a former co-worker who once worked as a Friendly’s manager. My co-worker always mentioned the great consistency with Friendly’s restaurants. There’s nothing wrong with their breakfasts, patty melts, burgers, and ice cream.
I love broccoli cheese soup, that one looked standard to me but that is okay. The sandwich had a nice grill to it and I was surprised to see that much bacon in a 1/2 sandwich. Cute sundae. Loved this review.
I’m from northern Virginia and we had a few Friendly’s in the area. We went on my last day of 2nd grade, 1988 for a special clown face ice cream. They had an ice cream walk up window we’d go to in the summer, too. They had an amazing watermelon sherbert!
Belly laughed when he told the "Unfriendly's" story followed by his laugh. Just amazing
I always wanted to start a restaurant called "Hostilities". Welcome to Hostilities, sit your arse down! No, you not f-n having a burger, you are getting a BLT. No, you can't have a coke, you are getting root beer and like it. Stuff like that.
My only memory from Friendly's as a kid was when I went with my grandparents and the waiter got so angry that we just wanted Ice Cream and said we had to order food lol... that location was close a year later as a kid and re-open like only a mile away... It's very in the middle of nowhere next to a highway, but it seems it is doing good. Agree at the end that local Italian Ice's place or Ice Cream Joints hit the best.
Sounds like you also had an incident of Unfriendly's like I did back in the day!
I remember going to this place a couple times as a kid with my grandpa, he said "Man, Friendly's was the best, good food, and the ice cream..." I remember the food being okay and liking their fun ice cream creations. I don't remember if it was anything to blow me away when I was like 10, but this is honestly looking pretty good. I think with a place like this, they just don't have the mindshare. No marketing, just an old school brand trying to stay afloat. I don't know how a brand fixes that kind of thing...
Such a nostalgia trip! We used to syop there for ice cream after little league ganes, concerts, all those kind of after school events. The wait times were ridiculous, but the sundaes were massive! I don't even remember having warm food there, maybe a breakfast or occasional burger. Similar to your experience, it was a slice of Americana for a mostly Asian dining experience at home
Our local one was New Providence in northern New Jersey. We would ride our bikes there. They had a cheeseburger melt inside grilled white bread very cheap for us kids & a window outside for pickup. They were delicious & fond memories..
Ah, the watermelon cooler after Wednesday night bible studys, brings back very sweet memories. You have such a child like humor. I really enjoy your videos!! Thanks
I had no idea Friendly's was dying because somehow they managed to do well in my town. Not bad food, decent sized menu, decent service. We used to have 2 in town but think they just merged into 1 location. I don't usually go there because there are better restaurants nearby for the same price or cheaper
I liked Friendly's as a kid during the 80's for Ice Cream and hadn't tried them for many, many, years until last year here in Northern Nashua, NH. It was the worst experience and mostly due to the manager, who screwed up the entire order, and then for the most part blamed it on us and would not reimburse even though the takeout check clearly stated our order, and they botched it. Seemed like a circus in the background with the workers as well.
Hey! I’m a recent subscriber and this is my favorite vid of yours so far! 🩷 Friendly’s was one of my top favorite restaurants growing up. (Along with Big Boy). 🍔Sadly, they closed the last few remaining locations in my state of Ohio in 2012. (How I long for a Fishamajig sandwich and an Orange Fribble!🥤). But I’ve been hearing some good news about the chain in 2024. They’ve started renovating their existing restaurants-including a revamped menu. They’re opening new locations in the South (Texas, Florida, etc) and the CEO intends to slowly expand more (about 5-7 per year) across the rest of the country. I really think they can make a comeback-and I know Ohio will be ready! 🙌🏽Keep up the great work, UA!😉🎉
The nostalgia. I remember as a kid going to Friendly's and it'd be packed all the time. Over the years they've started to decline, but the pandemic really hurt them financially.
I am in CT and we have a few still hanging in there. My kids love it, as we did. The few that are still around are pretty busy. Service is incredibly slow and food quality isnt what it used to be, but its still decent enough to make the trip.
Thanks for the great review and the nostalgia: I briefly worked at a Friendly's back in high school in Central New York in the 1980s. At the time there had to have been a dozen or so locations within 30 miles of where I lived.
I recently went to one of the two surviving Friendly's in Florida and I may have the only customer in the restaurant at midday (of course the location was less than a half mile from the beach.)
There is still a friendlys in clay and cortland
Their Hotdogs and Burgers were awesome when I was a kid. We had like 10 friendly's locations in Rochester Ny, sadly they all closed. I loved friendly's even up to when they closed and I am mad they are gone. I still miss the fribble shakes!
I remember eating at Friendly's all the time as a kid when I lived on Long Island. It was very appealing to kids and they had good food back then. The location you went to here seemed like one of the better ones that are left. I wonder what has happened to people now where no one wants to eat at these kinds of places. Society seems so strange now.
This place is the freaking best!!!❤❤❤
I wasn’t expecting the food to “look” that good. That actually looked closer to what you see in commercials.
They’ve long since closed two of the three Friendly’s in my area. I still Love eating at the last one. You’re so right - it was a super, big treat to get Chinese food. It’s my favorite food to eat!
Here in Massachusetts my parents used to take my brothers and I as children to Friendly’s a lot specially in the summer. Friendly was a super popular place! In my late teens it really went downhill, the service was horrible, the interior was grimy and the food wasn’t anything like I remembered as a child.
I grew up in Massachusetts where Friendly's was started. It was one of the hottest places to go when I was a kid. The ice cream creations were amazing.
I worked at the Friendly's in Westerly, RI back in 2001 and when I went on my dinner break I would order the Crispy dill chicken melt with fries and a pickle, and it was two big fried chicken strips on grilled white bread with pepper jack cheese and a pineapple relish was soo good but they must have discontinued it off the menu 😔 but I'd try the BBQ chicken melt but without the ranch dressing and sub the cheese with pepper jack cheese 😁 . Thank you for the Freindly's food vlog 😊
Your story at 10 minutes reminds me of my childhood, but totally the opposite, like you said. I used to go to Tae Kwon Do every thursday and we'd always get chicken teriyaki takeout from the place next door and it was always the best meal of the week. I was so used to pork chops, potatoes, green beans, and other midwest staples. That chicken was a fantastic change every week.
Absolutely! The food at home may not have been bad but sometimes you just need a change up
Ya, my fave Friendly's meal is the patty melt. Mint choc chip sundae is my go to dessert.
So nostalgic! Grew up eating here in Springfield Massachusetts
I remember there being a friendlys with a drive through in Holyoke by chick fil a. Lol
Been forever since I've been in a Friendly's. We had then in Maryland as well when I was growing up in the 80s. Food was always so so, but I could never leave without my reeses cup sundae
I used to eat there as a kid in the 80s. Loved the food and ice cream back then. Like everything it seems that corporations let it get run down and the quality goes down but the price goes up.
my grandma 👵🏼 used to take my to friendlys as a kid. it was my favorite place to go as a kid. south jersey 856
This does take me back… I still remember when you could get a Fribble instead of a soda with the kids meal no charge… and them more ice cream for dessert with a Mr Cone Head. Funny, I had a very lucrative engineering contract at the place that made defibrillators… because of Friendly’s, I couldn’t spell the word and said deFRIB from that shake.
I live on long island and Friendlys was a great place to go when i was in middle school after a chorus or band concert. But once we became teens or young adults, we "graduated" to none kiddy like places such as Applebees, Fridays, Chilis etc. The last two near me have closed in the last year or two, so i dont even know where theirs still one left out here
We still have a few of them in Camden County, New Jersey. The ice cream is the best thing on the menu , service usually is good but slow . Overall it’s fairly cheap , good choice for families.
Still one near my parents in Morristown Area (NJ). Use to be a great place. Long wait for a table at times.
I used to love their black cherry ice cream and jim dandy sundaes. never thought of them for food.
I never been but I saw Friendlys when I went to Shady Maples. I’ll try it on my next trip
I was born in NJ and lived in PA when I was young, there were many trips to Friendly's...really sad how they declined. I was recently in my old hometown in PA and the Friendly's was closed.
A trip to Friendly as a kid was an S Tier experience. They never were the same once Hershey’s purchased them.
When Friendly’s was popular I would eat there now and then. I recall the food being pretty good.
As for ice cream . I guess I’m kind of old school lol. I would get a hot fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream.
Who remembers the watermelon roll ice cream dessert with chocolate chip seeds.?
As someone who lives somewhere that has never heard of a Friendlys - it’s just as an odd name as Fuddruckers 😅 always enjoy the vids!
used to go to frienlys often as a kid in the 90's was good for kids
you will get internal illness from raw meet and if its frozen worse
A family tradition for our drives to NYC from Canada. It is a great place - always satisfying and amazing prices.
The Friendly’s on Long Island also have pretty solid food and in today’s economy the prices are really good for the quality. The creative sundaes are my personal draw (I love their ice cream flavors too) but I think if they made them into late-night places it would drastically improve their bottom line…soooo many active bars on Long Island and the places open late into the night to serve that 21-up crowd do very well out here…something to think about…
I loved going to Friendly’s, I wish this never happened to them. Their burgers and sandwiches were always so good.
I worked at that location, as well as in Fair Lawn, over 20 years ago. Time really flies!
I loved friendlys in the early to mid 2000s (NJ born and raised). We ate there every Friday night. In college, my boyfriend and I would go there all the time. I went to college in MA. Now I live in VA and there are none here and nobody knows what it is :(
We had the second friendly in Holyoke original in spring field their burger melt in the late seventies was very buttery white bread patty onions two pieces of cheese pressed like a Cuban but in a waffle press. Was called simply a friendlys. Desert. Homemade chocolate malt. A pint to bring home
Even back in the 1990’s, there was a Friendly’s in Hartsdale, NY that would run out of food on Sundays.
It’s so sad to me to see the decline of Friendly’s. I grew up in DC but my whole family’s from upstate New York and we used to frequent this restaurant on trips all the time. Such great childhood memories.
Your one of those people that even when you know what you want you still pick up the menu and point at it.
I grew up eating at this exact location, so much nostalgia.
I used to LOVE Friendly's!! There was one near where I grew up in Yorktown Heights, NY (that since closed). I have so many fond memories of going there with my family as a kid - and their clown sundae!
You are correct. My family and I always eat Chinese food on Fridays and it's always a treat!
Sad. When I was growing up, we would go to the one in Poughkeepsie, where all of the workers were in high school. I'd get a BLT, fries, and a dish of black raspberry ice cream. When I was in college, I'd occasionally go to the one in Troy. This was 35-45 years ago! I took my son to one in 2018 while on a road trip. It was already fairly empty, and I remember spending $50-60 for lunch. That lunch deal in your video for half a soup and half a sandwich makes me think that Friendly's isn't long for this world.
Hey Mr. UA , We Need A Friendly's Restaurant 😊😊😊😊 , In WilliamsBurg- Brooklyn, NY !!!! I Am Tired 😫 😮😮😮 Of , McDonald's !!!! You're Doing An Excellent Job 😊😊😊😊 !!!! God Bless You, Your Family & Your Fantastic RUclips Channel .
It's always a good day for ice cream. Always.
If they gave you a full sandwich, that might be passable. As it stands, though, ten bucks for half a white bread sandwich and a mug of soup tells you why this chain is going south.
That's what Panera does..
@@sundaybest27 Panera will be next if they don't increase their portion sizes. No one's going to pay you that kind of money for that these days. People want value for their money.
Friendly’s always has quality and they always would tie a modestly priced entree with a sundae dessert making going there a treat. They were the first restaurant to have Thanksgiving on a bun so to speak except they would put it on sourdough bread and have cranberry sauce & stuffing & turkey on a sandwich.
Bro I remember going there as a kid 1.99 kids meal I think that might off got you ice cream as well they used to toast the hot dog bun that was cheff kiss when I was 5 ,the ressese pieces sundae nostalgia
Great chain. We go to one at Lake George all the time
I loved Friendly's when I was a kid. I would still get a milk shake if there was a location nearby.
Love your videos. Keep up the good work.
I’m a native New Englander and Friendly’s was an absolute staple growing up. It’s depressing to see them on the brink of existence.
I miss Friendlys…was the go-to for us as kids when our grandparents visited. Frequented as an adult for ice cream…. I think they would thrive with a reduced/more simple menu and ice cream. Keep it budget friendly for families. The ice cream sundae snd Fribble were always the draw for me.
Friendly’s used to have a heath bar crunch sundae that was delicious 😋 always loved their burgers fries and honey bbq chicken Sammie’s!
I used to go to a Friendly's in my hometown in Central Jersey when I was in middle school/high school. I would go with my mom and best friend when we would go shopping. Good memories. Hope they survive. I think the chain started in New England? Seems like they still have a good ethic of quality.
UA I will not tolerate any Friendly’s slander. It’s always awesome.
7:04 UA there used to be a Friendly's in Mooresville, NC off I-77 North of Charlotte.
My goto used to be a Fribble and a Supermelt . They used to be in my local mall
29:15 230pm is their DINNER rush! LOL
Wilbraham, MA…home of Friendly’s.
I worked there from 99-2005. To this day the best turkey melt I have ever had