The town landmark is now closed so we will have to go somewhere else.
"Loyal fans recall sweeter times" by Erin Ailworth Globe Staff / October 6, 2011
BRIDGEWATER - For more then 75 years, Friendly’s has been a New England Institution, and the closing of some 60 restaurants - and the possibility that many more might follow - spurred memories of eggs over easy, tuna melts, and thick Fribble shakes shared with friends and family....
Mention of the chain’s name around town yesterday elicited smiles as residents and workers reminisced about hot summer days cooled by a Friendly’s double-dip cone, late nights highlighted by ice cream runs, and joyful dinners to celebrate a performance in a school play....
The Bridgewater Friendly’s, like the restaurant chain, fell victim to increasing competition and a faster pace of life, in which sit-down meals gave way to lunch on the run.
Joe Staska said when he takes a lunch break from work at Broad Street Tattoo, which is on the same block, he usually pops across the street to the D’Angelo sandwich shop.
“This is faster food,’’ the 40-year-old Hanson resident said, gesturing at D’Angelo before looking back toward Friendly’s, adding of the restaurant, “You kinda forget about it, too.’’
Dorothy Poland and her daughter, Suzette, who both work at Dr. Sherman Geller’s Plymouth-Bridgewater Eye Care Inc. two doors down from the restaurant, said they visited the place only a handful of times each year, usually to get ice cream. The elder Poland said she hoped another restaurant, like an Applebee’s, a sit-down restaurant chain that markets itself as a neighborhood gathering spot, might take Friendly’s place.
We have one!
At the Friendly’s, signs pasted to the ice cream “order’’ window and the front door read: “Thank you for your patronage. This restaurant has permanently closed.’’ A few would-be customers pulled into the nearly empty lot around lunch time, but quickly left, hoping to get to another restaurant before the end of their break. Teary-eyed employees later gathered in the parking lot after spending a few hours inside the locked building, apparently helping to clean....
They didn't want to talk to the Globe reporter, and neither would I.
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"An institution seeks protection" by Jenn Abelson Globe Staff / October 6, 2011
Friendly Ice Cream Corp. , which opened its first shop during the height of the Great Depression, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday, closing 63 stores overnight and laying off about 1,200 workers - half of them in its home state of Massachusetts.
I can't imagine that helping the unemployment numbers as the Grand Depression continues.
Friendly’s chief executive Harsha V. Agadi said in a phone interview from the company’s Wilbraham headquarters that Friendly’s is already taking major steps to improve. Sales are up more than 6 percent since the chain launched a splashy “High 5’’ advertising campaign last month featuring $5 deals (KSL Media, the company behind the campaign, is owed $3.3 million, making it one of the top Friendly’s creditors). Customer complaints are down nearly 40 percent since calls started being handled at a local level, rather than getting funneled to a call center, according to Agadi. He said he expects profits to double or triple after Friendly’s emerges from bankruptcy.
Then WTF?
The company is already working on a new store concept, with the code name “American Classic,’’ he said. It will include a more trendy look, iPads for order-taking, and focus on healthier foods....
Is shit shoveling a requirement for a corporate executive position?
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And Sun Capital stole your tip:
"Friendly’s targets pensions, agency says" by Jenn Abelson Globe Staff / October 14, 2011
A federal agency that monitors company pension plans is accusing Friendly Ice Cream Corp. of filing for bankruptcy protection in order to get out of paying the pensions of nearly 6,000 workers and retirees.
Friendly's f***ed you!
Friendly’s, the Wilbraham chain that is owned by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc., sought bankruptcy protection last week under Chapter 11 and abruptly shuttered 63 stores and laid off about 1,200 workers.
But sales are up and profits will double or triple.
The company said it was a casualty of a difficult economy, high supply costs, and changing customer tastes.
But the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency responsible for protecting pension benefits, said yesterday that the real reason for Sun Capital’s bankruptcy filing was to use the reorganization process to abandon the pension plan, while retaining ownership of Friendly’s.
“It looks like Friendly’s and Sun Capital are trying to make their employees and retirees bear the brunt of the company’s restructuring; the employees deserve better,’’ said Josh Gotbaum, director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Friendly’s, which was founded in the depths of the Great Depression, outlined its intentions in a plan it filed in US Bankruptcy Court.
Under this proposal, nearly all of Friendly’s assets would be sold to an affiliate of Sun Capital, which would not assume the company’s liabilities, including the pension plan. The pension liabilities would remain with the old Friendly’s, which would be left with few or no assets.
An auction of the assets is expected to be held in early December....
And it being the holiday season around here no one will be paying attention.
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Yeah, Merry Christmas Friendly's employees and patrons.
Sorry I've lost my appetite for the Boston Globe, readers.
