Can FRIENDLY's Be Saved? Trying The Dying Chain - Friendly's Ice Cream and Menu Review

[@uaeats]

Such a nostalgia trip eating at Friendly's again! What dying chain should I review next?

[@maga5381]

Ponderosa Steakhouse/Buffet

[@rockoutconsiderably]

Love this video! How about the 99 restaurant?

[@KevinMcNamara-n5w]

Dennys

[@mengie87]

Have you done Macaroni Grill?

[@Oobaglunk]

Sizzler!

[@jmango2636]

UA always puts a smile on my face … thank you UA!!!!

[@uncjim]

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.

[@bmoak]

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.

[@paulienuti8031]

I remember that I miss Friendly’s

[@DerekL2005]

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 😅

[@Donald-u6q]

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.

[@MrBluesilverred]

The food looks pretty good, nice presentation. Now the line cook can back to nap in his car ……l😴

[@bull_Tattoo]

100%. it was my first job too lol and i worked off and on all thru college. EXACTLY like waiting the movie

[@karenstanislaw8912]

As a teenager in the late '70's, I was first exposed to coffee ice cream through the Friendly's coffee fribble. Loved it.

[@silvermine2033]

Man, I used to love Friendly’s as a kid!

[@uaeats]

Same!

[@szi5443]

Grew up on Friendly’s, western Mass with a lot great memories, Black raspberry ice cream yum.

[@szi5443]

Also asking a young waitress for a ‘happy ending’ meant a very different thing back then (ice cream)

[@WilliamBaxter-c5h]

Same here!

[@whathe2100]

Both founding co-owners of Friendly’s lived to over 100 years old. The chain was started in Springfield MA in 1935.

[@uaeats]

Wow they had long and hopefully happy lives!

[@MrStan0630]

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.

[@stebesplace]

Who doesn’t love a Friendly happy ending?!?

[@maltlickytexas]

You need God in your life.😂

[@hu_b]

Really like how you set the scene, talking a bit about the history of the place and show the surrounding area.

[@uaeats]

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

[@jeffs.4313]

Great review, UA! Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to your next video.

[@uaeats]

Thank you!

[@Caoimhin777]

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.

[@adamgallagher20]

But if you're going for total and complete childhood little kid nostalgia, then it's the conehead sundae ftw lol.

[@uaeats]

Yeah they are becoming few and far between

[@LL-bl8hd]

The conehead and Reese's sundaes were legendary!

[@robmorrill5104]

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!

[@riffraffsrc]

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.😊

[@brian4019]

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"

[@podunkcitizen2562]

Whew, that's a load off my mind, I feel much better now!

[@docmanhattan9042]

@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!

[@LauraSmith-z4p]

I would call it "personable".

[@docmanhattan9042]

@@LauraSmith-z4p whatever someone chooses to call it, its entertaining and gives me a laugh. I will continue to watch and like future uploads...

[@creamynoodlesslayer]

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.

[@xneapolisx]

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! 😊

[@costasworldofmusicmemories5792]

We grew up with Friendlys . Loved the ice cream. The food is was ok. Sorry to see it decline. Great Video! Jim and Harriet ❤

[@mattsean6164]

Belly laughed when he told the "Unfriendly's" story followed by his laugh. Just amazing

[@paulromsky9527]

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.

[@jonsher7682]

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.

[@acharis-Annie]

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.

[@uaeats]

Thank you! Glad to see I'm not the only one with nostalgia for these places!

[@ZepG]

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.

[@longplaylegends]

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...

[@jbb-cj1md]

"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.

[@mikistjep]

It is a pretty big deal for some of my European copatriots. :)

[@jessossenkopp]

I wasn’t expecting the food to “look” that good. That actually looked closer to what you see in commercials.

[@homer128]

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!.

[@heytherehowareyou1272]

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.....

[@silvermine2033]

Send a letter to the company. You never know!

[@tigerpinky]

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.

[@smokedsalmon9991]

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.

[@uaeats]

Sounds like you also had an incident of Unfriendly's like I did back in the day!

[@xc7525]

Your server was so lovely. Next time I might suggest asking the server for recommendations as well😊 this was fun. Thanks, ua 😊

[@johnfronczek2658]

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.

[@christophermancini7380]

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.)

[@fastfoodreviewandelvistoo]

There is still a friendlys in clay and cortland

[@matteidens62]

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.

[@rg20322]

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.

[@cristinmccloud1980]

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!

[@WaterJake]

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

[@A_Balanced_Breakfast]

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.

[@uaeats]

Absolutely! The food at home may not have been bad but sometimes you just need a change up

[@jmason61]

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..

[@RichardBiggs-n6x]

7:04 UA there used to be a Friendly's in Mooresville, NC off I-77 North of Charlotte.

[@jessicabeliveau6058]

So nostalgic! Grew up eating here in Springfield Massachusetts

[@dpguinee]

I remember there being a friendlys with a drive through in Holyoke by chick fil a. Lol

[@hoibsh21]

Ya, my fave Friendly's meal is the patty melt. Mint choc chip sundae is my go to dessert.

[@blueyes85]

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.

[@brianschanne6941]

I worked there from 99-2005. To this day the best turkey melt I have ever had

[@dougtube9870]

A trip to Friendly as a kid was an S Tier experience. They never were the same once Hershey’s purchased them.

[@miker7233]

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.

[@liztrainer895]

Who remembers the watermelon roll ice cream dessert with chocolate chip seeds.?

[@sandriagutierrez2605]

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

[@cherriberri7161]

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.

[@formerlyknownashammerofthegods]

Even back in the 1990’s, there was a Friendly’s in Hartsdale, NY that would run out of food on Sundays.

[@mikefigures5075]

Still one near my parents in Morristown Area (NJ). Use to be a great place. Long wait for a table at times.

[@AndrewAntonelli-dj4qt]

used to go to frienlys often as a kid in the 90's was good for kids

[@rogerrosen2323]

you will get internal illness from raw meet and if its frozen worse

[@jsp5162]

UA I will not tolerate any Friendly’s slander. It’s always awesome.

[@Johnnycam1]

Great video UA!

[@RobertMitchellVideoGameHoarder]

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

[@jamess7903]

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.

[@josephzakrzewski9520]

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.

[@JorgeRodriguez-kv7sk]

UA you should have gone to the original Friendly's in Springfield Massachusetts

[@fomfom9779]

Being on a busy highway IS a good location. Restaurants 101.

[@ChickenThug55]

True, but better if the Hwy has small side roads along the hwy to get to the place for easier entrance. This place didn’t look like it was off a highway. Traffic was moving like it was on a regular street with barricaded middle sections.

[@fomfom9779]

@@ChickenThug55 UA used the term highway. If you read in the description, it is located on US 46. And if you put that address into Google maps, one can see the restaurant is situated on a huge parking lot. Part of which is bordered by another roadway; with access.

[@brutallyhonest3574]

It's always a good day for ice cream. Always.

[@subaruamazon]

I used to love their black cherry ice cream and jim dandy sundaes. never thought of them for food.

[@rkase24]

I worked at that location, as well as in Fair Lawn, over 20 years ago. Time really flies!

[@paulroberts826]

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.

[@mikes.4136]

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!

[@bham311]

Wilbraham, MA…home of Friendly’s.

[@AnubisReign]

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

[@Snowboarder16]

Great chain. We go to one at Lake George all the time

[@92retsekoj]

American cheese is actually a blend of cheeses. Typically cheddar or calby is the main cheese. They add emulsifiers to get it super melty. So this whole thing of people saying it's not cheese is annoying.

[@TheBigYellowRebel]

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!😉🎉

[@CMKMarch63]

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.

[@WildTaltos]

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.

[@sundaybest27]

That's what Panera does..

[@LunaticKD1991]

​@@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.

[@dpguinee]

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 :(

[@WorkItBaby2183]

29:15 230pm is their DINNER rush! LOL

[@BeliaLastes]

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 😊

[@DW-xt7vz]

A family tradition for our drives to NYC from Canada. It is a great place - always satisfying and amazing prices.

[@TheRoadTripChannel]

I think there still is a Friendly's in Morristown, New Jersey, near Convent Station on Route 24.

[@chrisandchriscollectingcar8778]

It is still there.

[@kirkdavis2881]

I used to like them. Burgers and fries were decent and good sundaes.

[@matt.stevick]

my grandma 👵🏼 used to take my to friendlys as a kid. it was my favorite place to go as a kid. south jersey 856

[@alisachamoy225]

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!

[@live2cd]

I was trying to look at the menu when you had it on camera, do they still have the famous Cone Head Sundae? it was vanilla ice cream with Reese's Pieces as the eyes with a chocolate cone on top. There was also a TON of peanut butter sauce under the vanilla ice cream. it was my GO TO when i was a child in the late 80s early 90s. i was super hoping you would order that!

[@uaeats]

Oh yeah! I remember that. I did not see it. The monster mash I ordered definitely was around when I was younger though

[@surfstarcc1]

Friendly's is still pretty popular down here in Florida.

[@LauraSmith-z4p]

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.

[@patcat75011]

Where is this location ?

[@rkase24]

Elmwood Park NJ

[@michaellurie9138]

All the Friendly’s in Westchester County closed down when the operator went into bankruptcy. Sad. R.I.P. Friendly’s in Eastchester, Pleasantville, Hartsdale, and the Goodfellas location in Wykagyl New Rochelle.

[@chrisandchriscollectingcar8778]

I used to love not far from the Eastchester location. I had to look up what happened to it and saw it is now a sushi place? That Friendly's was a staple of my youth. My mom would take us after school on certain days for ice cream. I can still taste their water they served in those small glasses after a few bites of ice cream. Was such a great place.

[@sdparnes1]

They had a promotion for cheap dollar ice cream cones this summer and we got a few the place was clean. Staff was friendly and I believe that they deserve people to give them a try, especially when people are spending money at so many overpriced shake shack type places

[@JohnPMiller]

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.

[@paulromsky9527]

I remember Friendly's usually had waitresses that were, hmmmmm, quite ample in the just the right place [wink]. I always thought the service was good, good food, good prices. It is sad they don't draw crowds anymore.

[@MarlonBrown-s2l]

Mr. UA, The Friendly's Sandwich Should've Been Full Size 😊😊😊😊 !!!!

[@7ia67]

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!

[@grimper35]

The best on the Friendly’s menu was the vanilla ‘Fribble’… kind of an ultra thick milk shake. Good patty melts too.

[@ryant7865]

Dad, Aidan and I had been to Elmwood Park Friendly’s together!!!

[@pokerace-mc4om]

The Mini mozzarella sticks are great

[@Nuttyirishman85]

Friendlys used to send me a free meal email on my birthday. The past two years it’s a free Sundae with meal purchase. Their food isn’t good enough to eat, without that free incentive.

[@dansgsds]

Next time don't order the toothpaste flavored ice cream, you can't screw up vanilla ore chocolate or the other classics

[@Alan-lv9rw]

In high school we’d go to the Friendly’s in Bethel, CT after basketball games.

[@ChickenThug55]

Never heard of Friendly’s in 40yrs living in the Midwest. It looks like the dying chain called Perkins and Boston Market, where I live. That burger looked pretty legit for a chain restaurant.

[@michaelstowbridge6947]

Jalen Hurts, your quarterback from Texas, saved the Eagles. Now, with a great running back, he needs to go get a Superbowl ring, for Philadelphia and the NFC East.

[@danny8063]

hahaha yes it does ring a bell! When he has the cake with hundreds of wishes. "and a matching pair of lima beans!"

[@staysteezy1104]

I think the biggest reason why Friendly's has been on a steady decline over the years is because of the kitchen and what goes on in the workplace behind the scenes. I remember being a kid going there a lot on the weekends with my father, stepmother and stepbrother having a blast until one night we sat at our table waiting for HOURS for them to come out with our food. I ended up getting the wrong thing then waited another hour. All that waiting just for chicken tenders. A majority of the food on the menu should never take that long to cook ever and just after that, every time we had gone it was just getting worse and worse. As I grew up I heard the same complaints from many people over the years. I'm not sure what's wrong with the chain, if its cursed or what but the cooks always suck.

[@kevinpierce6647]

Lol funny thing when you ordered coffee i literally stopped what i was doing and made coffee .. 😂😂😂 great mindset there