Diners looking to eat at the ice cream staple Friendly’s in the Capital District might have to travel farther to get their Jim Dandy.
Five area Friendly’s restaurants closed once the last scoop was served on Sunday, Jan. 8. The following locations were shuttered: Saratoga Road in Glenville, Route 7 in Latham, Route 9 in Latham, Central Avenue in Albany and the Colonie Center restaurant. There were 32 other locations closed throughout the Northeast, with Massachusetts having the largest amount of closings with 10.
Lynn Bolton, public relations coordinator for Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, said the “difficult decision” was made to close the 37 locations following failed negotiations for lower leases.
“Since entering Chapter 11 in October 2011, the company has sought to work with our landlords to restructure lease arrangements at locations where we believed rents did not reflect current market conditions and were significantly impacting the viability of underperforming restaurants,” Bolton said in a statement. “While we were able to successfully restructure lease agreements for a number of locations, unfortunately, we were unable to reach an acceptable agreement on others.”
Bolton said there were around 20 employees working at each recently closed location, which amounts to roughly 740 employees losing their jobs. Accommodations would be made by the company to hire employees at surrounding locations, according to Bolton.
“We regret that this decision has become necessary, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Friendly’s employees at these locations and intend to accommodate as many as possible at nearby operating restaurants, where available,” Bolton said.
When the company filed for bankruptcy in 2011 it closed 63 restaurants in the northeast. Area stores included in the October closures included the Wolf Road and Western Avenue locations in Albany, Altamont Avenue in Rotterdam and Congress Street in Saratoga Springs.
There are still several Capital District restaurants open, including Route 146 in Clifton Park, Route 50 in Saratoga Springs, Route 4 in East Greenbush and Hoosick Street in Troy.
In December 2010, Friendly’s announced the greater Capital District would serve as a test market for significant upgrades and improvements to its brand through the “Empire State Project.” Friendly’s initiative called for an investment of nearly $2 million into its 17 locations throughout the area. Also, new menus were introduced at area restaurants featuring several “health conscious” selections, according to the company.
Friendly’s, formerly known just simply as “Friendly,” first opened up shop in 1935 in Springfield, Mass. at the peak of the Great Depression. The original shop was opened by the Blake brothers, 20-year-old Prestley and 18-year-old Curtis, offering double-dip cones for 5 cents. The first food item offered on the ice cream menu was a hamburger.
In 1979, The Blake’s sold Friendly to Hershey Foods Corporation. Eleven years later, Donald N. Smith purchased Friendly, with the “s” being added to the name in 1989. An affiliate of Sun Capital partners, Inc., acquired the company in 2007 and 2011 marked the 75th anniversary of the company.