A beloved restaurant with 100 locations now begins to shutter as it suddenly marches toward ‘extinction’, sources report.
Friendly’s, a restaurant chain known for its diner-style cuisine and ice cream, is closing one of its locations in Ronkonkoma, Long Island.
Founded in 1935 by brothers Curtis and S. Prestly Blake in Springfield, Massachusetts, Friendly’s started as an ice cream shop with double-dipped cones for just five cents.
Now the chain has spread to other states on the East Coast, however, in recent years, it’s had difficulty keeping locations open in Long Island, New York.
“Friendly’s restaurants, once a mainstay chain on Long Island, have slowly been marching toward extinction,” reported Newsday.
Just last year, a location in Miller Place closed, making it one of several locations that have closed from Levittown to Middle Island.
Following the closure in Ronkonkoma, there are just 10 Friendly’s locations across Nassau and Suffolk:
- Massapequa Park
- East Meadow
- Coram
- Commack
- East Islip
- Sayville
- Shirley
- Stoney Brook
- Medford
- Riverhead
The news of the closure sent shockwaves throughout the community as several residents shared their reactions on social media.
“Nooooooo…one of my favorite hangouts in high school,” wrote one person on Facebook.
“So sad…remember many memorable family trips to Friendly’s in Port Jefferson,” wrote another person.
“They were good days. Sorry to see them close.”
“It made me super sad seeing all the closed down Friendly’s locations across Long Island,” wrote a third person.
“I had so many good memories and meals there with family that’s not alive anymore.”
In November 2020, Friendly’s announced that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In January 2021, Friendly’s was acquired by Amici Partners Group, LLC, a group of experienced restaurant investors and operations.
Amici has acquired 130 corporate-owned and franchised restaurant locations and has said it plans to keep all locations open but this doesn’t seem the case with Friendly’s, reports The-Sun.
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Also Read: A Giant Company Now Announces Unexpected Layoffs in Maryland
Other Economy News Today
A grocery chain now announces an unexpected closure of three of its stores in the same county after now longer being profitable.
Maryland shoppers will have three fewer supermarkets in a single county after a popular grocery chain said it was no longer profitable to stay there, reports The-Sun.
The popular chain announced that it would be closing three locations in St. Mary’s County next month, according to Southern Maryland News Net.
Shoppers have until April 27, 2024, to pick up their favorites from the shop while employees can expect to keep working until May 10, 2024.
The closures were announced by the store’s Vice President of Operations, Jeff Bleichner.
The following three locations will be affected:
- 22599 MacArthur Blvd, California, MD 20619
- 37670 Mohawk Drive, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
- 40845 Merchants Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
Shopper’s Grocery regularly reviews the sales and profits of its stores and decided that the above three locations were not up to company standards, the VP said.
Bleicher reportedly added that the company understands that the closures will have an impact on the community and its employees but is doing what it can to ease the transition.
The grocery chain operates 57 locations in Maryland, Northern Virginia, Delaware, and Washington D.C.
“Shoppers offers a full-service supermarket with everything consumers have come to expect from a grocer while never forgetting our ‘Everyday Low Warehouse Pricing’ roots,” according to its website.
The company began in 1949 as Jumbo Food Stores and became United Natural Foods in 1999.
The chain took over many former McKay’s shopping centers when that company headed out of the state.
Some store fans said they were concerned about the closures and whether the chain will survive.
In a post entitled “Is Shoppers going to make it?” on a Maryland online forum, several people posted their fears for the store.
“I was just in there. Day before Easter mid-afternoon and there were about 20 people in the store,” one person wrote.
“If you are talking about Shoppers in Charlotte Hall, I was there when it first opened and have never been back. I found them to be way expensive! The store was not crowded,” another added.
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Also Read: A Massive Grocery Brand Now Files For Chapter 11
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