Friendly’s Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Friendly's is a restaurant chain that a lot of people in the Northeast grew up with. I absolutely have fond memories of going to Friendly's as a little kid growing up in New Jersey.

I know that Friendly's has food, and some of it is pretty good, but let's be honest, it's the ice cream that has made the chain so iconic in the stretch of the East Coast that goes (mostly) from Massachusetts to Maryland.

As a kid, I loved the Friendly's sundae that came with the cone on top and Reese's Pieces waiting at the bottom of the ice cold dish (I still like to freeze my Reese's Pieces to this day. Maybe that childhood memory is why, I never really made that connection until just now).

Fun fact, my first full-time radio job was right around the corner from the Friendly's corporate headquarters in Western Massachusetts (man, I miss those corporate visits!).

Today, though, Friendly's announced that they have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and have agreed to sell their assets to an investment group.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Fribbles that we all know and love will be a thing of the past, in the Monday press release, the company said that following the sale the new owners expect to, "...retain substantially all employees at Friendly’s corporate-owned restaurant locations."

The official press release goes on to say that the sale is expected to close by mid-December.

Of the 20 New Jersey locations, there are two Friendly's restaurants at the Jersey Shore, both of which are in Toms River; one on Hooper Avenue across from the Ocean County Mall, the other on Route 37 near BJ's.