Friendly Ice Cream Corporation

Friendly's

Type	Private
Founded	Springfield, Massachusetts (1935)
Headquarters	Wilbraham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Number of locations	380
Key people	John Maguire (CEO)
Products	Sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups, breakfast foods, ice cream, hot dogs
Number of employees	10,000
Parent	Dean Foods (dairy products) Sun Capital Partners (restaurants)
Website	www.friendlys.com

Friendly's is a restaurant chain on the United States' East Coast. Friendly's was founded in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the Blake brothers S. Prestley and Curtis. It has 10,000 employees; John M. Maguire is the CEO. It offers as diner-style cuisine and highlights its 22 ice cream flavors; many locations offer an ice-cream only take-out window alongside of the table service option. A total of 380 Friendly's are spread across Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Friendly's was founded in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, by brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Blake brothers opened a small ice cream shop named "Friendly", selling double-dip cones for 5 cents each. In 1940, a second Friendly in West Springfield was opened with an expanded food menu. During World War II, the Blakes closed the business until the war's end. By 1951, 10 Friendly's were operating in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The expansion of the company led to the move of headquarters from Springfield to Wilbraham in 1960. By 1974 the chain had grown to 500 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest. That year, a food processing and distribution plant opened in Troy, Ohio.