Friendlys

The 63 restaurants Friendly's closed on Wednesday resulted in about 1,260 layoffs -- more than 12% of the company's 10,300 person workforce. Everyone from managers to dishwashers were told Tuesday evening that the following day would be their last at Friendly's.

This ice cream lover is sure she's not alone in harboring affection for Friendly's, which started out as a Depression-era ice cream shop. But when its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday, she certainly wasn't surprised.

The parent of the Friendly's restaurant chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday and said that it has already closed 63 of its stores. Each store employed about 20 people, so about 1,260 jobs were lost. The 76-year-old company known for its ice cream and hamburgers is the...

As severe heat grips most of the East, sales in the ice cream, air conditioner, pools, seashore-related and bowling center segments have spiked with the temperature. The solid sales are welcome relief for industries burned by the recession.

Get a free scoop of ice cream at Friendly's this Saturday, June 5, 2010 as part of Free Ice Cream Day. The freebie also marks Friendly's 75 years in business. Stop by between 12-5 p.m. at participating Friendly's restaurants for the free treat. Last year the chain gave out 500,000 free scoops of...

Friendliness alone isn't getting the job done for Friendly's restaurants any more -- sales have dipped 7 percent since 2004. In an attempt to capture the antsy diner, the chain is opening new, smaller stores that break the old waiter-takes-your-order model in favor of customers ordering at the...

Every day, WalletPop will be bringing you information about a fantastic freebie. Like what you see? Check back tomorrow for more!I haven't set foot in a Friendly's in years -- the food's just OK and the atmosphere is heinously bad. The tacky art and overcrowded walls make it look like the place was...