Friendly’s

Went in for two milkshakes, what a mistake. Don’t care what they say… not a real milkshake. Bad taste, right in the trash… Yuk!!!

I grew up in Metuchen and I’m old enough to have seen this Friendly’s get built… so I’m an experienced customer at this location. It was part of my childhood and even a special part of my adulthood for satisfying my craving for a Jim Dandy from time to time. However the change of late has not been a good one. They gave it a much needed remodeling, and despite what some others observed I actually like what they did inside. It’s simple and has some nice reminders of Metuchen History on the walls, with clean updated booths. The downside is that instead of someone who is trained and skilled at preparing the ice cream dishes they rely on the often-​teen-​age server to handle this themselves with a variety of results. The other day my wife ordered a scoop of Pistachio to find out they no longer carry that flavor… they do however offer dozens of obscure flavors I’ve never heard of which I cannot imagine sell in sufficient quantities to sacrifice carrying the standards most of us grew up on over the years. I ordered my go-​to sundae, the Jim Dandy to have it arrive missing most of it’s ingredients… I politely pointed it out and the server returned with the sundae now toppling over with the forgotten ingredients piled on top… I get it, they’re not offering high-​end deserts, but it was a complete mess. I guess I’ll be sticking with DQ as my new Go-​To Ice Cream shop for at least they know the bananas and toppings go INSIDE the sundae not as if they’re a work of modern art.

Was on the way to go grocery shopping at wegmans. Sub shop was closed… Needed someplace to eat hot food and said friendly’s sounds like a good idea. 3.6 miles and I enter the parking lot. 0.2 miles later I’m inside waiting for my seat.
The friendly waitress who sat me down forgot about me for 13 minutes. I was starting to feel uneasy … But then I flagged a waitress down and finally some service. I ordered the Honey BBQ burger and boy was it yummy. Nice juicy party topped with fried onion strings and BBQ sauce. The fries were fried to perfection allowing for a nice crispy bite. Now on to dessert. Because after consuming all of those calories I mean, why not? I ordered the Reece’s Sunday a medium of course. And it was heavenly. I will be back again, however next time don’t forget me! I do not like to be forgotten.
Oh yeah just a tip try cleaning the tables before siting your customers down.

The food here has always been great, and I’ve never found a better-​tasting ice cream than Friendly’s. Our server, Taylor, was wonderful also. It’s other things that made me give it two stars, such as the waitress who wouldn’t stop complaining that she only made $ 30 in tips, the kitchen worker who kept yelling that someone hit her with their car, and the new, drab paint job and carpeting that makes the place have the feel of a prison.

I wouldn’t typically review a chain like this, but this Friendly’s takes Friendly’s already mediocre dining experience, and spectacularly ruins it. This place needs to shut down ASAP.
Now, I’m willing to suspend my anecdotal evidence of how truly bad this Friendly’s is, and say that maybe… just maybe… not everyone will have such a poor experience. Regardless, this is my review so I will review based on my own experience.
We went for lunch — ordered a sandwich, a salad, and two glasses of water. Simple enough, right? Upon ordering, the water came out, and had a metallic soapy taste. Honestly, we should have left right there, but we decided to stick it out as maybe there was a mistake in the back and the glasses weren’t washed correctly.
Our replacement drinks came back — same problem. There was a soapy metallic taste that made the water undrinkable. Ok, fine. Guess we won’t be drinking water with lunch.
Next, the food came out. The sandwich had a chicken breast slice in it and was partially frozen. Something about biting into a chicken sandwich and hitting frozen chicken with your teeth makes your appetite go away real quick. The salad came out, and the larger pieces of lettuce were frozen solid.
This wasn’t just about poor quality food, or terrible service — this was about egregious errors on the part of the cooking staff in storing and preparing food. Fearing a health issue from the improperly reheated chicken fillet and the frozen wilted lettuce, we paid our bill (the waiter was the only nice part of the experience) and promptly left.
The manager and cooking staff of this place need to be fired, and banned from working in the food industry ever again. Close this place down and replace it with competent management.

Summary: Since it make’s my DD happy, it is A-​OK in my book.
Will you get a gourmet meal? No. Will you get a great ambiance or impeccable service? No. Will you put a smile on your kid’s face every time? Yes. And that is the reason why I am at this restaurant at least once a month.
As to the food, it is okay, and it is consistently okay, with some highlights and some disappointments (but it also depends on what you like). They have all of the Americana favorites on the meal, so you do not have to spend to much time wondering what to order — either you will want it or not (since you have had variations of most of these dishes for years). Personally, when I am not watching what I eat, I usually prefer to go with the build-​it-​yourself burger option. I usually chose the more unhealthy options, but usually come out with a nice end result (although I wish the buns were a little bigger or could withstand some of the extra juicy options I add on). However, the salads (when I am watching what I eat) are fairly decent.
They have almost every food option a kid can want, and they have ice cream. To a young kid, this is as close to a perfect restaurant that they can ever imagine. And seeing your school friends there is just a whole other great cherry on top for them (and she usually sees someone she knows). My DD is always happy when she leaves, and always willing to go there for any meal. The kid’s meal options are also reasonably priced (as are the adult meals), which makes me (the parent) happy.
The new renovation makes the place look cleaner and brighter (although miss the big clock that did not work)
The cons:
* S L O W. Regardless of the turnover of waiters and waitresses, the service is always slow (in addition, many times, the staff is not well trained when they begin — we have had many different servers over the years).
* They do not open early enough for breakfast
* The size of the ice cream scoops has gotten smaller over the years (the last few times a double scoop seems to have as much ice cream as a single scoop from only a few years ago).
* Did I mention, it can get S L O W?
Would I recommend this restaurant? That depends, if you have kids (tween and under) — without a doubt. For a cheap place for a teenage to take a date? Looks like a good viable option. For just ice cream — maybe. But for two adults without kids looking for a decent place for dinner not usually, but it is still a cheaper alternative than most of the other eateries in town (instead of going for pizza or fast food).

Service is terrible
Food ok
It’s like they don t want u to leave. Only 3 tables had customers and it took for ever to get anything. She forgot our drinks and she took our ice cream order for kids and forgot that also. Our table was the only one she had at this time how can you forget. I hate when someone can t do their job properly and doesn’t care.

Perhaps this Friendly’s is pinching pennies after its renovation? I just got a take out order of a 2 scoop peanut butter sundae and it’s the smallest sundae with the cheapest amount of peanut butter sauce ever. Next time, I’m taking «the drive» to Carvel on Amboy. The store manager should be teaching his/​her HS student employees that more makes customers happy, not less.

While the South Plainfield location seems to have more traffic, I decided to eat at the Metuchen location last night to ensure it doesn’t become yet another empty storefront in Metuchen. Our waitress was friendly enough and our food was okay. My son ordered the kid’s chicken fingers with mashed potatoes and I had the fish and chips with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes instead of fries. For dessert, my son had the sour patch sundae and I had a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The sour patches on his sundae were hard and there was not a single red sour patch only green and yellow (yuck!) They also put an extremely sour syrup on it as well so I would steer clear of those unless you’re serious about your sourness. I had a free kids meal coupon that my waitress happily applied to my bill so altogether it cost $ 17.00 for dinner. Not bad at all. Their claw stuffed animal machine is $ 3.00 which I found pretty outrageous but the kids can play it until they win so that’s cool. All in all, I probably wouldn’t eat here if I didn’t have a young child but for him I’ll suck it up and support our local Friendly’s.

The icecream is good. The wait staff is all young kids. Some use gloves when scooping ice cream and others don’t.
A lot of them stand around and gossip about each other. There are fruit flies and flies that fly around. The place is not busy and the dining room was a mess. Many tables not clean.
This place isn’t what it used to be. I miss the one in South Plainfield.

A solid 3 stars for me. Been here several times and each time has been good. Is it gourmet food? Obviously not, but there something about this place that always makes you feel like a kid. Along with a menu revamp, the classics are still there like the fribble, the clamboat basket, and other items that would make any Jersey kid nostalgic. And at this particular location, they execute well which is what I expect from a chain at the minimum. Service has always been good whether dining in our taking out. Kids will love it because of the kids menu, desserts, free balloons and a claw machine that will make most parents go poor. Overall positive and am affordable place for most families.

They opened late. The cook did not show up on time. Ruined my entire morning. Unacceptable.

Good for families to visit. Food and ice cream were not great. If you want to head out for a great family experience its above average, but the food left me underwhelmed.

I never thought I’d bother reviewing a well-​known chain store like Friendly’s, but the Metuchen shop deserves a special call out. My boyfriend stopped in for a quick late dinner on a Tuesday night and knew we wanted ice cream for dessert. Friendly’s was an obvious choice.
Upon entering we were immediately greeted with a cheerful hello and shown to our booth. Our waitress Alexa was one of the two best servers we’ve had in any restaurant so far this year, and is really the reason I decided to write a review. She was prompt with her service from bringing menus and taking orders, to delivering and following up on our needs. She was bright, happy, and just a genuinely «friendly» person (ha ha I know I’m hilarious).
I was also a bit surprised at how good my dinner was. My boyfriend’s chicken fingers and fries were great, but I’ve come to expect the fried foods there would be. I ordered a chicken apple salad with blue cheese crumbles which was fantastic! There was a hearty portion of apple, cheese and chicken — not just a bed of lettuce with a few trimmings as I’d expected.
If you’re looking for a casual night out at a place you know and love, the Metuchen Friendly’s is a great choice.

They are not «friendly» — something is not right. I thought we would get the kids to have a good time and get them to pick their own ice-​cream. All servers seems grumpy and one in particular was trying to hurry us out of there — they just lost business — don’t go there and if you do stay away from a server named Colleen — ask to be seated somewhere else ! Banged the ice-​cream on the table and the kids jumped — need I say more !

Friendly’s is a great place to get burgers, sandwiches, and salads. The food is reasonably priced for most of the food. Sometimes they have great deals and coupons that you can get through email. Friendly’s is pretty clean but it could be updated. Their ice cream is delicious and their food is pretty good. I do not recommend getting the waffles and the chicken noodle soup. I do recommend getting the chicken fingers, hamburger, the turkey dinner, and the crispy chicken salad. I will be back.

Reason I stopped in today to Friendly’s is because I’m surprised they are still in business. The news said they filed for bankruptcy. Figured I’d pop in and see what’s going on. Well they are def still in business and to my surprise it was actually very inexpensive for two adults. I even found a $ 5.00 coupon that they honored. Waitress was very nice and knew her menu. The patty melt was warm and had flavor to it. I would return :)

Friendly’s is what’s wrong in America. People actually think to review it as a restaurant, as if it matters. The people are nice. Ice cream, ok. Hot fudge a disgrace. Friendly’s is not a restaurant. For those who disagree, it is improved. It’s now clean. Sticky menus, tables, chairs, walls are gone, although someone ought to wash the high chairs and booster seats once in a while. Food is no longer terrible. Prices are over the top wonderful. And if you have a coupon, it’s sinful to use it. Friendly’s is so cheap, you find yourself tipping nearly 50%, just so the young servers can earn a minimum wage! It is a bargain, but for the same $ 20, you can almost have a dinner for two at the Metuchen Inn from the Happy Hour Menu. And, I’ll bet their ice cream is better. Still, what a great place to take kids. I don’t know how they do it.

We go to this Friendly’s a lot. My 6 year old daughter loves it so I don’t mind going. I have never had a bad experience here. There is a waiter there named Taylor, he is super nice and always comes over to our table to say hi to us. He remembers what my daughter gets and will ask her if she’s getting her usual, and she loves that he remembers that… I will definetly keep visiting this Friendly’s!!!

Itsa notta bad.
They have these breakfast sandwiches that they call breakfast SuperMelts that are really edible. I don’t know what makes them ‘super’ melts — the cheese is just melted, it’s not like, scorched or something.
They have Green Mountain coffee, which is drinkable!
They usually ask me if I want ice-​cream too… at breakfast time. Some people must actually get that, and what a great idea! Not me though.