Friendly’s

I love Frienldy’s but this particular chain is not up to standards that others are in the area. I got a glass of ice water for my drink and it tasted a little weird, I asked my dad to taste it and he agreed, it tasted like chemicals kind of like chlorine, when the waitress came back I asked her about it, she said that there is something wrong with the water and they don’t know what it is so I had to pay $ 3 for a bottle of water. Now this was about 4 months ago, I went back last week and the water still tasted like chemicals… if they are serving customers bad water it could seriously harm them. Seriously needs to be changed.

The food was great, our waitress was fair But-​When it came down to using our check in coupon,(we were very excited to use!) It instantly was a issue the Manager was clearly fustrated with Unilocal services… I guess it needed some sort of number/​code. It would’ve been more professional of her to handle the matter with grace rather then rude! Ehh until our next visit the stars will remain low

I am disappointed to give this place only two stars, as this is one of the fam’s favorite places to go. Unfortunately today’s meal may merit even less. The waitress was almost incomprehensible, but not bad. Brusque. We enjoyed our meal celebrating my young daughter’s birthday with some cousins. Our attempts to use our Unilocal coupons were met with a huge wall of rudeness and attitude about «there’s no number» «I need a number or a code «. Shouldn’t a decent manager honor a coupon for the sake of the customer? As a manager myself I am disappointed with her attitude. Too bad Tina wasn’t our server! She is a true asset.

This chain needs to rethink the name, the waitress today was far from friendly.
Seriously, when you go out to eat you want to be treated like a customer not a problem unless the place is giving a discount for poor service, all service should be good or at least try to be good.
If a waitress is busy, over stressed, in the weeds etc. the customer should not have to be burdened with it nor should their service from that server suffer. Get some help from other staff or manager, take it in stride, be kind and smile despite it all.
I don’t say that to be mean, I say that from experience as a long time restaurant worker who started a 20 year career working at my first job at a Friendly restaurant when I was 16 years old. You get out of this job what you put into it, the worse you are, the worse off you’ll be… the better you are, the happier everyone will be.
I asked what kind of chocolate ice cream they offered and the waitress rolled her eyes and said what, like we have a lot of flavors, do you need to see a menu or something? Like, uh gosh there are a hundred other ways she could have said that to me without her response obviously implying I asked a stupid question. This is not a social event between she and I, I’m out with others and this is not a place for her to extend her social commentary on me. Laugh about me latter not in front of me.
Next, I asked her for one scoop of ice cream with extra hot fudge, she interrupted me and went on to the next person for their order and failed to even try to listen to my request. I asked again, she still shrugged me off. Of course when she brought it out it was wrong and when I asked her to correct it she became flustered and stormed off to fix it.
Seriously, there are other ways to offer service to customers and this would probably be the least likely method.
Overall, the prices at Friendly’s have gone up so much that you could find a much better meal at one of the national chains. The food has become mediocre, they are definitely trying to diversify but still are not getting it. They should go back to the basics and stick with quality standard fare food and less trendy meal options sacrificing quality.
The hot fudge was watery and was more like syrup then hot fudge and the ice cream had ice crystals in it.
Sadly, I’m loosing my love for Friendlys.

Food was acceptable, however the only vegan option on the menu were the waffle fries and garden salad. That’s it!
Wait staff was robotic but service was acceptable

Friendly’s… a business that has done what was necessary to survive all these many years. This one in Southington was just renovated. Nice clean look with touches that bring back the «good old days» (whatever that means to you).
Quick seating even with a long line. Prompt service with a friendly smile. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with veggies and my wife had a hot dog with fries. These items were cooked properly and served nice and hot. Not bad for standard fare. If a senior, the meal includes a small sundae. And that is where Friendly’s shines. Their ice cream is delish. And portions are generous.
This local place is packed. Most tables have kids. The kids are all eating and enjoying themselves. A nice family atmosphere… here come the servers singing happy birthday to someone. Nice. A place that I think of when I think of Americana. Glad this business is in town.

My first time! Not bad. The grilled turkey w a side of steamed broccoli and mixed steamed veggies was a yummy delight.

Food is good as always prepared fast and accurate the service is usually really good or at least acceptable. This time the waitress brought our drinks and tossed our straws on the table. She vanished for 15 min to smoke (I understand 2 15 min paid beaks are allowed for an 8 hour shift.) but then she vanished in the back with out checking on us or any other tables. For another 10 min. Before coming to check on us with empty cups and eating children she grabs the empty plates off the table and starts to walk away when we ask for a refill. The service was subpar food was good and accurate. That is why it is 3 stars.

Why oh why does it smell so wretched??? That’s the first thought I had as I stepped across the threshold of the entrance door. A restaurant (even an inexpensive chain) should never smell like that. The carpet was sticky and felt as if it was moist underfoot (even with sneakers on). Ice cream was okay but they were out of their special of the Cracker Jack sundae. The only reason for 2 stars is because our waitress was nice.

My friends and I drove past Friendly’s while in Southington the other day, and we had the sudden inspired decision to go relive part of our childhood. While Friendly’s was never somewhere my parents took me to as a kid, I remember liking it as an 18-​year-​old, so I was totally on board. The place was packed at 6PM on a Saturday, but we got a table after a 10-​minute wait.
The first thing we noticed was that the place was in desperate need of a renovation. The decorations looked old and tired, the carpet had seen better days, and the floors around the entrance were unpleasantly sticky, presumably from the ice cream. Oh well, we’re not there for the atmosphere.
We ordered mostly Supermelts, and my friend got their Turkey Tips. She also tried their new Sour Patch Kid drink, and it was sweet and refreshing, like a good lemonade with watermelon flavoring mixed in. I ordered the Honey BBQ Supermelt that I got years ago when I was last at Friendly’s and it didn’t disappoint. With fried chicken tenders, bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, and ranch on buttered toasted bread, it’s a total gutbomb, but I loved every second of it. It’s everything you want when you’re looking to ruin your diet for one night. The sandwich looks small on the plate, but it is NOT messing around. I was starving when it arrived, but after finishing the whole sandwich, I was uncomfortably full. It came with a good-​sized portion of fries that were hit or miss, with some satisfactorily crispy and others soggy and disappointing. The main event was good enough that I didn’t care though. My friend enjoyed her Fishamajig Supermelt, only having enough room to finish half, and another loved her Turkey Tips (which looks like a healthier option, but I’d say if you’re at Friendly’s, just go all out and get the Supermelt).
For dessert, we decided to forego getting separate ice cream cones and instead split the Hunka Chunka PB Fudge Lava Cake Sundae. This thing was INSANE. It came with three scoops of Hunka Chunka PB Fudge ice cream, a molten lava cake with peanut butter sauce inside, chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce, whipped cream and a whole Reese’s peanut butter cup. I thought I was going to die while eating it, but death by peanut butter and chocolate is a good way to go. We split it between three people, but I can see it easily being split between four-​five people, especially with a Supermelt already in the belly. It was rich and glorious and I don’t know whether I should ever do it again, but it was so good while it lasted. Pro tip: Ordering a sundae and splitting it with friends is actually cheaper than getting a single cone on your own.
My only complaint was that the food took forever to come out. From the time we ordered to the time our food arrived at the table, it was about thirty five minutes and I was getting sick of waiting. How long does it take to assemble some sandwiches and fries? Apparently a really long time. I’ll let it go this time because there was fairly large group at the table next to us. Also, our waitress was super busy and at some points we had to literally wave our hands in the air to flag her down so she could take our dessert order. Between that and the long food wait, our whole meal took about two hours. Still, I’d go back when I have a hankering for a Supermelt in a few years. So wrong, but so right.

I live near Seattle now, but Ahhh… Childhood memories. I got to be straight with you folks food wise it’s average. They’re a little bit better than Denny’s and that’s not saying much.
You come here for ONE REASON ONLY AND THAT’S ICE CREAM!!! VERMONT EQUALS BEN & JERRY’S AND CONNECTICUT EQUALS FRIENDLY’S ICE CREAM as far as I know…
When CT is getting you down with its’ 90 – 95 degree then cool off with cup of Friendly’s Ice Cream!
Happy Eating
Hungry eBayer

Eh. More like «Cordial’s.» Our waitress, April, was absolutely delightful and flexible with a group of eight adults and one infant. However, mediocre food was slow coming out, and the large security camera in the corner set a weird vibe.

The only reason this Friendly’s received the 2 star and not a 1 is because our waitress was stellar! She kept the drinks refilled, was quick and courteous, and made sure we ordered the best combination to actually save us money. The place was disappointingly dingy, and since I haven’t visited a friendly’s in years, the change was very noticeable. There really is an odd odor when you come in. I used the ladies room and found it lacking not only paper towels but HAND SOAP as well. We ordered the 2 for $ 20 deal, with waffle fry nachos. The fries were extremely greasy and over cooked with a very unappetizing congealed cheese on top. We couldn’t eat more than just a few after scraping off the cheese substance. My husband had the fish and chips, which had the same overly dark and slimy grease texture as the fries. I did like the salad, apple walnut with blue cheese, but the chicken had odd black and dark spots running through it. The kids meal was ok, but the veggies were kind of soggy. The ice cream was pretty good, basically the only part of the meal we ate. I left hungry and a little sad that a favorite childhood place had become so decrepit.

I’ll preface the review by saying My friend and I just got done with sushi, and Rita’s was closed. She was CRAVING soft serve, but Friendly’s was closest so we ended up here.
I can’t review the food, but from what I’ve read, people don’t seem too keen.
Anyway, the girl at the counter was very nice (bet you thought I was going to say Friendly). I think the ice cream I went with was called «celebration». It was like cake with cookie dough in ice cream, and light blue. Really sweet and filling. My friend ordered blackberry ice cream. It wasn’t soft serve but it was great.
The girl at the counter offered samples. 1 star. The samples were delicious. 2 stars. We got double scoops when we only ordered 1. 3 stars.
$ 1.50 total for a cone that should of cost $ 3.50?
4 stars.

My boyfriend was craving Friendly’s on one particular day and I obliged, as I had not been in maybe 18 years or more. Friendly’s used to be my hang out in the Farmington Valley Mall (when it was an indoor mall) when i was a teen in the 80’s. My friend Christine and I would kill for their Fried Chicken Sandwiches with cheese. So in memory of days gone by i was going to order that.
#1. Good God Friendly’s is the ugliest chain restaurant on the planet. The booths are hiddeous, still sporting 70s vinyl. ick.
#2. They no longer have the Fried Chicken Sandwich I love so much. FAIL
#3. So, I ordered the Ultimate Grilled Cheese with tomato soup. The Grilled Cheese was just fine. Not the best, not the worst but it was good. The tomato soup on the other hand was orange and creamy and had no flavor. Literally the WORST tomato soup I have ever had. I ate the grilled cheese and dunked it 2x before I gave up on the soup.
Sometimes it’s better to have the memories than to try and relive the past.

No over all real issues.
Food was consistent for a friendlys.
I always hate when the bathroom is out of paper towels…
For being as busy as it was, everything by way of food was prepared correct.
I would return

Friendly’s has been in Southington for years and years. Early last decade, the food was great and the service great. Late last decade, the food slipped tremendously and the service struggled.
More recently, the food seems fairly solid, and it’s hot. The service is still spotty. You have to find your waitress, she doesn’t find you, I’ve learned these last few times I’ve done in the last year.
The Southington Friendly’s is the one I consider the inferior one, locally. I don’t avoid it, but I don’t seek it out. I more get dragged to it.

My little sister loves Friendly’s because loves the idea of having ice cream and burgers. I took her here once and was beyond disappointed.
Entrance: They really need to do something about the smell of the entrance. It’s terrible, it is gag stimulating.
Food: greasy and dry. I knew what to expect but I was really disappointed with my fries. If my work cafeteria can do fries well I don’t see any valid reason why it’s not accomplishable for Friendly’s.
Service: waitress wasn’t attentive at all. I think she was also turned off because I had a coupon! But she did draw a smilie to convince me her lack of service should be overlooked and she should be rewarded with a nice tip.
Parking: Tons of wide spaces.

It was kinda slow.

As far as Friendly’s restaurants go this one is great! Nice booths for seating and friendly staff. I’ve never had to wait more than 10 min to get a seat. The food is really really good. The diet menu is fantastic also. I highly recommend the Caprese chicken sandwich. Of course the ice cream is great too! The favorite for my kids is Dippin Chicken with fries.