Friendly’s

I used to LOVE friendly’ but they have been so bad the past 6 times I’ve been there. I asked for hot fudge Sunday 2 scoop and it was completely melted when I got it, the tuna melt was nasty. Also it was so dirty there

Popped in here on a whim while out looking for food. The nostalgia was like a tractor beam!
There have definitely been some changes to the Friendly’s chain since my last visit. They’ve clearly made an attempt to modernize a bit, including adding some Ziosks to each table for both handling payment and some pay-​to-​play video gaming. For a mere 1.99, you can avoid the terrifying prospect of having to socialize with the people at your table! (Or adjoining tables, since there aren’t any dividers.) I’m sure some people will miss the old look, but I thought the place looked nice, and it was clean and well-​kept.
The real surprise, however, was the high level of service. Friendly’s had become infamous for poor service, particularly the Elmwood location of my youth, where people would die of old age in their booth before their menus came. Not so at this joint, where our server was rock solid. Our orders were taken quickly and our food arrived sharply, and we even saw our server winning over some grumpy kids at a nearby table to help keep the peace. Gold star for that woman!
The food was… fine. It’s Friendly’s; what can you say? My Fribble was delicious, albeit pricey, and my meal was a perfectly satisfactory salt-​and-​oil delivery system. The chain has always worked the awkward space between fast food and ‘sit down’ cuisine, and it still does. Of course, now that fast food «value meals» are teetering towards the ten dollar mark, Friendly’s is beginning to look like a bargain. At least you get waited on, and the tables aren’t sticky.
Worth taking a look, and giving an old friend a second chance.

In all fairness, the waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the ice cream great. However, everything else was a epic «fail.» Old school atmosphere comfort replaced by discount tacky cookie cutter «mall crap.» Not the Friendly atmosphere we expect much the way Howard Johnson’s was. Ziosk, Friendly’s desperate attempt to remain current only diminishes your dining experience to the point that what you are really eating is average fast food. Don’t expect this to change. Tacky Ziosk table terminal with cheesy games, at $ 1.99 only makes you fell less inclined to return. Fair well Friendly’s; it was nice knowing you …

In a busy Friday night we waited 5 minutes behind 4 groups to be seats. Outstanding on that note alone. The waitress came to greet us within a minute and got us our drinks in a couple minutes. The place was packed but we got our food in less than 10 minutes and it was fantastic. I had a bbq chicken sandwich and she got a chicken wrap and both had great portions cooked right. The new digital checkout was a little weird with my new card but wasn’t a problem. This dinner date reminded me of what I loved of the «old friendly’s». Nice and clean too!

Friendly’s, you lost 2 stars with your horribly executed remodeling. The restaurant used to be private and comfortable to eat in… now with no dividers between booths and tables, including some tables separated by only a wall that comes up less than three feet, it seems like you’re eating in a cafeteria or eating your meal with strangers… uncomfortably close and a part of their conversation! If you thought taking the dividers out between rows of booths was a good idea, you got it all wrong. At least stagger the tables so I don’t have strangers joining me for my meal.
The food is the same, at least that didn’t suffer the fate that the dining area did! Friendly’s has definitely slipped a notch in my standings when considering where to head for a quick meal.

Horrible place. I love friendly buts this one was just nasty and the costumer service wow!!! Moment i placed my order staff was not friendly the waiter said 10 min. I was there for over 30 min no one acknowledge me two pts walked out while i was there. The staff started laughing about the costumers walking out and the manager the older lady with glass also joined the crew. Very unprofessional once my food was ready to go no one ever thought of letting me know my food was nasty and cold. I will never go back to this one!

I’ve been going there for years, and before renovation, I used to see those historic photos of Vernon around the restaurant but they’re all gone but the recently renovated place is like a retro. OMG! Nice atmosphere! Their food is excellent, the servers are awesome, so as their restrooms. Their ice Cream is delicious! Their fish & chips are so good, fries are also good, and all others I’ve ate during all of my visits are good. Our favorite sit-​down place to go! It’s like a tradition! It’s many times better than their restaurant in Manchester. If you want a craving for some ice cream to relax, then this is a perfect place for you!

If you’re looking for quick service, a good atmosphere + food I’d suggest coming here.
We went here with one of my friends nd some family. The food and service were excellent. This is a very family friendly place. Love the ice cream here. The atmosphere and overall vibe of our experience was wonderful (they have pop music playing). The hosts greeted us and we sat down and ate very quickly.
Food
If you’re a vegetarian I highly recommend their create your own vegetarian burger as well as their onion rings (have some texture to them and they’re thick). Another one of our party had the turkey tips and he thought they were «cooked perfectly». According to the other people in our party, the grilled bun for the burger was extraordinarily good, rest of the burger was fine. The chicken quesadilla was good as well.

Just left here. I haven’t been in forever, but was having a massive ice cream craving. The takeout counter was fast and friendly. It looks like they’ve remodeled. Inside was clean and neat. I’ve cream was delicious!

Horrible starting from the minute I walked in… there is an odor and I cannot pinpoint it but the place just smells dirty. I was seated and placed my order relatively quickly. Waitress was ok but forgot my water and didn’t keep up at all with my coffee cup (and they weren’t busy). I ordered a low carb breakfast of scrambled egs, bacon and a yogurt parfait. Eggs were ok, a bit rubbery like they were microwaved. Bacon was wafer thin and tasted like it had been pre cooked and warmed. The parfait was disgusting. Rotten banana slices and green grapes. You can’t tell me that the fruit wasn’t all brown before they put it in the parfait. Table next to me sent back their eggs Bennie because the poached eggs were overcooked (more microwaving issues). Only plus is that they have free wifi.

I’ve been going here since I was a kid. I think the ice cream and sundaes is where their niche is all the other stuff on the menu is ok and overpriced. The ambience I think needs a revamp. And the smell of the place needs to change because it’s not that appealing. My favorite item is the Reese peanut butter cup sundae… come for the ice cream.

Service was super slow. We were waiting almost 5 minutes for someone to appear at the cash register in the ice cream bar, and we spent three times that waiting for our 2 vanilla shakes. Will not be going back there again.

I thought the purpose of writing the order down was to get it right. Food was cold, slow and for some forgotten. Even ice cream orders were wrong and took a long time to get. I know many tables only a couple of waiters may be. If that is the case management is taking your tips away.

If you are prone to Social Anxiety, do not go on busy nights such as FRi & Sat nights… The Vernon location, they cramp you in, and I had a bad panic attack… Was not a pleasant experience.

This Friendly’s is just like any other Friendly’s you have every been to: old and run down. However, I have liked Friendly’s since they have stopped only paying attention to kids and going back to the original retro theme. First off, the food is OK. I had the Fishamajig sandwich. It was not the best but pretty good. But the real highlight of this place is the ice cream. The only other ice cream that I think is good is Shady Glen. You defiantly have to try it after your meal. If you are ordering a drink just a heads up-​the water tastes like chlorine. Another interesting thing I noticed was that they have a fireplace in the back. All and all this is an ok resturant if you are looking for quality, and a good resturant if you are looking for value.

If you’re eating at Friendly’s, you know what to expect for food. That said, it always comes down to service. Often not to sharp, but last night we had someone who did a great job of taking care of us, and the food was better than expected. When you get the service, some of the little things don’t annoy you as much.

Before I had the ingenius idea to leave the shithole known as Connecticut, I used to go to this Friendly’s if I had NO OTHER OPTIONS. Let me give you a breakdown: this is what my family and I referred to as «Sideshow Friendly’s.» There’s people here that freaks at the carnival would avoid. Chris Hanson from «To Catch a Predator» would be able to fill hours and hours of programming if he walked in here. There’s RATS crawling around the dumpsters in the back (big ones, and no, I’m not making that up). It was like visiting a concentration camp for ugly people and milkshakes. Avoid this place, and avoid New England in general.

If you’ve been to one Friendly’s you’ve pretty much been to them all. This particular location is usually pretty packed but typically there is no wait to be seated. Friendly’s has cornered the market in between fast food and restaurant prices. Which makes it a great family location. So expect a lot of screaming and crying children. Definitely not a good location for a quiet, relaxing, intimate meal. But they have decent food for good prices and sometimes offer coupons. They also usually have some deal that includes a meal and a sundae. Right now it’s a meal, drink and sundae all for $ 9.99. Personally I think their ice cream is a little overrated and I could make a better milkshake myself, but you can’t beat the price.