Friendly's Restaurants Franchise LLC

Founded: 1935 Franchising since: 1996
In Springfield, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, 20 year-old Prestley Blake and his 18 year-old brother Curtis opened an ice cream shop called "Friendly" that served double-dip cones for 5 cents. The brothers opened a second shop five years later in West Springfield, Massachusetts and added food to the menu. Within a decade, locations opened throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1988 Donald N. Smith, the company's current CEO, purchased the company and a year later added an "s" to the name, making it "Friendly's."

In May 2000, Friendly's introduced a new food and dessert menu featuring colossal burgers, sandwich wraps, splits, sundaes and Cyclones. Friendly's produces 10 million snack cups and 230,000 gallons of fudge every year. In addition to its restaurants and cafes, Friendly's manufactures a complete line of frozen desserts.

1855 Boston Rd. Wilbraham, Massachusetts 01095

Phone: (800)576-8088/ (413)731-4211

Franchisor has 263 employee(s); 12 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Growth

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2009	195	0	0	309
2008	193	0	0	312
2007	198	0	0	316
2006	211	0	0	310
2005	198	0	0	331

Where Seeking Franchisees
Not available in the U.S.

Exclusive territories available.
Territory size: Varies

Special Programs
Friendly’s has been raising money for Easter Seals since 1981 under its “Cones for Kids” campaign, which helps people with disabilities lead more independent lives.

Total investment: $157.6K-1.94M Franchise fee: $15K-35K

Ongoing royalty fee: 4% Term of agreement: 20 years, renewable

Express/kiosk option available

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	No
Startup Costs	No	Yes
Equipment	No	Yes
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $1.5M
Cash liquidity requirement: $650K
Business Experience:

• Industry experience

Operations

• 72% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 12 weeks

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Grand opening
• Internet
• Security/safety procedures
• Field operations/evaluations

Marketing Support

• Ad slicks
• National media

Other marketing support

• Grand opening campaign

Franchise 500® rank:
#182 (2009); #433 (2008); #109 (2007); #103 (2006); #162 (2005);