5 things to know about the rise and fall of Friendly’s restaurants in the Dayton area

Here are some things to know about Friendly’s:

When did all the Friendly’s restaurants leave Dayton?

All Friendly’s restaurants in the Dayton area abruptly ceased operations in November 2014. The closing of five locations left more than 50 workers without jobs.

All 14 restaurants in Ohio were closed around that time.

How far do you have to go to find a Friendly’s restaurant?

According to the Friendly’s location finder on their website, the closest restaurant is in Hagerstown, MD, 257 miles from Dayton.

There are still 119 Friendly’s stores in the United States. However, the majority of them are in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. Other Friendly’s can be found in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Carolina.

How did Friendly’s get it’s start?

In 1935, brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake opened an ice cream shop called “Friendly” in Springfield, Massachusetts. Five years later they added a second location, and added food to the menu. It wasn’t until 1989 that the apostrophe “s” was added to name, making the name “Friendly’s.”

Known for their ice cream sundaes, ‘supermelt’ sandwiches and hamburgers, Friendly’s peaked with 850 restaurants in 1996.

What happened to all the Dayton area Friendly’s properties?

The former Friendly’s in Springboro became an Enterprise Rent-A-Car office.

The former Friendly’s in Vandalia was demolished to make room for an expansion of a True North Shell gas station.

The former Friendly’s in Troy became a Circle K convenience store and gas station.

The former Friendly’s in Beavercreek was torn down and a Panera was built in its place.

The former Friendly’s in Kettering is expected to be torn down and turned into more parking space for Kroger.

Why did so many of the restaurants close?

A casualty of a tough competition, rising costs, and a changing customer base, Friendly’s filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection three times, starting in 2011, then again in 2019 and lastly in 2020. Several restaurants were closed as cost cutting measures each time.