Another Mass. Friendly’s joins a string of recent closures as brand turns 90
Yet another Massachusetts Friendly's location has apparently shut down.
The Friendly's in Pembroke has been marked as permanently closed on Google Maps . A call placed to the number listed with the location came up as no longer being in service.
The Pembroke spot is also no longer listed on Friendly's website . While it is unclear exactly when the restaurant closed, a post in The Brockton Hub Facebook group suggested it was earlier this month.
MassLive has reached out to Friendly's parent company, Brix Holdings , for more information.
Friendly's has lost 90% of its locations in recent years, Eat This, Not That reported , including one on Riverdale Street in West Springfield that closed last year. After filing for bankruptcy in 2011 and again in 2020, the company was acquired by Brix Holdings this past July, who committed to reviving the brand.
The Pembroke closure comes as Friendly's turns 90 this year. The company was founded by brothers S. Prestley and Curtis Blake in Springfield's Pine Point neighborhood in 1935.
The chain grew slowly at first, eventually exploding to a high of 800 locations up and down the East Coast by the 1970s. Today, there are only roughly 100 locations left in the U.S., including 22 in Massachusetts .
Friendly's no longer owns its plant in Wilbraham. But it is currently operated by Dairy Farmers of America making ice cream for Friendly's restaurants as well as for sale in supermarkets. The chain is also no longer headquartered in Western Massachusetts, but on Long Island, New York.
The address for the Pembroke Friendly's 146 Church St.
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