Many local families are sad to see their neighborhood Friendly's go after years of enjoying casual dining at their establishment... myself included! It appears the economy hasn't been so "friendly" to Friendly's, though, and they had some tough calls to make.
After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2011, Friendly's restructured. They had previously closed 63 locations across the Northeast and recently closed 37 locations (including our 5 local ones) in order to emerge from bankruptcy reorganization this week. It came as a surprise to most (including many Friendly's employees) that so many locations would close their doors this week. Now many area families are not only without their favorite dining establishment, but without a job! This is a sad reality.
The recent closures of five local Friendly's locations leaves Albany County void of a single Friendly's restaurant. The Friendly's locations that closed this week include:
After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2011, Friendly's restructured. They had previously closed 63 locations across the Northeast and recently closed 37 locations (including our 5 local ones) in order to emerge from bankruptcy reorganization this week. It came as a surprise to most (including many Friendly's employees) that so many locations would close their doors this week. Now many area families are not only without their favorite dining establishment, but without a job! This is a sad reality.
The recent closures of five local Friendly's locations leaves Albany County void of a single Friendly's restaurant. The Friendly's locations that closed this week include:
- Friendly's on Central Ave in Albany - CLOSED
- Friendly's at Colonie Center on Wolf Rd in Colonie - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Route 7 in Latham - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Route 9 in Latham - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Saratoga Road in Glenville - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Altamont Ave in Rotterdam - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Congress Street in Saratoga Springs - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Delaware Ave in Delmar - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Upper Glen Street in Glens Falls - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Western Ave in Guilderland - CLOSED
- Friendly's on Wolf Rd in Colonie (separate from the mall) - CLOSED
Friendly's Still Open In The Capital Region:
- Troy Plaza on Hoosick Street in Troy - OPEN
- Route 146 in Clifton Park - OPEN
- Route 4 in East Greenbush - OPEN
- Route 50 in Saratoga Springs - OPEN
- Aviation Road in Glens Falls - OPEN
My new go-to Friendly's will be the Clifton Park location, which is very nice, but usually very crowded (and probably will be even more so with all the recent closures). Time will tell.
If you have Friendly's gift cards or a craving for their honey mustard dressing (best around in my opinion), there are still a few locations within reasonable driving distance. My advice to you, however, would be to get there as soon as you can just in case they decide to close more doors unexpectedly.
Johnstown's Friendlys is still open.