Times are tough for many right now. I’m not telling you, dear Massachusetts friends and neighbors, anything you don’t already know. Major retail stores are closing in certain locations. Some of our favorite restaurant chains are closing COMPLETELY.

However, the news isn’t ALL bad. Every now and then we see a light at the end of the tunnel. And the news is VERY GOOD for one of our favorite local restaurant chains that was founded in Massachusetts.

Need more tips? Not only was this family restaurant and ice cream chain founded in the Commonwealth, its headquarters are STILL located here. The chain used to operate about 800 restaurants (I believe 50 of them were in Pittsfield), but over the years that number has dropped to about 100.

Another clue? My sister Laurie is the assistant manager at one location (OK, I realize that’s not much of a clue, but I wanted to give her a shout-out anyway – “Hey, sister!”). The chain’s name starts with the letter F. And did I mention they serve ICE CREAM?

I’m sure most of you have guessed it by now:

That’s right folks! After several major setbacks (including the closure of numerous locations) Friendly’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor for the remainder of 2024 and the years to come.

The website Eat This recently reported on the restaurant chain’s big news. After mass closures (including many local ones), Friendly’s is making a comeback. The company is updating and revamping its menu to make it more appealing to modern diners.

Friendly’s is also remodeling many locations, bringing in more colors, updated “funner” murals, and in some locations, an “open” ice cream counter so customers can check out the “goods.” Yummy!

And last but not least, Friendly’s will slowly expand again. Three to four new stores will open next year, with more to follow after that. You can find more information about this happy story here on the Eat This website.

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