Friendly’s

Completely depressing. The waitstaff (besides one server named Karen) all seemed like they couldn’t care less about working. The manager was a mess… she took no pride in her appearance and had the personality of an ashtray. Our server sucked. She all but ignored our table. My wife asked for sugar and our waitress just threw a couple of packets onto the table. What a beotch.
We also unfortunately had a view of the kitchen. It was filthy and I think recently paroled felons were doing the cooking.
But I liked my patty melt!

Eh… Susie and Marie are cool but everything else is just… eh. Try the monster sundae though, it’s shaped like an actual monster!

I’ve been coming here for years and I always come back for the same thing, the ice cream. This is why I’m giving it four stars. It is the best ice cream. Forbidden fudge chocolate ice cream is so delicious, I even bring home cartons of it for later. I also like their friend-​z soft serve cups where you can add all the delicious toppings. My favorite part is the whipped cream so I always ask for extra and the employees here always deliver with a mountain of whipped cream with a sweet cheery on top.
The food is good. I find the cole slaw is one of the best I’ve gotten out at a restaurant. The burgers are nice and juicy. I would recommend the Baja burger but it’s on it’s way off the menu right now as a new menu comes in at least for this location.
My only complaint is that on previous visits there has been an odd smell almost like dirty carpet. I didn’t experiment it this time but I had often in the past.

5 minutes to be seated, 10 to even meet our waitress. The manager had to sit us down and watched us wait, with only ten tables and 4 waitresses. I’ve been a server before and this is just pathetic. This location is actually ruining my childhood memories of Friendly’s.

EDIT 8÷5÷15: OK, this place is sinking fast. Waitstaff is mentally and physically checked out. Service so slow I feel like I’m back at the legendary Darien location. (RIP…God rest their souls) But here’s where it hurts: NO MORE BAJA BURGER. WTF??? Hardly worth the visit now.: (
Aha! I almost forgot why I came back to revise my review: These new children’s activity placemats are terrible! (see my photo) They are giant squares that cover most of the table. An absolute recipe for disaster and spilled drinks as the kids spin the placemat to do new puzzles. Who came up with this horrible idea and how was it green-​lighted? The lack of multi-​colored printing leads me to believe that the writing is on the wall: This legendary family-​friendly restaurant chain is on its last legs… both financially and spiritually.
Still gonna leave my review at 5 stars… these cats need all the help they can get!
Below is the original review… how could you dopes not hit the funny button? This is some of my best work!
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Run, don’t walk… do not pass go… get yourself to Friendly’s STAT for the Baja Burger before they are gone. Spicy ancho chipotle sauce, jalapeño peppers and bacon. You can take your overpriced gourmet hamburger restaurants and shove it. This is where you really need to be. Plus, for 11 or 12 bucks you get a soda, fries and a sundae to boot. That’s good eatin’ on a budget! Ask them to cook it as rare as possible.
My 5 star review for Friendly’s should slightly help offset all the 1 and 2 star clunkers. «They forgot my Hollandaise sauce.» Well la-​tee-​da, I didn’t know the Queen of England was in town. Ignore the odors of carpeting that needs a damn good steam clean. Trust me, it’s worth it.
PS: I’ve not had any encounters with rude employees. (At this location)
PPS: Is it Unilocal-​legal to have studio food photography and staged shots with models? Cuz I can guarantee those photos are straight out of Fantasy Land and not 81 Newtown Road.
When I say get there quick, I mean like double-​time. These Friendly’s are going out of business like it IS their business.

This Friendly’s is dirty and has rude people working at it, but it is worth going to for the ice cream. I love friendly’s ice cream. Try to get ice cream from the window instead of going inside so you don’t have to talk to the people.

You can smell the stale carpet when you walk in and see that the décor is outdated or just not kept up. Took awhile to get our breakfast. I ordered eggs Benedict and had to ask for the hollandaise sauce. Our waitress served it and walked away and when my son went to the kitchen and politely asked for some sauce the cook brought it over. Our waitress returned later and said «yeah, when I saw it like that I thought he forgot to put it on…» Um, then why didn’t you take it back and ask instead of leaving it in front of me?
Potatoes were good. Coffee, blah. The menu is trimmed down from what it used to be. It’s not the place it once was, the chain is clearly suffering. Too bad. In the past you could always count in a good meal and desserts. Now. Not so much.

So so service, even on a quiet Sunday morning. The food was fine. My biggest problem was how dirty the place was: dust all over the window divider, scuffed plates; grungy carpet. Not going back.

Awful service. Barely saw the waitress. Constantly was in the back or running from another table. Gave us the wrong check. Should’ve just paid the 24 $ for 5 people and bounced

Joe Z. That waiter would be Dave. He is good and long gone. They have upgraded the service but be forewarned, when they get slammed, the whole place goes glacial. It just isn’t designed for heavy traffic. Other Friendlies only fair slightly better. Still, if you are with kids and hit the right window of service… Not too bad. Better than Denny’s and cheaper than a diner.

This family friendly northeast chain restaurant serves up well executed New England /​American fare, but what distinguishes this place from other chains is their ice cream menu. They probably have the most extensive selection of ice cream treats and sundae’s you’ll ever come across. It really is that impressive. Who wouldn’t want to end their meal with a «Happy Ending» sundae? Hint: For something fun and absolutely yummy yummy, try the Cone Head Sundae: Two scoops of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge-​dipped sugar cone, whipped topping and Reese’s Pieces.

This friendly’s is one of the worst ones I have ever been too. Who ever runs it needs to be fired! The service is so slow you could drive all the way to the one in New Milford, eat your meal and drive back and still have an hour of your life left over to do something else. This has been going on for years. I’ll never go back. Can’t understand how they stay in business.
Update: Go figure, the New Milford Friendly’s goes out of business and this one stays open. Something is really wrong with people.

Wow. I can’t actually say how the food was here because the place smelled bad, was not kept clean and was rundown. I sat for about a minute until the smell and atmosphere overcame my hunger and I left.

Ugh! Friendly’s is just a bad chain of restaurants overall. This location was the worst that I’ve been to. Bad service, screaming kids running all over… nightmare.

I will admit that service in this Friendly’s is inconsistent. Sometimes great, sometimes horrible. But this place holds a special place in my heart in that after I got divorced I took my kids to this place every time they were with me. Even before that I was going here since they were born. So maybe I am a little biased. Food is what I expect though — one step up from bar food, with reasonable prices for kids. Can’t ever say anything bad about the ice cream!
One note about the service — there is one guy there who defies all expectations in terms of service. He’s one of the best waiters I have ever seen, anywhere. I can’t remember his name but he’s got a tattoo on his forearm. If he waits on you, you will see what I mean.

Poorly managed location of national chain. Scrambled eggs had shells in them. Pancake had mushroom pieces in them. Burgers were undercooked and the service was poor. Manager didn’t feel the mushrooms were a problem even though my daughter is allergic to them. He said we didn’t have to pay for the eggs, but charged us for them anyway. I sent a letter to the national Vice OPresident of Operations with the shells and mushrooms enclosed, and received no reply. They don’t care !!! Avoid this poorly run location.