Friendly's

Family restaurants
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2025 Franchise 500 Rank
#292 Not ranked last year
See the Full List
Initial investment
$1.1M - $2.7M
Units as of 2024
97 Decrease 29% over 3 years

Company Overview

In Springfield, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, 20 year-old Prestley Blake and his 18 year-old brother Curtis opened an ice cream shop called "Friendly" that served double-dip cones for 5 cents. The brothers opened a second shop five years later in West Springfield, Massachusetts and added food to the menu. Within a decade, locations opened throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut.

About Friendly's

Industry Food
Related Categories Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants
Founded 1935
Parent Company Brix Holdings LLC
Leadership Sherif Mityas, CEO
Corporate Address 14860 Montfort Dr., #150
Dallas, TX 75254
Social Facebook, LinkedIn

Business Overview

Franchising Since 1996 (29 years)
# of employees at HQ 75
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming

# of Units 97 (as of 2024)
Line graph showing the number of units this franchise had for the last 5 years.
U.S. FranchisesInternationalCompany OwnedTotal
100%

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Friendly's franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$30,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$1,110,680 - $2,682,435
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$1,500,000 - $5,000,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$750,000 - $1,500,000
Veteran Incentives Information Circle
50% off first-unit franchise fee
Royalty Fee Information Circle
6%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
4%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
10 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing Friendly's has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 186.5 hours
Classroom Training 13.5 hours
Ongoing Support
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Lease Negotiation
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
No
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes

Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where Friendly's landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

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Additional Rankings

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The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022