Not everyone grew up knowing about Friendly’s Ice Cream, or Friendly Ice Cream, as it was originally called, but the Blake brothers opened Friendly Ice Cream in Springfield, MA in 1935! The name was chosen to suggest warm, neighborly service. Curtis Blake was 18, and his brother S. Prestley Blake was 20 when they opened their first store- now the chain has well over 500 restaurants! A two-scoop cone was 5 cents, and their second offering- hamburgers- were originally introduced in their second location, in West Springfield, MA. The number of stores actually peaked at close to 850 in 1988, when the chain was owned by Hershey Foods Corporation. To this date, Friendly’s continues to make it’s own hot fudge and whipped cream as well!
So keep in mind, when you take home some Friendly’s Ice Cream from the grocery store- you’re taking home history!
Tags: ice cream, Massachusetts, Retro
June 28th, 2010 at 12:47 am
What a great resource!