Another Friendly’s closes in NJ, this one after 50 years

It’s one of those brands that you just get the gut feeling you’ll be talking about in twenty years, the way we talk about Gino’s or Ground Round or Bonanza. They all left the Jersey landscape years ago.

Time will tell if Friendly’s will be added to that list, but the last few years have seen their Jersey locations dwindle. Quite a few Friendly's Restaurants have gone dark in the past couple of years. In New Jersey alone, at least four locations have closed since 2022.

Read More: How the Jonas Brothers celebrate 20 years with ice cream

Latest closure

Add another to the dustbin of New Jersey history. This is a sad one because of how long it was around.

The Friendly’s location on Middlesex Avenue in Metuchen has been serving loyal customers for nearly 50 years. They opened there in 1978 and have always operated out of that same building.

Memories

A sign on the door left by the general manager explained to customers their location was now permanently closed. It struck the community hard. Even Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch spoke up about it.

"Like many residents, I have very fond memories of taking my family to Friendly's over the years – last-minute dinners, lunches with the grandparents, and countless stops before or after baseball and soccer games. One of my sons even celebrated a birthday there," Busch said.

What's next

Media reports say the building was being sold and that a new tenant is moving in who will keep it as a restaurant, but not as a Friendly’s restaurant.

Goodbye, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. Farewell, Jimmy Dandy. You had a great run.