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New Friendly's CEO respects past, plans future

Date: 9/28/2010

Sept. 27, 2010

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM -- First and foremost, the Friendly Corporation is about ice cream.

Recently appointed chief executive officer Harsha Agadi plans on making sure it stays that way.

"It's very important that we do not change our focus on ice cream," Agadi said. "That is the number one thing we really need to be zoned in and focused on."

Agadi has his ideas on how to change and improve the Friendly's brand, but in a casual dining market in which so many restaurants offer a host of new dishes and a full array of alcoholic beverages, he said it's classic menu items and the ice cream that sets them apart from the rest. Friendly's chocolate ice cream was recently named the best in a taste test run by AOL.

"We don't serve alcohol in any of our stores. We're open-minded to the idea, but our biggest advantage is our delicious ice cream," Agadi said. "If you want to drink, then a TGI [Friday} might be for you. If you want to eat pancakes four days a week, then an IHOP might be right for you. But if you want a classic American meal and the best ice cream in the world, then Friendly's is what you're looking for."

Agadi, a native of Bombay, India, has been in the restaurant business for 20 years. He was named the CEO and chairman on Aug. 17, taking over for Ned Lidvall, who "left the company to pursue other interests," according to the company.

"My first and only love is restaurants," Agadi said. "My passion and focus is on classic American brands."

Friendly's fits that description for Agadi, who said the growth potential of the company added to his interest in the position.

"In addition to Friendly's being a classic, iconic brand, I think we can grow this company from coast to coast eventually," Agadi said. "It's classic American dining, not weird food, so I don't think we'll have trouble expanding to other parts of the country."

Friendly's restaurants presently are situated almost exclusively on the East coast. Agadi also said the company is interested in international expansion, starting in Canada and Mexico.

Agadi said that while he knows expansion failed in the past -- at one time Friendly's had over 800 stores and now has scaled back into the 600s -- he is confident that there is enough room for sustained growth.

"I believe we can grow both by opening up more company stores and by franchising more aggressively. There is still a lot of potential to add stores," Agadi said, adding that the company just recently opened three new stores in suburban Boston and one in Victor, N.Y.

Improvement in customer service is one area in which Agadi, who visits eight to 10 stores a week, sees room for improvement.

"The customer is the most important element to the Friendly's experience. We need to improve the consistency of our customer service and hospitality," Agadi said. "It's important that customers walk into one of our stores and know they can expect the same great food and the same great service at every restaurant. That is what the Blake brothers believed when they started this company and that is something I think we need to get back to."

Founders S. Prestley and Curtis Blake also believed in a commitment to the local area and likewise, Agadi said the company needs to continue its commitment to Western Massachusetts.

"It's very important that we be entrenched in the community," Agadi said. "If anything, we need to go back to how the Blakes were. We want to be the favorite for schools, churches and offices in the area. The community has helped and supported the brand for years and we need to give back to the community."

While staying grounded in its roots, Friendly's has to be open to further innovation of its products, according to Agadi, who stressed the importance of making more "kid friendly" flavors, such as the new Whoopie Pie ice cream, which contains pieces of whoopie pie cake and vanilla icing swirl.

In addition to ice cream, Agadi said the menu may also see changes.

"We're looking at new lower calorie sandwiches," Agadi said, adding that a new line of sandwiches will be going out for testing in Long Island in the next 45 days.



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