Friendly’s Ice Cream, New England Patriots join forces this season

Date: 8/13/2014

WILBRAHAM – Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC, the operator of Friendly’s restaurants and a manufacturer of ice cream products distributed in more than 8,000 retail outlets, and the New England Patriots announced today a new sponsorship agreement naming Friendly’s Ice Cream as the Official Ice Cream and Family Restaurant of the New England Patriots.

“We are excited to partner with the New England Patriots, an elite family-owned sports organization, that regards its community in the same way that we do,” said John Maguire, President and CEO of Friendly’s Ice Cream. “At Friendly’s, we pride ourselves in helping our guests make great memories and we look forward to working with the Patriots to create many more memories for their fans.”

The sponsorship will include in-stadium promotions and signage, social media and appearances by the Patriots Cheerleaders and mascot, Pat Patriot, at Friendly’s public events. Additionally, Friendly’s will extend the benefits of this partnership to its loyal guests through experiential opportunities, including tickets to Patriots home games, passes to pre-game tailgate parties and pre-game field visits with Pat Patriot.

Friendly’s will also introduce “Patriots Win – Friendly’s Kids Win, Too,“ an exciting in-store promotion beginning Sept. 8. Kids eat free on the day after a Patriots victory. Rules for the promotion are: one free Level 1 kid’s meal for every adult entrée purchased.

“Everyone loves Friendly’s,” said Murray Kohl, Vice President of Corporate Sales for the New England Patriots. “We enjoy teaming up with partners who are embedded in the New England community and Friendly’s is an iconic family restaurant that was founded right here in Massachusetts in 1935. They have been serving customers throughout New England and beyond for generations. We know that our fans are Friendly’s customers and we’re sure that their customers are Patriots fans. The partnership of the two brands is a perfect fit and we look forward to future collaboration that will benefit each of our customers.

The partnership program officially kicked off on Aug. 7 and fans can expect to see Friendly’s presence at the New England Patriots’ first preseason home game on Aug. 15, when the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium.

Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC is a vertically integrated restaurant company, with an iconic brand name, serving signature sandwiches, burgers and ice cream desserts in a friendly, family environment.  Together with its broad franchisee base, the company has system-wide sales of over $550 million and distribution through over 8,000 retail locations.  For 79 years, Friendly’s restaurants and dedicated service teams have delighted generations of guests.  For the future, Friendly’s has plans for new food and ice cream products, enhanced buildings, and new service channels. For additional information please visit www.friendlys.com.

The New England Patriots are a three-time Super Bowl champion franchise in the National Football League (NFL). In 1994, Robert Kraft purchased the team and transformed it into one of the league’s elite franchises.