Friendly’s Ice Cream Corp. celebrates 78th birthday
Date: 7/25/2013
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comWILBRAHAM – The golden years have not been especially pleasant to Friendly Ice Cream Corp., but on its 78th birthday on July 18, CEO John Maguire expressed optimism in his company’s fortunes in the coming years.
Perhaps it was the fact that the organization had just set a new Guinness World Record for largest dessert party by serving sundae cups to 974 hot and hungry participants on a 96-degree day, but Maguire was excited about the prospects for the iconic Wilbraham-based ice cream distributor and restaurant chain, now a year and a half removed from bankruptcy that forced the closure of approximately 100 stores, including locations in Chicopee, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Springfield and West Springfield.
“Obviously I joined [the company] after the bankruptcy; from what I’ve heard it was a very difficult time for Friendly’s, but the truth of the matter is it was necessary and the ability to close those underperforming locations was necessary to keep the brand going,” he said. “Out of the bankruptcy, we’re much stronger, much better positioned and still have 360 locations in 16 states. We have 17,000 people who work for this organization and that’s a tremendous responsibility and there’s no reason we can’t become a growth concept again.”
Maguire said the company’s future hinges upon the success of what he called a “repositioning of the Friendly’s brand,” a concept he implemented upon his arrival at the company nearly a year ago. He said the plan has already paid dividends and the company is scouting the region for potential growth areas once again.
“The first way we’re going to grow is through this repositioning and in doing that, we’re growing sales in each of those restaurants,” he said. “We’re also now beginning to actively look at new locations within the Massachusetts, Connecticut, Southern New England area. From my perspective if we deliver on people, on food and on improving the environment, there’s no reason we can’t grow.”
Maguire explained that the focus of Friendly’s repositioning centered upon getting the company back to its original focuses when S. Prestley and Curtis Blake founded it in 1935.
“We describe it as getting Friendly’s back to its roots, really focused on great ice cream,” he said.
Before even addressing food, however, he said the company focused on its stores, revamping and restyling locations to be “clean and energized.” After the physical renovations, the company turned its focus to offering better service through what Maguire called “mission-based training.”
He continued, “First thing we’re doing is re-training and re-certifying all of the employees that work in a Friendly’s not just on what they do or how they do it, but also the whys behind it. After we re-certify them we’re going through a process of making a decision on if that’s the kind of person and do they have the abilities and attributes of Friendly’s to work for Friendly’s, so we’re literally going through a re-hiring process.”
Friendly’s also took to altering the menu, simplifying it in some areas while bringing back some old favorites and getting rid of some of the offerings that got patrons less excited. More important than that, Maguire added, was the improved quality of the ingredients.
“We’ve gone to fresh, never frozen burgers; we’ve gone back to real ice cream in all our Fribbles; we’ve gone back to haddock in our Fishamajig,” he said. “These are things that really signal and drive what is most important to consumers’ minds, which is you have to have a quality product to sell.”
Finally, Maguire said, Friendly’s has a simple request for those who have visited in the past – a “re-vite.”
He said, “After all of the steps, we’ve been asking our guests to come back and give us another try and it’s been working great.”
Friendly’s in the past had toyed with several ideas to bring in business, ranging from a Friendly’s Express restaurant concept to the obtaining of liquor licenses. In 2012, the Chicopee location received a permit to serve beer and wine. Maguire said that was not a direction the company would pursue at this point, but didn’t rule anything out for the future.
“We asked our guests the alcohol question and they said they didn’t see it as part of what makes Friendly’s special,” he said. “That’s where we are today. If those needs or wants or desires of our guests change over time, then we will react and respond to those wishes. We let them drive the train.”
While the company is eyeing expansion again, Maguire said it would maintain a focus on the Western Massachusetts community it calls home.
“Between our support center here, our local restaurants [and] our distribution center in Chicopee, we employ thousands of people in this community. We’re very focused on making sure we do our part to take care of the community we do business in,” he said. “We believe it is our responsibility to contribute and the best way we can contribute is by having success and allowing this area to grow by providing jobs for people.”
