My Friend Friendly's

Friendly's restaurants has filed for bankruptcy and closed sixty of its national stores, five of which are in my vicinity, one of which I regularly frequented. While there are still a handful of Friendly's restaurants in the area I can eat at, the fact that the company is in such sad shape doesn’t bode well for the future. I imagine a few years from now Friendly's restaurants will be a thing of the past; another fading memory of yesteryear.

I always order the same thing at Friendly’s - the Barbecue Chicken SuperMelt. It consists of three deep fried breaded chicken strips tossed onto toasted white bread then drenched in barbecue sauce, ranch dressing and melted cheese, topped with a generous amount of crispy bacon. It doesn't sound that remarkable on paper, but damn is it good.

Sometimes Friendly's has a promotional special where if you buy a SuperMelt and a soda you get a free "Happy Ending Sundae". This may sound dangerously close to an edible “rub and tug”, but in fact it's a two-scoop sundae with your choice of delicious topping. I usually get Peanut Butter Cup ice cream topped with chocolate sauce.

Then I rush home to use the can.

Friendly's has always been a good place to bring kids. You'll always see noisy families piling in on a Friday night. The Kid’s Menu offers simpler things like hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Sometimes, as an adult, I feel a little envious. Only children under 12 get to order from the “Kid’s Menu”. This sounds a lot like age discrimination to me. Why can't I have a hotdog too?

They also have a menu for senior citizens collecting all the “Olde Fashioned" Friendly's favorites that have remained reliable staples throughout the decades. Among these is the delightful "Fish-A-Majig". It’s an apt name for the sandwich because when you bite into it you’ll ask aloud, "What the hell is this thing?" It's a grilled cheese sandwich with a fish fillet somewhere in the middle, but the fillet is a watery mess that barely resembles fish at all. It’s still oddly enjoyable, though.

Friendly's has surprisingly good burgers. They insist the meat isn't some frozen patty, and maybe they're telling the truth. The burgers always taste flavorful and juicy when you shove them into your drooling mouth.

Now that the company is in jeopardy I plan on doubling my visits to Friendly's and showing my support. Like the old saying goes, you don't know what you've got till it's gone, and the day Friendly's Restaurants are gone for good just very well be the day I cash in my chips and declare this God-awful world too painfully bleak to live in any longer.

I went to Friendly's tonight. As usual, I ordered the Barbecue Chicken SuperMelt. And, as usual, my meal came to it's inevitable conclusion.