Who has started seeing targeted ads for Allen Brothers with pictures of steak?
We had a number of Friendly's in the Richmond area, all well-run and all doing good business, and then bang, they were gone. One remains in Chesterfield County off Route 95, but if there's any others around I'm not aware of them.
The last Friendly's I'm aware of in Bergen County NJ where Overmod and myself come from was in the town of Midland Park, but that one closed about the time the others did. The building's still empty.
Overexpansion? The holding company who owned it bleeding off the profits to keep their other poorly performing enterprises afloat (been known to happen) until the whole thing comes crashing down? Who knows? I suspect that's what happened to "Steak and Ale."
Anyway, aboard to "Divebardave!" And thanks for that Johnny Cash Lionel commercial, that's one I haven't seen!
Freindlys had great ice cream...Breakfast was good too..its just that the other stuff you had Dennys,Perkins,Bob Evans,IHOP and HOJOs. Also the service went downhill with overworked waitresses who are also single moms trying to make ends meet.
Service went downhill at Friendlys? I guess it depends on where you were, there was never a problem at any of the ones I went to.
Individual places close for a variety of reasons.
My daughter worked at a Bob Evans, located adjacent to a very active Mall. What one would view as a ideal location. After a several of years of operation it closed. The traffic path for the Mall and other stores that had also located adjacent to the Mall made it next to impossible for customers to enter the Bob Evans parking lot. Yes the game is location, location, location - BUT along with location there must be easy access. Without reasonable access to the location, you are still going out of business.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
divebardave Loved there prime rib...I guess as folks went lower calorie and less fat thinks changed..I having trouble finding out what happened to the old locations and the railroad cars that made it up https://www.vicsta.com/ talks a little about these guys. I know of one location in the Boston Burbs.
Loved there prime rib...I guess as folks went lower calorie and less fat thinks changed..I having trouble finding out what happened to the old locations and the railroad cars that made it up https://www.vicsta.com/ talks a little about these guys. I know of one location in the Boston Burbs.
Re: locations
There was one about 100 yards SE from Quinn's Lighthouse, in Oakland CA. A caboose and a couple of boxcars are still there, as can be seen from a satellite view.
There was also one near the San Francisco Ferry Terminal. As you can imagine, the building/rolling stock are long gone. I went to this one. I liked the food, but there's not much of a view through the side of a boxcar. Admittedly, you would have seen the old Embarcadero Freeway. And MAYBE some freight running on the SF Belt Railroad. Maybe. Unlike most women, my then-wife found the ambience acceptable.
As far as the rolling stock that DIDN'T stay on location, it was mostly worthless later. Holes were cut in the sides for passage and roominess. I am sure they were scrapped.
Ed
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