Maine is One Of The Last States You Can Visit a Friendly’s Restaurant

Nearly a century ago, a pair of brothers from New England partnered together to open an ice cream stand that would become one of the most recognizable brands in the history of the region.

That would be Friendly's, which opened its first ice cream shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, back in 1935.

The shop quickly became a hit and just a few years later, Friendly's had a second location in the state. That small expansion opened the door to much bigger things on a much larger scale.

Friendly's Became One of the Most Popular Chains in New England

35 years after the first Friendly's ice cream shop opened, the company was operating more than 500 locations across New England as well as other regions in the country.

It was still an ice cream shop at its core but had also become a popular full-service restaurant offerings everything from burgers to a craveable tuna melt.

By the mid-1990's, Friendly's hit its peak. The chain had more than 850 locations across the country and looked poised to become one of the most well-known restaurant chains in the nation.

But just about a decade later, those plans were dashed.

In the late 2000's, financial trouble began to come about. The chain quickly began to shed restaurants, closing more than 300 locations across the country over the course of 10 years.

Maine is One of the Last States with a Friendly's Restaurant

Maine was once home to quite a few Friendly's restaurants scattered throughout the state. The chain is fondly remembered in Augusta, Waterville, Lewiston, Auburn and even Ellsworth.

But today, only one remains. It's located near the Maine Mall in South Portland and has stayed true to the original feel of Friendly's.

According to Chowhound, Maine is one of only 11 states that still has at least one operational Friendly's restaurant still remaining.

There's only 103 Friendly's restaurants left in the entire country.