The Friendly's in the downtown Unionville section of Farmington has closed its doors for good.
A sign on the door over Thanksgiving weekend alerted patrons that the location was "currently closed," adding that "Avon and Bristol locations are open."
The Unionville location at 1835 Farmington Avenue has closed permanently in advance of its expiring lease, Ryan Levasseur, of Regan Communications Group representing Friendly's, confirmed.
"On Wednesday, November 26, 2014, Friendly’s Ice Cream, LLC. announced the closing of its Friendly’s location at 1835 Farmington Avenue in Unionville, Connecticut, in anticipation of the expiration of its lease," Friendly's said in a statement. "The restaurant will cease operations, effective immediately."
Friendly's has no plans to close any of its other remaining Connecticut locations at this time, Levasseur said.
It's unknown whether another business is slated to move into the location.
The Friendly's in Unionville holds sentimental value for people in the area. It has long been a local hangout in town, with several families going for food or ice cream after various school concerts and events. The restaurant was remodeled in 1998, according to town property records, and is one of the first businesses you see when you drive into the Stop & Shop plaza off Route 4 in Unionville.
Local
The national franchise has been around since 1935, according to the Friendly's website. Friendly's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October of 2011, closing 63 under-performing restaurants that year, including seven in Connecticut. The company closed nine more in the state in January of 2012.
The next closest Friendly's restaurants are in Avon, Bristol, Newington, Wethersfield and Hartford.
