The Friendly’s located on West Bridge Street, just one mile from the Oswego Campus, closed unexpectedly on Sunday, April 7.
People looking to eat at the establishment Sunday, which has been part of the Oswego community for decades, found locked doors and a note on the glass.
“We apologize for disappointing you on this visit, but this location is now closed for business. We invite you to visit the nearest Friendly’s location at: 3873 State Route 31, Suite 100 Liverpool, NY,” the note read. “We appreciate your patronage over the years and for allowing us to try and make the world friendly, one scoop at a time!”
Inside, the seating area on the right side of the building was empty, and everything seemed to be boxed up. A few days later, the Friendly’s signs were both removed.
The Oswego location is one of 23 corporate-owned Friendly’s restaurants closed without warning to employees and patrons.
These locations include 14 in New York, mainly upstate, three in Massachusetts, three in Connecticut, two in New Hampshire and one in Maine.
Friendly’s CEO George Michel sent out a letter to the affected locations Monday, April 8, explaining why the company chose to close those locations.
“In today’s environment, it is incumbent upon all restaurant operators to engage in such a process, but particularly so for Friendly’s, which, as an established brand, has locations in geographic areas that have changed dramatically in some cases since those restaurants first opened,” Michel wrote in the letter.
Michel said, while the decision to close the locations was difficult, it will “best position the brand for a bright future.” He wrote the company will work with the employees who lost their jobs by offering opportunities at other locations or severance pay.
To help the Oswego location employees who suddenly found themselves without a source of income, Oswego City Mayor Billy Barlow has offered jobs through the Oswego Department of Public Works. These jobs are seasonal, lasting from May to October, and will pay $11.40 per hour, according to a press release. There are about 25 open positions, and those who lost their jobs when the restaurant closed will have preference.
“I’m sad to see Friendly’s leave Oswego, as they’ve been a longtime establishment here,” Barlow said. “I’m even more disappointed to learn about the situation and the sudden unexacting closing of the location, catching loyal customers and employees off guard.”
Susan McBrearty, 1st Ward Councilor of Oswego, said she found out about the sudden closing by a friend at work who told her he had brought his grandchildren to eat there for breakfast Sunday morning and instead saw the employees leaving the restaurant and trucks loading equipment. She confirmed this with one of the restaurant’s staff members, who told her they were not informed of it closing until that morning.
“I was shocked that a closing would be handled so badly,” McBrearty said. “I do know what it feels like to lose a job without notice or because ‘your services are no longer required.’ That is simply devastating. … I am confident that there is opportunity in Oswego and that employees of Friendly’s will be able to find other jobs in the area.”
The building is already empty and stripped of any signs referencing Friendly’s. The note on the front door has even been removed.
“I hope that Friendly’s does their best to market the property, and hopefully, we can work together to find a buyer and put that building into productive use once again,” Barlow said.
Photo by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian
