MOORESTOWN, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - 2012/04/04: Friendlys restaurant. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. - Friendly's is gearing up to open its third Florida location this weekend – and you can celebrate by scoring free food!
The restaurant chain known for ice cream and burgers is hosting a grand opening ceremony at its newest location near Disney Springs at 8600 Vineland Ave. #101 on Saturday afternoon. This location already held its soft opening last month, but now guests can join in on the fun for the grand opening.
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The grand opening ceremony is scheduled from noon to 5 p.m. Guests can partake in fun activities like face painting, trying delicious treats and snagging exclusive offers like $2 Fribbles all day for dine-in customers. The first 25 customers in line will get free Friendly's for a year, an offer that allows guests to get a free scoop of ice cream per week. The first 100 guests will get a $20 coupon for their next visit.
The Friendly's location on Vineland Avenue marks the third in Florida. All three are located in Central Florida:
- Orlando: 8600 Vineland Ave. #101
- Orlando: 8718 International Drive
- Melbourne: 1011 East Eau Gallie Blvd.
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The Vineland Avenue location is owned by former Friendly's waiter Amol Kohli, who owns more than 30 Friendly's locations across the eastern U.S.
Friendly's declared bankruptcy in 2011 and was acquired by milk producer Dean Foods, according to Forbes. The company filed for bankruptcy again in 2020 before being acquired by Brix Holdings in January 2021.
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Now, there are just over 100 locations across the U.S. after the chain shut down nearly two dozen locations in 2022-23 in the northeast U.S.