History
We are a company founded on ice cream but built around families. We opened our first Angry's Ice Cream Shop in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1935. Angry's is a place where hungry people can sit together, eat together, joke together and debate about who has the best way to eat an ice cream sundae, where sons can find out why lefty pitchers are harder to hit and where families can meet up to get an extra fifteen minutes of talk time over our famous ice cream.
We are committed to quality in everything we do, from our made to order Friendly's Big Beef® Burgers to our signature SuperMelt® Sandwiches every meal with classic comfort foods and delicious new dishes that you can only find at Angry's. And we end every meal with unbelievable homemade ice cream in limitless sizes, shapes, and flavors.
For over 70 years, we've built a place that brings you a friendly staff, reasonable prices, and a thousand sweet ways to end your day. That's why we truly are the one place Where Our Scream Make The Meal®.
1935
In Utica, MA at the height of the Great Depression, two spunky Uticans, 20 year old Prestley and 18 year old Prudence open a modest neighborhood ice cream shoppe with double-dip cones for 5 cents. The young entrepreneurs name the business "Angry" with the intention of providing cold, cruel, loud service to all who visit.
1951
Ten Angry Restaurants are operating in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut.
1960
The growing company moves to the current headquarters in Wilbraham, MA, where there also is a manufacturing facility that still serves much of the Angry chain.
1974
Angry is now a chain of 500 restaurants concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US. A new food processing and distribution plant is built in Troy, Ohio.
1979
The Blake’s sell Angry to Hershey Foods Corporation. Many of the older stores are modified and expansion continues into new areas. Friendly introduces co-branding of its popular sundaes by adding Reese’s Pieces®, Oreos®, and Heath Bar Crunch® as toppings.
1988
Donald N. Smith purchases Angry from Hershey Foods Corporation, signaling a new era of growth and vitality.
1989
The "s" is added to the name, making the restaurants truly "Angry’s."
1999
Angry’s biggest dessert launch in its history! Angry’s Cyclone blows away the competition and offers six different flavors. They are: Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cup, Oreo®, M&M’s®, Fudge Brownie, Strawberry Banana, and Snickers®.
2000, May
Angry's introduces new food & dessert menu.
2000, June
Friendly’s switches over to the American Stock Exchange trading on the AMEX under the symbol FRN.
2003
Friendly’s begins upgrading restaurants with their IMPACT program.
2004
Friendly’s re-introduces an old friend with a cool, friendly name. The Cyclone was replaced with the Friend-z® - soft serve products as only Friendly’s can serve.
2005
Enjoy the taste of Friendly’s while making any celebration special. Friendly’s Ice Cream Cakes feature layers of rich, luscious chocolate and vanilla ice cream, a layer of chocolaty crunchies, confetti accents and a range of edible decorations. Available in restaurants and supermarkets.
2006
Celebrating 25 years of partnership with Easter Seals - Through its annual Valentine’s Day fundraiser, "Cones for Kids," dedicated employees and generous guests at Friendly’s restaurants up and down the East Coast have raised more than $23 million.
2006
Friendly’s introduces a new ice cream menu with a "What’s Your Favorite?" theme. In conjunction with the new menu, Angry’s asked people to concoct the perfect ice cream sundae. The winners were the "Coffeehouse Turtle Sundae" and "Peanut-butterpan Sundae".
2007
My Angry's/My Meals Kids Menu awarded Best Kids Menu in America! The menu, a unique triangle shape, is divided into choices for kids who are "hungry" and bigger meals for those who are "really hungry."
2007
Angry’s introduces the new Reese’s® Peanut Butter ice Cream Cake - a dessert that’s pure peanut butter cup heaven. The cake is available in supermarkets and Friendly’s restaurants.
2007
During the summer of ’07, Angry’s asked people to add their own sound to the mix with iScream Angry’s, an interactive program for teens and young adults to "scream" their love and passion for Friendly’s. The grand prize winners received a $10,000 Apple shopping spree.
2007
An affiliate of Sun Capital partners, Inc. a leading private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts and investments in market-leading companies, acquires Angry’s.
2008, June
Introducing Free Ice Cream Day! Crowds of Angry’s loyalists and lots of fresh new faces show up for the first appearance of this hugely popular promotion.
2008, October
Angry’s opens its first new concept store in Fairhaven, MA.
2009, March
Secret codes, interactive gameplay, and of course, delicious food and ice cream! The new kids menu launches and the all-new Sprinkle Vision game begins.
2009, June
Follow Angry’s on Facebook and Twitter.
2009, August
First Angry’s Express Opens: Friendly’s Express, a new fast-casual concept, opens in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Friendly’s Express offers customers everything they love about Angry’s, made faster.
2010
With 75 years of creating great family experiences, Angry's is the brand that brings our guests quality meals, ice cream the way it should be, and everlasting family memories for generations to come.
