An Unhappy Ending For Bennington Friendly’s

If you're in the North Adams area and in the mood for one of your favorites from Friendly's, you'll have to head south, or west, or east. Because the nearest one to the north is no more.

The Wilbraham, Mass. based company's location on South Street in Bennington VT closed over the weekend. According to the Bennington Banner, a sign was posted on the restaurant's front doors which read in part, "We apologize for disappointing you on this visit, but this location is now closed for business. We regret that we do not have another Friendly's restaurant near you, but we hope you will visit one of our other locations when traveling."

From North Adams, which lost its Friendly's back in 2014, that would mean traveling to the nearest still-open locations in Pittsfield, Lee, Greenfield, or Troy NY.

The Banner quoted Friendly's PR Manager Bill Chiccarelli as saying restaurants close as a "normal part of business as a result of lease situations or too many locations in one trade area." He said he does not know the specific reason for these specific closures, which included five other stores in the Northeast, Sumner Avenue in Springfield MA among them.