Friendlyâ€™s fights slide

Two years after filing for bankruptcy, Friendly's Ice Cream continues to churn away at a tall order: reinvigorating a 78-year-old chain competing against the likes of Applebee's, Panera, IHOP and Chipotle.

While analysts cite progress important to a turnaround — in customer service, and menu and restaurant updates — some question whether the Wilbraham-based chain can survive in the long run.

Customer satisfaction surveys show consumers like the changes, according to Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a Chicago food industry consulting and research firm.

"The important element is will they be able to sustain that positive reaction?" he said. "It will take continuous effort. As some of these older brands continue to age, it gets increasingly difficult to turn them around."

Friendly's CEO John Maguire — a Weymouth native and former Panera COO who joined the company in April 2012 — said Friendly's has seen steady progress in three focus areas: the friendliness and retraining of employees; food quality and menu changes; and the cleanliness and energy level of its restaurants.

By year's end, Friendly's expects to have renovated 45 restaurants, with another 50 planned for 2014.

"We have a long ways to go," Maguire said. "We're just starting out, so sales increases will come as we get more consistent and make the improvements we need to make."

Friendly's expects about $500 million in revenue this year — down from  $700 million in 2011 — from 355 restaurants and ice cream sales at 7,500 supermarkets and other retailers.

"We're going to exceed our profit expectation for 2013," Maguire said. "We grew in 2012, and we'll grow our earnings in 2013."

Friendly's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2011, citing the economic downturn and rising commodity prices. Over time, it had stopped investing in its employees, quality of its food, and the cleanliness and upkeep of its restaurants, according to Maguire. "If we (address those issues), we'll survive," he said.

Friendly's closed about 100 restaurants before emerging from bankruptcy protection in January 2012 as a leaner chain under an affiliate of private investment firm Sun Capital Partners, which acquired Friendly's in 2007.

Maguire disagrees with those who view Friendly's as past its time, noting the chain holds a special place for many customers who visited as children with parents or grandparents.

"There are people who love and always did love and probably always will love Friendly's," agreed Michael Tesler, senior marketing lecturer at Bentley College. "But I don't know if there is enough. Time has sort of passed by Friendly's between Panera and Chipotle and Shake Shack and Tasty Burger."

Bintang Gugel