server

grill cook

ice cream scooper

manager

ice cream maker

Friendlys

I managed for Friendly's for about 5 years in two time frames.  The first time I worked for Friendly's was Ok but I wasn't really given the proper attention in the Management Training Program.  The second time I got excellent training in the GM Management Program.  This was good.  At the time (1989?) it was an intensive 6 month program and very comprehensive.

Here's why I was terminated.  In the winter my night custodian pulled a no show and so when I showed up at the restaurant it was a mess.  My brother who had shown up unexpectedly the night before was with me when I got to work.  He was in the Navy and had stopped into CT on leave.  I offered to buy him breakfast that morning before he left.  When we arrived at the restaurant and saw the condition of the floors, restrooms, grills etc. I asked my brother to clean the floors while I cleaned the grills and counted out my cash for the morning shift.  At some point I had left the safe open in my craziness trying to do everything and still get the store open on time.  The safe was NOT located in the office.  It was outside the office in the hallway.  When I had come around the corner and saw the safe open I also saw my opening waitress going around the other corner.  I had given her boyfriend a written warning a few weeks before playing football with a stainless steel whipped cream container around other employees.  It wasn't safe.  When I counted the cash that morning I was about $500 short.  We investigated it and nothing was found.  I don't know why but for some reason I didn't tell upper management that my brother had been in the store.  The problem seemed to go away.

I am also Bipolar and went off my medication several months later.  I got angry with a waitress one day and admitted to her that I hadn't been taking my meds and soon after that got back on them.  I really liked this waitress, Judy.  Her husband Dave and I would joke about her when he came in to pick her up all the time and they even invited me to their home for dinner once.  She was a cracker jack worker and as a General Manager I'd have cloned her if I had the power.  Shortly after that incident with Judy a man showed up in my restaurant and proceeded to go behind my grill.  When I asked him what he was doing he then told me that he was the head of security for Freindly's.  Then my DM showed up.  They sat me down and told me that they knew that my brother had been in the store six months earlier and that if they had known at the time the money could have been recovered.  So they were pinning guilt on my brother before an investigation had been done.  After that several weeks went by and they terminated me for performance.  

Beware before you take a position with Freindly's.

Kevin W. Lombardi
Covington, GA

I joined this company with hopes of learning more about the restaurant industry, (I had been working in the restaurant industry for more than 15 years).
 instead I found that most of these people needed guidance.
The company itself has been suffering because the leadership isn’t focused on the business. They have been focusing on profits and not how to make the company better business.
If you find yourself applying to this position make sure you are comfortable with working 50-70 hour weeks, with little to no help from other managers, employees or supervisors.
I found myself helping out other store whom had more experience and who aren’t even in my district over the phone, and with HR information pretty consistently.
I worked hard at this place and put a lot of effort into this store. Other managers and employees that I encounter were not motivated to succeed.
They just treated it like a 9-5. And in the case of the other manager at my store. I noticed he would only work in the morning AM shifts where there was little to no business,( why should we keep someone working those  shifts?  who works the slowest shifts and who costs the most money.) it was starting to become clear. where as I was working most nights because I am a stronger manager and I could handle it. (Where the bulk of the business is). I didn’t even think it was necessary to have a manager working during those hours because it was so slow.
And then I realize something. all of the managers that I have worked with so far  with Friendlys just don’t care they’re in the punch in and punch out. I found myself working the most hours and all the difficult shifts because the other managers could not handle there own shifts. (lacked experience and were unmotivated to try any harder).
I felt like I hit a walk.  I reached out to my district manager. Never got a call back. I had worked my whole life in this industry to succeed, first there was COVID-19 and now I have a team of people unwilling to work and act is though they want to get fired just to claim unemployment? And when I spoke with the other manager about it. He tried to imply that I needed to work more hours.
So we could succeed…
So I just want to let you know what you are getting into. A lot of long working hours that don’t offer much rewards. Some ungrateful people. And managers with chips on there shoulders. the final straw for me was I actually had to take time off for family reasons and upon my return The Who state of the restaurant was terrible. The computer was broken? So I couldn’t sign in or do anything. The kitchen was a mess and I had enough. This is supposed to be a National Brand with standards.


I recently had the unfortunate experience of working in a location where nepotism seemed to be the order of the day. It was disheartening to witness how favoritism towards family members significantly impacted the workplace dynamics and overall morale.

One of the most glaring issues was the preferential treatment given to relatives of top management. It was evident that promotions, raises, and plum assignments were disproportionately distributed among those with familial connections, irrespective of their actual qualifications or performance. This not only created an unfair advantage for a select few but also left many deserving employees feeling demoralized and overlooked.

Communication channels within the company suffered as well. Important decisions were often made behind closed doors, with little transparency or regard for the input of non-related employees. This lack of openness led to a toxic work environment, as trust eroded and collaboration became increasingly challenging.

Moreover, the blatant disregard for meritocracy negatively impacted the quality of work produced. Talented and hardworking individuals who were not part of the inner circle found it difficult to advance or contribute meaningfully to the company's success. This stifling of creativity and innovation was a direct result of nepotism undermining the very principles of a fair and competitive workplace.

The overall culture fostered by nepotism was one of disillusionment and frustration. Employees were disheartened by the realization that hard work and dedication were not always enough to secure career advancement. Morale plummeted, and a sense of resentment permeated the workplace, creating an environment that was far from conducive to productivity and employee satisfaction.

In conclusion, my time at this workplace was marred by the pervasive nepotism that tainted the organization's culture. The blatant favoritism and lack of accountability for such practices created an atmosphere that hindered professional growth and job satisfaction. I would caution anyone considering employment with this company to thoroughly evaluate the workplace culture and consider the impact of nepotism on their career trajectory.

Not the actual location 

Managers were unprofessional, disorganized, can't maintain composure, and just overall unreliable. 

They get angry at the smallest things and have an attitude almost all the time when talking to them unless it's their friends talking to them about things that are completely work-unrelated. For example, they talk about their past life in high school. And then when a friend of mine, who is a server, asks how to make a certain ice cream, she disregards him and tells him to find something to do even though he needs to make ice cream. So I end up helping him even though it was time for me to clean up for me to be able to leave.

The same manager also uses every opportunity to sit at the office and do absolutely NOTHING while employees need help. That's also another problem..... The training isn't training at all. The way they train their staffs is like throwing a book about politics at a baby and expecting it to know every single detail of the book after 3 days. 

Also probably one of the most unprofessional place I've worked in. People throw food at each other.

Finally, I get no hours, I get no pay. I told the manager I was paying bills and want to work all week. Guess what. Schedules me one day a week. And I get 4 hours maximum for that one day. I constantly do things for people that will get me a quick buck or two and I get paid way more from doing that. But it isn't enough for a $165 bi-weekly car payment. The job is stressful enough but if the pay isn't weighing it out, then what the heck is the point of putting willpower into it?

I'm sure these people are good at heart and I don't mean to come harsh but this is what I get from working at this bozo job. 

What I would recommend for Friendlys to start doing is up the pay of fountains to $10 max. because of the low hours, high stress and demand. Also, train new people to be fountains with the chance of getting promoted to a server, that way everything is in harmony. Hire managers who are capable and professional and not rely on the one and only good manager that actually knows how to run the place.

I worked for Friendlys for three years and wish I had never applied.  Upper management cuts your pay right out of your check whenever their numbers look bad.  I was a manager and lost $30,000 in three years from having money taken out of my checks.  Management does not know how to keep good employees.  They treat you like a number rather then an employee.  Their turnover rate is extremely high.  Their policies are constantly changing sometimes without notification to the staff.  I have worked with Alcoholics (who drink behind the grill), drug dealers (who deal in the parking lot or bathroom), and management that was physically and mentally abusive, yes I said physically.  The conditions of the restaurant are extremely unsanitary and often have mice problems(Experience from 5 stores).  Also, the company is cheap and keeps old malfunctioning equipment putting food safety at danger.  Not to mention the several stores I worked in with Mold Problems.  How do they feel comfortable serving food with mold.  Management is not willing to schedule your work around your school even when they promise to do so upon hire.  I failed 5 classes costing me a total of $4000 because they would call me and say, Be here in two hours, or they would specifically schedule me while my classes were in session.  I can not believe this company is still in business but yet again, they filed bankruptcy and shut down hundreds of stores not counting the stores that were shut down by the health department.  Ridiculousness!

A typical day at work would be like i come in make sure everything is stocked and set up for lunch and dinner. I'd make sure everything is clean and neat before the dinner rush hits. I'd make slips untill like 7pm once things die down i stock and flip/rotate. Once everything is clean I can go home. What i've learned working at friendly's is not every employee does there part some dont feel like doing anything at all. most customers try to get free food just because they can because friendly's give away free food if a customer complains. management at friendly's is a hit or miss we have some good managers and we have some bad. a few managers will help everyone out if needed and some just stand around and bark orders out at you if your extremely busy and need help. Co_workers at friendly's, we have some awesome hard working workers and then we have some co-workers that do minimum to nothing just to go home but then complain they dont have many hours. the hardest part about the job is when we are under staff at sometimes because its dead then we get a full restaurant all of a sudden and only one person cooking that stinks. also the fact that our schedule is never the same it changes every week and it stinks to make plans and then find out you have to work on the day you made plans on. The most enjoyable part of the job is coming to work and working with one or two of those good co-workers that actually works and does there share of the work and doesn't complain or anything.

With the exception of Supervisor, I've done every job in the store. Primarily, I was a Fountain Worker. A fountain worker prepares desserts for the restaurant and for carryout, takes orders in person and on the phone, delivers food to the customers, and cleans the work station at close. It's not a difficult job, but it can be quite stressful when the restaurant is busy. A reason for that is because of the mismanagement of labor. Labor costs are an issue in every workplace. Management however, dealt with the issue in poor fashion. The workers that management felt were better would get less help then they needed because they felt it would help the labor and the job would still get done. If you were a below average worker in their eyes, they would cut your hours to the point that you would only work about 2 days a week for a couple hours.It's a theory that works on paper, but they didn't take into account how it made the employees feel. My co-workers were great, and they're the reason why I stayed so long. They weren't just my co-workers, they were my family, and it hurt to leave them. The hardest part of the job was working when it was understaffed. If the restaurant wasn't completely packed to the brim, employees would get cut. Once it got busy, they would talk about how they shouldn't have cut them. This happened every week. The most enjoyable part of the job was locking the doors at night. It meant that the craziness was over, if only for a night. I also really enjoyed being around my co-workers.

A typical day at work is, frustrating and stressful. At first it was great, I loved it. But lately were either short staffed, people don't show. People steal and the managers do nothing about it. It is hard. I have learned to do quite a lot from customer service to maturing. I have matured very much since I have worked here, since most of time you always have to be the bigger person. I honestly just think its our store because servers and managers come from other stores and say how different ours is and how we do things there aren't correct. Which is understandable since every store is different, but our isn't different its the complete opposite of a normal store. We are always fighting, or having some sort of issue. Don't get me wrong there can be good days, but 90% of time its always a stressful upsetting day. We rarely have a nice steady day, so you never know if you will make money. Being a server is hard there because you literally have to do everything since our store is so small. That would probably be the hardest. The most enjoyable part, I cant really say. Honestly I don't think I can say I enjoy work anymore. I enjoy being at work when my friends work because they're there to help me through my night, other than that I hate it. I use to enjoy it, then things changed. Everyone became lazy and gives up. Or they just leave/quit in the middle of there shifts since they aren't making money. Then it leaves the closers screwed.

A typical day for me would be to clock in, see what section I would have to wait on then check if it was stocked. If it wasn't stocked, I would stock it, then I would either roll silverware, fill the ice machine, or fold the kids drawing place-mats until someone came in. When a customer arrived, I would greet them with a smile and direct them to their table and I would take drink orders, I would be back in a jiffy to bring their drinks and see if they were ready to order food. If they were, I would take their order and put it in the computer, then I would wait for someone else to come in, I would kill time by rolling silverware and prepping for more customers and I would check on the other table frequently to see how they were doing. When the food was ready, I would bring it to them and ask them if they needed anything else and then I would be ready for more customers. After they finished their meal, I would pick up plates and ask them if they wanted dessert, if they didn't want dessert, then I would print their bill and bring it to them and cash them out when they were ready. At times, I would have 6 tables or more to look after and it was quite stressful but you have to keep a positive attitude and keep going. The hardest part of my job was multi-tasking the entire day and dealing with cranky co-workers it's friendlies! You're supposed to be happy not miserable like most of the people there! but the most enjoyable part was making my customers at my tables feel satisfied and that made me happy.

Managers are in and out all of the time... this is because the job itself isn't the greatest. This company does not care about employees at all. It's clear as day and I have worked here for 5 years with one raise which I had to ask for. I was in the process of training for management and it kept getting pushed back, it's been a year now and I decided to move on with another job. Our specific store was faced with the hiring of a really terrible Assistant GM. The current GM however is a saint and does her job very well but had to deal with his mistakes daily. 
The place isn't bad if you're a high school student looking for your first job or whatever. Maybe if the upper management didn't act like they were in HS it wouldn't seem this way. The food is all fried and is absolutely terrible for you. The upkeep of the place is horrendous and corporate hardly approves fixes for the place. They claimed bankruptcy once and I'm sure they won't be here too much longer if they keep running things the way they are. 
I stayed at this job as long as I did truly for my co-workers as we were all like a family. 
Hours are way too long or way too short there is no in between. The work is hard for what y ou are doing. They expect way too much out of you. 
I wouldn't suggest anyone accepting a job here unless you are in dire need or enjoy dealing with adults acting unprofessionally. Also, don't expect a raise or to even be paid that well.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Server 44 salaries reported	$19.86 per hour
Grill cook 37 salaries reported	$17.87 per hour
Ice cream scooper 7 salaries reported	$19.02 per hour
Manager 11 salaries reported	$19.17 per hour
Ice cream maker 3 salaries reported	$14.35 per hour

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