Friendly’s Scoop, a 200-square-foot counter space serving frozen treats, opened several weeks ago in Jackson, N.J. It is operated by Burger King franchisee Joe Anghelone, who approached executives at the Home of the Whopper and Home of the Fribble with his co-branding idea more than two years ago.
“I was looking to increase the snack offerings and for a concept that was going to give incremental sales,’’ said Anghelone, who runs 13 Burger King shops in central New Jersey. “I didn’t want to open up a pizza place or chicken place that would compete with the burgers.’’
It’s too early to tell whether sales at the new location are higher compared with existing Burger Kings, but Anghelone said ice cream revenues currently account for 18 percent of total sales, far exceeding his expectations. Burger King officials did not respond to calls seeking comment.
“It’s encouraging because this is January. I expect it will go much higher when we get into the spring and summer,’’ Anghelone said.
In some ways, Friendly’s Scoop is a return to the company’s roots. Friendly’s was founded by Prestley and Curtis Blake, brothers who started a neighborhood ice cream store in Springfield during the Great Depression in 1935. Over the next several decades, they opened hundreds of restaurants offering food along with ice cream, carving a niche in the market as a family-friendly spot before they began feuding over the direction the business would take. They sold it to Hershey in 1979 and it has changed ownership several times since then.
In recent years, the restaurants have struggled to compete with casual-dining alternatives, such as Panera. Other business missteps prompted Friendly’s to file for bankruptcy protection last fall. The company reorganized, shuttering about 100 underperforming shops, and emerged from Chapter 11 this month.
