Friendly's Holyoke location closes

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - Another Friendly's restaurant has closed its doors here in western Massachusetts.

A customer who went to the Friendly's, located off of Exit 15 on I-91, was surprised to find it closed--for good.

There's now a sign on the door encouraging patrons to visit the nearest Holyoke location, which is on Northampton Street. The customer said he tried to eat at the restaurant around 9 P.M. Sunday, but told 22News that he saw the sign and left.

22News called the restaurant to find out more information. The woman who answered said they were closed and hung-up.

Friendly's spokesperson Lynn Bolton told 22News that the closing of the Whiting Farms Road Friendly's was due to the property's lease expiring. She said that the landlord is looking to re-develop the property.

Two other Friendly's locations, in West Haven and New Milford, Connecticut, also closed on Sunday. Bolton said that the leases are expiring on both of those properties as well.

Chrystal Maly of Holyoke had visited the Whiting Farms Road restaurant on Sunday, just before it closed. She told 22News that she was surprised that the restaurant had shut down.

"Yesterday it was jumping; you didn't think this was going to happen today. It's just very shocking and sad for the people that work here," Maly said.

Last October, the chain filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down 63 locations along the East Coast--including several here in western Massachusetts, where the company is headquartered.