Service has definitely improved normally takes forever simple to ice cream take out. Woman who took my order (Danielle) incredibly personable and nice. Attentive to my order and those waiting so I'm very much impressed. Things are looking up from my previous visits which normally involve HS kids standing around gossiping and me waiting to place a simple order. Bravo to Danieele and management get more like her! read more

I just had breakfast. Lumberjack with pancakes. She had the cheese steak omelet. We waited about 45 mins for our food, had to ask for refills of coffee, and sugar for the coffee. When we got our food, it was luke warm at best. I had asked for my eggs to be over med, one of the yolks broke on my egg, while on the grill, it was cooked. So overall just not a good time. The place was not even half full. Go anywhere else for breakfast, to many diners in NJ, I should have gone to one. Live and learn read more

It's TRUE. Service here is really slow. Staff seemed non customer focused. Food is okay. If you want to go here have low expectations

If I could give negative stars I would!!!!!! This place is by far the WORST FRIENDLYS. The waitress was very condescending and made us wait 40mins for the check. I've never NOT tipped anyone before but this time I could not tip someone who gave me the worst service ever. Please do not go here and waste your time or money. Worst service EVER. read more

I brought my 15 month old son here for a little dinner date on a Friday night. They were busy but nothing out of the ordinary. We sat at the table waiting for 15 minutes without any acknowledgment from any of the staff. There seemed to be two waiters and about 6 people behind the counter. I picked my son up and left without any word from the staff members as I passed them. This is not how you run a business and as a local I can say you have officially lost my business from now on! read more

This place has gone down hill. It decor is very outdated. I understand the 50s theme but the furniture spent have to be manufactured in the 50s. The management is horrid! Rude, insulting (I asked for napkins. He looked at me said "are you blind" and pointed to the napkin holder on the table) I didn't see the napkin holder but that does not mean a MANAGER should insult me. The food is typical but the service makes me sick. I'll go to the duchess diner across the street. read more

The icecream is good. The wait staff is all young kids. Some use gloves when scooping ice cream and others don't. A lot of them stand around and gossip about each other. There are fruit flies and flies that fly around. The place is not busy and the dining room was a mess. Many tables not clean. This place isn't what it used to be. I miss the one in South Plainfield. read more

Awesome food and service. Very friendly atmosphere. My favorite things are the honey BBQ supremely and the peanut butter fudge ice cream

Worst service ever, waited 30 minutes just for our drinks. Our table was absolutely disgusting. This will be the last time I ever come here!!!! It doesn't even deserve 1 star. read more

The service was not very good. When we arrived it took a few minutes to be acknowledged to be provided a seat. After we were seated we were not greeted by anyone until 15 to 20 minutes after sitting down. Finally we were greeted by a young gentleman who, although difficult to hear, apologized for the wait saying that there were only three people working and there should have been four. We ordered our drinks and decided to also order our appetizer and our meal at the same time to prevent further delay in our meal. After another 15 to 20 minutes we still did not receive our drinks. Our server walked passed our table and we asked him about our drinks and he responded with "oh yeah". Another 13 minutes later we still had no drinks. I asked another server passing our table if she could find our server to ask about our drinks. About 3 minutes later our server showed up with our drinks but they were incorrect. Unfortunately he walked away too quickly for us to let him know they were wrong. He did return and he did correct the drinks. After waiting another 15 to 20 minutes our appetizer, their 'munchie mania' which consisted of three chicken quesadilla, a handful of miniature mozzarella sticks, and several onion rings, finally arrived. We waited again for another 15 to 20 minutes and our food finally arrived. We were nervous to even ask for dessert based on how long everything was taking to arrive to our table but we ordered anyway. This was the fastest parts of the meal. In less than 10 minutes we received our desserts. Overall we were in Friendly's for almost two hours. For the amount of time you would think we were at a gourmet restaurant. We know we were not at a gourmet restaurant but the speed of service and attention to service could have been much better than what it was. This location does seem to be a hit or miss on service. This time I was a little unnerved by the wait time that I decided to leave a review in the hope that management will take notice. read more

Tried to pick up some ice cream to go tonight. Arrived at 9:40 to find the place closed but the staff still inside cleaning. The sign on the door and on-line stated they were open until 10PM. The manager came to the door and said the started their winter hours but the owner had not changed the hours on-line. I said the hours on the door were wrong too. She just kept saying it wasn't her fault, it was the owner, over and over. Another customer came by and was turned away too. The manager wouldn't give me the new hours. Bad customer service. A very disappointing and un-friendly experience! read more

A solid 3 stars for me. Been here several times and each time has been good. Is it gourmet food? Obviously not, but there something about this place that always makes you feel like a kid. Along with a menu revamp, the classics are still there like the fribble, the clamboat basket, and other items that would make any Jersey kid nostalgic. And at this particular location, they execute well which is what I expect from a chain at the minimum. Service has always been good whether dining in our taking out. Kids will love it because of the kids menu, desserts, free balloons and a claw machine that will make most parents go poor. Overall positive and am affordable place for most families. read more

I have been there few times . Very unfriendly waiters having the attitude that they are doing big favor. Wait for waiters for long time , not aware of Value of others time , totally bad experience. I read more

Good for families to visit. Food and ice cream were not great. If you want to head out for a great family experience its above average, but the food left me underwhelmed. read more

I took my kids for lunch today. Our server was horrible. I don't know her name cause she didn't tell us. My son ordered a kids meal 12 piece quesadilla and only got 8 pieces. She then knocked over his cup and didn't even realize she did it. I heard her complaining she was burnt out. Doesn't give you the right to give bad service. Then we ordered ice cream. My daughter ordered the cone head with cookies and cream ice. She got vanilla ice cream instead. My son ordered the hot fudge sundae with chocolate ice cream. He started eating it and said to me ... mommy what is this. There was a big piece of cardboard in his ice cream . I really recommend not going to this place. Go to the one in Clark . We will never return to this location. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. What a horrible place, dirty and the worst service ever. SHEILA is the worst server my husband & I have had anywhere. Totally rude and incompeotent. read more

Perhaps this Friendly's is pinching pennies after its renovation? I just got a take out order of a 2 scoop peanut butter sundae and it's the smallest sundae with the cheapest amount of peanut butter sauce ever. Next time, I'm taking "the drive" to Carvel on Amboy. The store manager should be teaching his/her HS student employees that more makes customers happy, not less. read more

Service is terrible Food ok It's like they don t want u to leave. Only 3 tables had customers and it took for ever to get anything. She forgot our drinks and she took our ice cream order for kids and forgot that also. Our table was the only one she had at this time how can you forget. I hate when someone can t do their job properly and doesn't care. read more

They opened late. The cook did not show up on time. Ruined my entire morning. Unacceptable.

Went in for two milkshakes, what a mistake. Don't care what they say.....not a real milkshake. Bad taste, right in the trash......Yuk!!!!!

I LOVE FRIENDLY'S - I GREW UP WITH FRIENDLY'S IN CONNECTICUT. Many FRIENDLY'S restaurants have closed, I still miss the one on Stelton Road in South Plainfield. My family comes into town from Connecticut, thought we'd have lunch and do a "Fribble Run" like we did as kids. No, no, no, this restaurant has a lot of work to do, or it too will be closed soon. My sister ordered a salad, the tomato was SLIMEY, like, really slimey - they made her another one, but geez - my 7 year old nephew decided to forgo fries and ordered a mandarin oranges side - was eating them until is mother spotted a fruit fly in the bowl. Our waiter was really nice and did a great job of accommodating the table. His service to us was GREAT! Come on Friendly's of Metuchen, Get It Together!! read more

Our family went out for a birthday dinner for my five year old son with our squirrelly two year old on a Tuesday night. It's a Friendly's so due to the old grouches and depressing seniors who also (oddly) frequent the ice cream parlor restaurant I can't give it a five for a party environment but I had nothing but a wonderful experience there and wanted to say so to counter a lot of the moaning on other reviews which intimidated me. If you liked Friendly's as a kid this is just as fun, colorful, and tasty. Because our two year old is a nightmare in a restaurant they were easy to talk to and very helpful in arranging our food be ready when we got there. The food was yummy all around - we loved the sinful patty melt and chicken avocado melt, and the ice cream was perfect and blew the kids minds. The staff waited for the right moment and seemed sincerely excited all (including the cooks) to come out and sing and clap for our boy who had the most astounded funny look on his face, effin priceless. Our waitress and others there spoke w ease and pleasure getting to know our kids, letting them color on group coloring mats with deep crayon cups. It went awesome and I'm very grateful to the ladies there who had great attitudes and light spirits, and to those who made our yummy food. read more

Great ice cream! My waiter Dan was very enthusiastic and made my time more enjoyable.

We go to this Friendly's a lot. My 6 year old daughter loves it so I don't mind going. I have never had a bad experience here. There is a waiter there named Taylor, he is super nice and always comes over to our table to say hi to us. He remembers what my daughter gets and will ask her if she's getting her usual, and she loves that he remembers that... I will definetly keep visiting this Friendly's!!! read more

Terrible service! I will not be returning, the food was over cooked and we were over charged for our meal. The servers were rude and and it seemed more like a social hour for the worker than a real job. This was actually the worst dinning experience I have ever had. I would honestly put zero stars of I could! read more

I honestly would put 0 stars if I could. This place is disgusting and the management is awful. DO NOT GO HERE. There was a rat on the floor and I had awful service. I waited so long just for ice cream and french fries and it wasn't even busy. My server was out smoking a cigarette. My cutlery was absolutely filthy and when I gave my server "Sheila" my $20.00 bill, she "accidentally" threw it out. An elderly lady fell and twisted her ankle and the manager did not come over. When telling the manager, she responded "How'd she fall?" When she was told "Out of the booth," she said "not my problem." That is absolutely despicable and I will not return with my children again. This place needs to be shut down due to rude, disgusting conditions and awful service. read more

The food and the prices are what you'd expect from Friendly's, but the service is soooooooooo sloooooowwww. Right now there are only five tables filled, and yet we've been waiting 40 minutes for a kids cheeseburgers and a bowl of soup. There aren't many people here, the servers are nowhere to be found and the food is taking forever. Get it together Friendly's!!! read more

Reason I stopped in today to Friendly's is because I'm surprised they are still in business. The news said they filed for bankruptcy. Figured I'd pop in and see what's going on. Well they are def still in business and to my surprise it was actually very inexpensive for two adults. I even found a $5.00 coupon that they honored. Waitress was very nice and knew her menu. The patty melt was warm and had flavor to it. I would return :) read more

The food is good, that why i am giving 1 star atleast. But the serving is so bad, I have never seen any worst service than this in my life, especially the lady Barrney H I guess, she was too bad, and when we complained also , she dint care to apologize. if they want to keep the restaurant name Friendly and why they have keep the serving people who are so unfriendly. I will go to friendly's in future for sure , but not to this Metuchen branch read more

Summary: Since it make's my DD happy, it is A-OK in my book. Will you get a gourmet meal? No. Will you get a great ambiance or impeccable service? No. Will you put a smile on your kid's face every time? Yes. And that is the reason why I am at this restaurant at least once a month. As to the food, it is okay, and it is consistently okay, with some highlights and some disappointments (but it also depends on what you like). They have all of the Americana favorites on the meal, so you do not have to spend to much time wondering what to order - either you will want it or not (since you have had variations of most of these dishes for years). Personally, when I am not watching what I eat, I usually prefer to go with the build-it-yourself burger option. I usually chose the more unhealthy options, but usually come out with a nice end result (although I wish the buns were a little bigger or could withstand some of the extra juicy options I add on). However, the salads (when I am watching what I eat) are fairly decent. They have almost every food option a kid can want, and they have ice cream. To a young kid, this is as close to a perfect restaurant that they can ever imagine. And seeing your school friends there is just a whole other great cherry on top for them (and she usually sees someone she knows). My DD is always happy when she leaves, and always willing to go there for any meal. The kid's meal options are also reasonably priced (as are the adult meals), which makes me (the parent) happy. The new renovation makes the place look cleaner and brighter (although miss the big clock that did not work) The cons: * S L O W. Regardless of the turnover of waiters and waitresses, the service is always slow (in addition, many times, the staff is not well trained when they begin - we have had many different servers over the years). * They do not open early enough for breakfast * The size of the ice cream scoops has gotten smaller over the years (the last few times a double scoop seems to have as much ice cream as a single scoop from only a few years ago). * Did I mention, it can get S L O W? Would I recommend this restaurant? That depends, if you have kids (tween and under) - without a doubt. For a cheap place for a teenage to take a date? Looks like a good viable option. For just ice cream - maybe. But for two adults without kids looking for a decent place for dinner not usually, but it is still a cheaper alternative than most of the other eateries in town (instead of going for pizza or fast food). read more

This restaurant was very rude! I came to eat with 12 other family members and 2 infants. Firstly, the manager told us we CANT bring in the strollers, and we had to explain that they were babies less than 4 months old and we need the strollers. She then proceeded to give us an attitude and say ok fine. She made us put the strollers near our chairs because we couldn't have them on the outside of the aisle. She was very nasty and rude and I believe racist! (We are Latinos)Meanwhile there was a Caucasian family sitting directly near us and they had a highchair on the outside of the aisle and no one complained. Service was horrible!!! Only 2 waitresses and our food was incorrect. They rushed our order, threw our check at us and when we asked for a happy birthday for a family member they told us "we don't do that"... THIS IS BY FAR THE UN FRIENDLIEST FRIENDLY'S ever and I WILL NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN!!!!! read more

We got to Metuchen Friendlys at 10:45 they denied serving breakfast. She said they were getting ready for lunch even though it was empty. We had a coupon which they didn't accept,I'm not sure they gave us any discount they said they did, because we never got a receipt. read more

Typical Friendleys. Busy with lots of kids. Food as expected. What want expected was the waitress being snotty to me. Water was spilled at our table. Finally someone was cleaning up. I moved the glass so they could reach easier and the waitress said inn annoyed voice "oh come on. I'm trying to clean up here". Then she complained to her next table it took her extra time because she had to clean up someone's mess and rolled her eyes. read more

I've been to many Friendly's locations, including this one and they are usually pretty good, but we might have came in at the wrong time because they were very backed up and they were short staffed. We were seated quickly, but it took a very long time for the waitress to come and even take our drink orders. It took so long in fact that we had already decided what we wanted to order before she came around for the first time. I understand that it is hard to run the place when there are only two people and the restaurant is slammed. The food was very good though and it definitely made up for the slow service. As the dinner went, a lot of people finished so the service got quicker as there were less people to have to take care of. The ice cream that we had at the end was just as good as it always is and in my opinion it really is the best way to end an already good meal. Friendly's is always good when it comes to the place being clean with the floors always being spotless and the tables being clean as they should be. The people were nice even though it was obvious that they were stressed because of how busy it was. Overall I like Friendly's and would probably recommend it but would caution that it would be best to go after rush. I might have to come back again and see if the rush is handled better. read more

Received a 50% off breakfast offer from their BFF club and decided to use it on Sunday at the Metuchen Friendly's. A mistake from the beginning to the end. It was 8:30am and only one other table was occupied by party of two. I would have though we'd have gotten superior service, but no. Dimwitted waitress took out beverage order, but failed to bring the beverages. Finally arrived with our coffees and took our order, but never came back to the table until she had our breakfast orders. Didn't bring any setups (knife, fork, napkin). Getting a coffee refill was nearly impossible. When it was time to pay and use my 50% offer, she said she couldn't accept it as it required a managers card to authorize and....you guessed it, no manager was there to do so. If you are thinking of having breakfast, lunch, dinner or ice cream at this location, think again. read more

Friendly's is what's wrong in America. People actually think to review it as a restaurant, as if it matters. The people are nice. Ice cream, ok. Hot fudge a disgrace. Friendly's is not a restaurant. For those who disagree, it is improved. It's now clean. Sticky menus, tables, chairs, walls are gone, although someone ought to wash the high chairs and booster seats once in a while. Food is no longer terrible. Prices are over the top wonderful. And if you have a coupon, it's sinful to use it. Friendly's is so cheap, you find yourself tipping nearly 50%, just so the young servers can earn a minimum wage! It is a bargain, but for the same $20, you can almost have a dinner for two at the Metuchen Inn from the Happy Hour Menu. And, I'll bet their ice cream is better. Still, what a great place to take kids. I don't know how they do it. read more

They are not "friendly" - something is not right. I thought we would get the kids to have a good time and get them to pick their own ice-cream. All servers seems grumpy and one in particular was trying to hurry us out of there - they just lost business - don't go there and if you do stay away from a server named Colleen - ask to be seated somewhere else ! Banged the ice-cream on the table and the kids jumped - need I say more ! read more

Awful customer service!!! Food is okay... but not worth it when you have to constantly ask for stuff that should be given to you (ketchup, napkins, utensils). wouldn't recommend going here if your looking for quality service. read more

I grew up in Metuchen and I'm old enough to have seen this Friendly's get built...so I'm an experienced customer at this location. It was part of my childhood and even a special part of my adulthood for satisfying my craving for a Jim Dandy from time to time. However the change of late has not been a good one. They gave it a much needed remodeling, and despite what some others observed I actually like what they did inside. It's simple and has some nice reminders of Metuchen History on the walls, with clean updated booths. The downside is that instead of someone who is trained and skilled at preparing the ice cream dishes they rely on the often-teen-age server to handle this themselves with a variety of results. The other day my wife ordered a scoop of Pistachio to find out they no longer carry that flavor...they do however offer dozens of obscure flavors I've never heard of which I cannot imagine sell in sufficient quantities to sacrifice carrying the standards most of us grew up on over the years. I ordered my go-to sundae, the Jim Dandy to have it arrive missing most of it's ingredients...I politely pointed it out and the server returned with the sundae now toppling over with the forgotten ingredients piled on top...I get it, they're not offering high-end deserts, but it was a complete mess. I guess I'll be sticking with DQ as my new Go-To Ice Cream shop for at least they know the bananas and toppings go INSIDE the sundae not as if they're a work of modern art. read more

While the South Plainfield location seems to have more traffic, I decided to eat at the Metuchen location last night to ensure it doesn't become yet another empty storefront in Metuchen. Our waitress was friendly enough and our food was okay. My son ordered the kid's chicken fingers with mashed potatoes and I had the fish and chips with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes instead of fries. For dessert, my son had the sour patch sundae and I had a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The sour patches on his sundae were hard and there was not a single red sour patch only green and yellow (yuck!) They also put an extremely sour syrup on it as well so I would steer clear of those unless you're serious about your sourness. I had a free kids meal coupon that my waitress happily applied to my bill so altogether it cost $17.00 for dinner. Not bad at all. Their claw stuffed animal machine is $3.00 which I found pretty outrageous but the kids can play it until they win so that's cool. All in all, I probably wouldn't eat here if I didn't have a young child but for him I'll suck it up and support our local Friendly's. read more