TOMS RIVER, NJ – According to a report by Toms River Patch this week, Friendly’s restaurant, located on Route 37 near the BJ’s Wholesale Club, is shutting down. News of the closure sent many in Ocean County reminiscing about the once-popular restaurant chain.
Friendly’s used to have stores in the Ocean County mall in a space adjacent to JC Penny. That quaint and small restaurant, which was a favorite of the mall crowd for many years, shut down years ago. The company opened the Route 37 location as the population in Toms River expanded westward.
A downtown Toms River location on Main Street in what is today “Shut Up And Eat!” also closed down years ago.
This latest closure announcement leaves the Hooper Avenue restaurant across from the Ocean County Mall as the last remaining Friendly’s restaurant, not only in Toms River, but in Ocean County.