Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Fribbles at the speed of light

I worked for Friendly's back way back when Hector was a pup. When people learned where I worked, they'd invariably have a complaint about how long it took to get their lunch. They'd be nice and not complain about the shop where I worked, always about some other place. People who had a 30-minute lunch break couldn't get served in that amount of time.
Fast forward to 2009. Friendly's realizes that it need to make changes and so introduces Friendly's Express:
Friendly's Express offers customers everything they love about Friendly's, made faster - an average of 25 minutes per visit, versus 45 minutes at a traditional Friendly's.
OK. That's good. And how will they do this?
The short service time (an average of six to eight minutes from ordering to service) makes Friendly's Express perfect for quick but satisfying office lunch breaks, and easy for moms out running errands with their children.  While guests will place orders at the counter, food will be delivered to each customer's table, eliminating the need for moms to juggle food, kids and shopping bags when picking up food at a counter. When guests are ready for ice cream, they can place a numbered tag on the edge of their table and a food runner will bring them their desserts.
Be ever grateful, moms, that a food runner is there to help you. BTW, here's what a food runner can expect to earn in the Worcester area:
via CBSalary.com
You can find out more about being a food runner by checking out the Food Runner Job Guide (PDF).
So, good luck to Friendly's.
One more detour. Old-timers may remember when Friendly's offered a thick shake called the Awful Awful®. Legend has it that (and I've not been able to locate court reports on this) Newport Creamery asserted its trademark rights on the name, forcing Friendly's to rename its product to Fribble®.
What did you do at work today, Daddy?
I named something a Fribble.
That's scary, Daddy.

3 comments:

Karl Hakkarainen said...

More on Fribbles:
The Trouble with Fribbles

Nancy Delain said...

"...Legend has it that (and I've not been able to locate court reports on this) Newport Creamery asserted its trademark rights on the name, forcing Friendly's to rename its product to Fribble®."

There may actually not be a court case; trademark disputes settle out far more often than they are litigated. Or, if Newport Creamery did indeed sue Friendly's, then the whole thing may be under a nondisclosure order.

Two reasons why you, a fine researcher, would not have found a court case on this trademark claim.

FWIW.

Pink Granite said...

I'll be darned!
I grew up in Rhode Island (1958 on) and loved Newport Creamery. I remember their Awful Awfuls -"Awful big, Awful good". I also remember going to the Friendly's in Warwick for their Fribbles. But I don't remember when a Friendly's Fribble was an Awful Awful.
;o)
- Lee

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