Curtis Blake, the younger of the two brothers who in 1935 opened an ice cream shop that would grow into the 880-unit Friendly’s family restaurant chain, died Friday at age 102.
His death was confirmed by Friendly's on social media this morning. The cause of death was not revealed.
Blake and his brother, Prestley Blake, opened the original shop as a low-price alternative to the soda fountains that drugstores were adding at the time to coax a few more dollars out of customers during the Great Depression. The standard price at the time for a double-scoop cone from one of the fountains was 10 cents. The Blakes charged a nickel. On that first day in Springfield, Mass., the brothers took in $27.60 from the opening time of 7 p.m. until closing, according to Friendly’s lore.
The concept’s mission was to provide an affordable special occasion to families who had little disposable income to spare. The initial store’s success convinced the brothers to open more stores, most of them in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Curtis focused on personnel and training, while Pres, two years older, concentrated on hardcore business concerns.
The pair added savory food and table service to their menu, giving New Englanders a reason to visit in winter. Among the products added was a hamburger called the Big Beef, which became a signature and a much-craved product in the area. It would be years before the region would see the likes of burger specialists such as California’s McDonald’s and Florida’s Burger King.
Among the innovations tried by Friendly’s was a central, corral-like kitchen separated from a ring of surrounding booths by just a low wall. Servers or cooks could lean over from the prep area and deliver the hot food to patrons seconds after it came off the grill, with few steps needed. The intent was to cut serving time and boost server efficiency.
The brothers ignored the trend of restaurant chains at the time expanding rapidly through franchising. Friendly’s was all corporately operated for much of its 84 years.
The Blakes were also early proponents of selling restaurant products in supermarkets. Like archrival Howard Johnson’s, Friendly’s sold its ice cream in grocery freezer cases.
The brothers would often squabble over direction and tactics, yet they kept expanding their business until it topped 500 stores in 1979. Some believe the strife was a major reason for the Blakes’ decision to sell Friendly’s to Hershey Foods for a reported $164 million.
Hershey grew the concept to 800 units before selling it for $375 million to Donald Smith, a Pizza Hut veteran who was trying to amass a collection of family restaurant chains. The Blake brothers would periodically surface in media stories or at Friendly’s units, offering their opinions on their brainchild. Pres Blake became a shareholder after Smith took the business public, and then used his stake to sue the corporation for Smith’s alleged misuse of the company jet and other asserted instances of mismanagement.
Friendly’s would eventually become part of Sun Capital. It has shrunk to about 174 locations.
The Blakes put aside their personal differences to remain close siblings. Pres is now 104 years old.
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