Friendly’s Restaurant in Johnson City Turned to Rubble

A Johnson City building that had been home to a Friendly's Restaurant for nearly four decades is being torn down.

Demolition crews started operations to remove the structure just east of the Oakdale Commons Wednesday morning.

The eatery at 561 Harry L. Drive had been the last Friendly's unit still open in the Binghamton area. The restaurant closed in September, a few months after its manager insisted the place would remain open.

A restaurant had occupied the building since the 1970s when Sambo's opened at the site. The operation was rebranded as No Place Like Sam's in 1981. A Season's restaurant was open at the site for a few months in 1983.

When the Friendly's restaurant opened in the building in 1984, it was the chain's fifth location in Broome County.

Units on the Vestal Parkway and at the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City closed in 2013. Locations on East Main Street in Endicott and Upper Front Street in the town of Chenango were shut down in 2019.

Demolition workers told WNBF News they expect the Harry L. Drive site will be cleared by the end of the week.

Splash Car Wash of Connecticut has received approval to set up a unit at the Johnson City site. The company has not announced when the new car wash will open.

VIDEO: Watch demolition crews tear down the abandoned Friendly's restaurant building on Harry L. Drive in Johnson City.

BONUS VIDEO: Take a look at what the site looked like less than 48 hours later.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.