Looking for Friendly’s vegetarian options? The New England ice cream and diner chain keeps it simple: a handful of real vegetarian breakfast dishes, a few cheese-forward comfort classics, and the sundaes it built its name on, but no dedicated veggie burger. We built whatsvegetarian.com to answer exactly this question for every chain, so what about the vegetarians gets a straight answer before you sit down.
A Quick Look at Friendly’s
Two brothers, S. Prestley Blake and Curtis Blake, opened the first Friendly’s in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts, selling ice cream cones for a nickel out of a small storefront. It grew into a full-service diner chain known for burgers, breakfast, and its sundae bar, expanding across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through the mid-20th century. Ownership changed hands several times after that. Hershey Foods bought the company in 1979 and sold it in 1988, and it later passed through Sun Capital Partners from 2007 to 2020 and then Amici Partners Group.
An investment group called Legacy Brands International acquired Brix Holdings, Friendly’s parent company, in July 2025. Amol Kohli leads that group. He started as a breakfast server at a New Jersey Friendly’s in 2009 and now owns five locations himself. Friendly’s has shrunk a long way from its 1990s peak of roughly 850 restaurants, and by the time of the 2025 acquisition it operated fewer than 100 U.S. locations. New ownership says it wants to rebuild by expanding into the Southeast, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
One menu quirk worth knowing: the “Fribble” is the chain’s trademarked name for its thick milkshake, and it’s been on the menu in one form or another since the ice cream parlor days. Quirks like that are part of why the brand still has loyal regulars in New England and the Mid-Atlantic even with a much smaller footprint.
Finding a Friendly’s Near You
With fewer than 100 locations left, Friendly’s is a lot harder to stumble into than it used to be. Remaining restaurants cluster in New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and closures have picked up over the past couple of years as the brand changed hands. Before you plan a visit, check the official location finder rather than relying on an old address, since a nearby Friendly’s may have closed since the last time you checked.
Friendly’s Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Here’s the current lineup of Friendly’s vegetarian options and what to skip. This is based on the chain’s posted menu, and it’s worth double-checking with your server since toppings and recipes can vary a little by location.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Vegetable Omelet | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (eggs, cheese) |
| Veggie Scramble | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (eggs, cheese) |
| Veggie Quesadilla (breakfast) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cheese) |
| Mushroom, Swiss & Onion Omelet | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (eggs, cheese) |
| Mac & Cheese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| America’s Best Grilled Cheese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Mini Mozz Sticks | ⚠️ Check (rennet, shared fryer) | ❌ No |
| Fried Pickle Chips | ⚠️ Check (batter, shared fryer) | ⚠️ Check |
| Soup & Side Salad (hold meat toppings) | ✅ Yes* | ⚠️ Check dressing |
| Loaded Waffle Fries (ask for no bacon) | ⚠️ Check | ⚠️ Check |
| Pancakes / French Toast | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (eggs, milk) |
| Ice Cream Sundaes & Fribble Shakes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| New England Clam Chowder | ❌ No (clams) | ❌ No |
Breakfast: The Real Vegetarian Menu
Breakfast is where Friendly’s vegetarian options actually show up in force. The Garden Vegetable Omelet and the Veggie Scramble both come loaded with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese, and either one works as an easy, filling order. The Veggie Quesadilla is another straightforward pick. Want something custom? The Omelet Your Way option lets you build one from the vegetable and cheese fillings on hand and leave the meat out entirely. Pancakes and French toast are vegetarian across every flavor, from Blueberry Muffin Top to Chocolate, Banana & Cream. None of them are vegan, since the batter uses eggs and milk.
Sides, Salads, and Starters
Mac & Cheese is the easiest vegetarian side to order, and Mini Mozz Sticks and Fried Pickle Chips both work too, as long as shared-fryer cross-contact isn’t a concern for you. The Soup & Side Salad comes with a small garden salad, so ask for it without the New England Clam Chowder, which is built on clams and isn’t vegetarian at all. Skip the $100,000 Cobb Salad and the Crispy Chicken Salad, since both are built around meat as the main ingredient rather than an add-on. Loaded Waffle Fries are a popular starter, but they come topped with bacon bits and sour cream by default, so ask for them without the bacon if you want a vegetarian version.
Grilled Cheese and the Only Vegetarian Sandwich
Nearly the whole sandwich and SuperMelt lineup is built around meat, chicken, or fish, from the Friendly Frank to the Tuna Salad SuperMelt to the Fishamajig. America’s Best Grilled Cheese is the one exception, and it’s a solid, simple order when you want something warm that isn’t a burger. There’s no dedicated veggie burger on the current menu, which is a real gap for a chain this size. When a plant-based patty matters to you, call your local location directly, since availability can vary by franchise owner.
Ice Cream, Sundaes, and Fribbles
This is still the reason most people walk into a Friendly’s. The full sundae lineup, from the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae to the Retro Royal Banana Split to the Hunka Chunka PB Fudge Lava Cake, is vegetarian since it’s built on dairy ice cream, not gelatin. Cones, Friend-Z mix-ins, and Fribble milkshakes are all vegetarian too. None of it is vegan, though. Friendly’s doesn’t currently offer a dairy-free or vegan ice cream, so if you’re avoiding animal products entirely, dessert here is limited to whatever fruit or black coffee you can find on the menu.
What’s Vegan at Friendly’s?
Not much. Friendly’s menu leans hard on eggs, milk, and cheese across breakfast, sides, and dessert, and there’s no dedicated plant-based ice cream, burger, or milk alternative on the current menu. Black coffee, hot tea, and most cold beverages are your safest bets, along with a plain side salad if the kitchen can leave off cheese and dressing. Strict vegans should treat this as a tough stop and check ingredients carefully before ordering anything else.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Cheese rennet is rarely disclosed at chain restaurants, so if that matters to your definition of vegetarian, ask before ordering anything with melted cheese, including the Mac & Cheese and the Mini Mozz Sticks. Fried items like the Mozz Sticks, Fried Pickle Chips, and any fries are often cooked in a fryer shared with chicken tenders, wings, and the Fishamajig, so cross-contact is possible if that’s a concern. Loaded Waffle Fries come with bacon bits and sour cream unless you ask otherwise. Gluten shows up throughout the menu, in the waffle cone, pancakes, French toast, and any bun or wrap, so let your server know if you need a gluten-free option and ask what can be modified.
Soy and dairy also turn up in places you might not expect, including some breading and sauces, so if you’re managing a soy or dairy allergy rather than just avoiding meat, don’t assume a dish is safe just because it’s vegetarian. Friendly’s franchise locations don’t all run the exact same suppliers, so an item that’s fine at one restaurant could be prepared slightly differently at another. When in doubt, ask to see the allergen guide in person.
Tips for Vegetarians at Friendly’s
- Order the Garden Vegetable Omelet or Veggie Scramble at breakfast. It’s the deepest vegetarian bench on the entire menu.
- Request the Loaded Waffle Fries without bacon bits. They come topped with them by default.
- Steer clear of the Cobb Salad and Crispy Chicken Salad, both built around meat. Go with the plain Soup & Side Salad instead.
- Confirm the fryer situation if cross-contact matters to you. Mozzarella sticks, pickle chips, and fries often share oil with chicken and fish items.
- Save room for the sundaes. Ice cream, hot fudge, and most toppings are vegetarian, just not vegan.
- Call ahead if you’re vegan. The kitchen leans hard on dairy and eggs, and there isn’t a dedicated plant-based item on the current menu.
- Check whether your location will make the Veggie Quesadilla outside breakfast hours. Some will, even though it’s listed under breakfast.
Conclusion
Friendly’s vegetarian options come down to breakfast, cheese, and ice cream. The Garden Vegetable Omelet, Veggie Scramble, Mac & Cheese, and America’s Best Grilled Cheese give you real choices, and the sundae bar is fully vegetarian even if it isn’t vegan. The missing veggie burger is a real gap, so if that’s what you’re after, call ahead. For more on eating out without meat, check our full guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, browse every chain we’ve covered in our restaurant guides, or see what’s vegetarian at other classic American diners like Perkins and Village Inn, or at fellow ice cream chain Carvel.
