A favorite restaurant memory from childhood is not always about the food. Sometimes it is the toy tucked inside the meal, the activity completed while waiting at the table, or the treat that became part of a family tradition. Friendly’s is leaning into that sense of discovery with its new Conehead Crew™, a systemwide kids experience that launched Sept. 16th. The program combines redesigned kids menus, activities, and collectible trading cards with five characters inspired by Friendly’s familiar ice cream sundaes.
It is a playful addition to the meal, but the idea reaches beyond keeping children occupied at the table. By giving kids characters to recognize, cards to collect, and another reason to look forward to a restaurant visit, Friendly’s is creating an experience that can become part of the memories families associate with the brand.
For parents, there is another side to that equation. A child who is excited about a restaurant can make the entire outing feel more enjoyable. A successful kids’ experience can turn dinner from a routine meal into something children anticipate, and parents are happy to repeat.
Conehead Crew Brings Friendly’s Sundaes to Life
The Conehead Crew gives personalities to five Friendly’s sundae creations, turning menu items into characters children can recognize throughout the restaurant experience.
Conehead serves as the friendly and adventurous captain of the group, while Rock the Star brings a confident, spotlight-ready personality. Puddles the Pig is sweet and playful, Monster Mash is energetic and fun-loving, and Spot the Dog rounds out the group as the loyal and lovable member of the Crew. The characters appear across the redesigned kids menu and other elements of the program, creating a consistent theme that extends beyond the meal itself.
Each kids meal also includes a sealed Conehead Crew trading card pack containing two surprise cards. Cards fall into Character, Crew or Adventure collections, with 18 designs available in total. Select packs contain harder-to-find premium and legendary cards.
That collecting element adds another layer to the experience. Instead of receiving something identical on every visit, kids have a reason to open the package, discover what they received, and compare cards with siblings or friends. Duplicate cards can become opportunities for trading, while missing cards can give children something to look for the next time their family visits.
Friendly’s also includes a bounceback coupon in each pack, connecting the collectible experience directly with a possible return trip.
“Most people can still describe the toy that came with a meal when they were seven, right down to the details,” said Erik Jenson, Vice President of marketing for BRIX Holdings. “That kind of memory comes from acquiring something worth keeping and worth showing a friend at school the next morning. We built this program around that instinct, because a kid who walks out with an unfinished collection has already picked where the family is going back to next.”
Kids’ Excitement Can Become Part of the Family Experience
Restaurants have long understood that winning over children can influence how families feel about an outing. The Conehead Crew approach gives Friendly’s several ways to make younger guests active participants in the experience rather than simply accompanying their parents to dinner.
The redesigned menu spans breakfast, lunch, and dinner and includes mazes, word searches, and landmark-matching activities children can complete while waiting for their meals. Beginning Oct. 1st, Friendly’s plans to add Conehead Crew standees that can serve as photo opportunities inside restaurants, along with temporary tattoos kids can take home.
Together, those pieces make the program less about a single giveaway and more about creating several moments of engagement during the visit. That can matter for parents, too. When children have something to explore at the table and something they are excited to bring home, the restaurant experience can become easier to enjoy as a family. The cards may be designed for kids, but the smiles, conversations, and traditions built around collecting them can become shared experiences.
For Friendly’s, whose restaurant identity has long been connected with ice cream and family dining, transforming recognizable sundaes into characters also gives the brand an opportunity to introduce those traditions to another generation. A child might first remember Conehead as the character on a trading card before eventually connecting that character with the Friendly’s sundae served at the table. Over time, those small associations can become the kind of restaurant memories families revisit years later.
Friendly’s Adds Value With $5 Kids Meals and Family Promotions
Friendly’s is supporting the launch with limited-time pricing intended to give families another reason to visit during the busy back-to-school season. Through Oct. 13th, kids can eat for $5 with the purchase of an adult entrée. The offer is available Monday through Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. for dine-in guests only.
The restaurant is also offering a Back-to-School Cheeseburger meal for $9.99, which includes a cheeseburger, fries and a Happy Ending Sundae. The promotions add a value component to an experience built largely around fun. Families can come in for the meal deal, but children may leave talking about which card they opened, which Conehead Crew character they like, or which one they hope to collect next.
That combination is part of what makes collectible programs enduring. The physical item may be small, but the anticipation surrounding it can become part of the occasion. Friendly’s said it has additional surprises planned for October as the Conehead Crew rollout continues.
Guests can also join the Friendly’s Fan Club rewards program for offers, promotions, and brand updates. Friendly’s operates as a family dining restaurant brand known for burgers, entrees, and ice cream treats, with its dessert menu playing a central role in the restaurant experience.
With the Conehead Crew, some of those familiar sundaes now have a new job. They are not simply desserts at the end of a kids meal; they are characters children can meet, collect, and remember. For a parent watching a child excitedly tear open a trading card pack at the table, that enthusiasm may become one more happy memory attached to a family meal.
