After Friendly’s: Johnson City Restaurant Replaced by Car Wash

A car wash empire is expanding with a new facility rising on the site of the old Friendly's restaurant in Johnson City.

The eatery had been a fixture at 561 Harry L. Drive for nearly four decades. It was the last Friendly's restaurant operating in the Binghamton area when it closed in September.

The abandoned building was torn down in November to clear the site for construction of the new car wash operation.

Splash Car Wash of Connecticut is building a 4,500-square-foot vehicle washing facility at the site, which is located east of the Oakdale Commons. Construction crews began working at the site a few weeks ago.

Splash already operates more than 80 facilities in New York and three other states. It has two other Broome County car washes - one in Vestal and the other in the town of Chenango.

The new car wash is expected to operate daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Splash Car Wash CEO Mark Curtis did not return phone calls seeking information about when the new site is expected to open.

Loyal customers of the Johnson City Friendly's restaurant had expressed concern about the future of the business in the last few years after other Broome County locations were closed.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer had criticized Friendly's for closing restaurants without giving employees advance notice.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: The scene last November as demolition crews started to tear down the old Friendly's restaurant building on Harry L. Drive.

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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.