Franchisee buys 32 more Friendly's spots

Joseph Vitrano, owner of a Ronkonkoma-based Friendly's restaurant group that includes all 33 Long Island franchises, has now nearly doubled his group in size with the purchase of 32 more Friendly's restaurants -- making him the nation's top franchisee for the chain.

The locations newly acquired by J&B Restaurant Partners are all in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York State. Vitrano said he plans to "remodel and refresh" them all.

Vitrano took control of the restaurants Monday.

He's also made a commitment to build 19 Friendly's eateries during the next seven years.

"This is an exciting opportunity for us to expand the Friendly's brand throughout the region," Vitrano said in a statement. "As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Friendly's on Long Island, we are excited to extend the success of our decade-long relationship with Friendly's through this transaction."

The newly bought restaurants include locations in Yonkers and Mount Kisco; Passaic and Toms River, N.J., and Bridgeport and Danbury, Conn.

In the announcement, Vitrano listed his executive team, who will help run the 65-restaurant group: Gerry Snearly, chief financial officer; Greg Alagna, senior vice president for operations, and Dawn Petite, vice president for operations.