PETA vs. Friendly’s! Ice Cream Wars Begin As Vegan Cone Truck Pulls Up to Tannersville Restaurant

For Immediate Release:
June 26, 2026

Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382

Friendly’s may have a winning name, but it’s leaving a lot of customers—especially those who are lactose intolerant, or who want plant-based ice cream for environmental, ethical, health, or religious reasons—out in the cold. Friendly’s Ice Cream, which is owned by big dairy, refuses to offer any vegan ice cream options, shutting out customers and serving only ice cream that tears calves away from their mothers. So, on Monday, PETA’s “iScream” truck will roll up to the Tannersville location to show customers what true friendliness tastes like: fun kids’ scream challenges, a prize wheel, and free vegan treats.

“Friendly’s isn’t living up to its name for mother cows, their stolen calves, or the rapidly growing number of diners asking for vegan options,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s mobile parlor will be rolling up and down the East Coast this summer to dish up thousands of the dairy-free treats that Friendly’s customers are missing out on.”

When:               Monday, June 29, 12 noon

Where:             Friendly’s, 2942 PA-611, Tannersville

Why:                  Cows have friends and mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other, yet in the dairy industry, female cows are forcibly impregnated and have their beloved calves stolen from them so the milk meant to nourish their babies can be sold to humans. Mother cows have been documented frantically chasing the trucks hauling their calves away, crying out in grief for days. Newborn males are slaughtered for veal, while female calves endure the same fate as their mothers until their bodies wear out and they’re sent to slaughter.

With the global vegan ice cream market valued at more than $800 million and projected to reach $1.1 billion by 2030, top scoop shops, including Ben & Jerry’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Carvel, are meeting the demand for vegan treats, while Friendly’s falls behind.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness, along with a vegan starter kit that can help anyone make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.