Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor
MEMORIES:
1984ButBlair remembers...Everyone had their birthday party there. Everyone wanted the volcano one with vanilla icecream and hot fudge but no one ... More »
Posted on 09/01/08
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Once upon a time, before the days of frozen yogurt on every corner, a man named Bob Farrell opened an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in 1963 as a tribute to similar ones he had haunted during his youth in New York City. In his store, employees would run through the restaurant, delivering ice cream concoctions of gargantuan proportions (some actually hauled around on a stretcher) to delighted patrons, amidst the bedlam of sirens and beating bass drums. It was a simple concept that people loved and it proved quite successful in its day.
Nostalgic decor surrounded you, from Tiffany Lamps and turn of the century wallpaper to the player pianos churning out tunes of yesteryear. Guests ordered from newspaper-style menus that offered typical fare of hamburgers and hot dogs. Of course, it didn’t really matter what was on the menu, people came for the ice cream. Huge ice cream sundaes with names like “The Zoo”, “Pike’s Peak” and “The Trough” (some containing as many as 12 scoops!) were perfect for gatherings of people celebrating milestones such as birthdays, little league victories, or any other event that mass consumption of ice cream was deemed appropriate. A noisy production was always guaranteed when these monstrosities were ordered, making each visit fun and memorable. And no trip would be complete without a visit to the old-fashioned candy story (conveniently located near the cash registers) for some stick candy or a large lollipop (as if the boatload of previously devoured ice cream didn’t quite meet the daily sugar requirements of the visiting children).
At its peak in the early 70’s, Farrell’s boasted 130 locations from coast to coast. Bob Farrell eventually sold the company to The Marriot Corporation in 1971 (and went on to become a successful motivational speaker). And while the popularity sustained for a while, a series of bad business decisions would eventually lead Farrell’s down a rocky road of decreased sales and closed locations. The powers that be decided that the customers would prefer good food to nostalgia and replaced the player pianos with salad bars and the candy stores with video arcades. Meanwhile, places like Chuck E. Cheese filled the gap and became the new popular place to host a child’s party. By 1985, only 59 Farrell’s remained open.
After passing through a series of owners, the company was sold to the Kirin Company in 1996. Sadly, by the time they took over, the sundae had pretty much melted. As of 2005, there were only two locations left, one in Oregon and the other in San Diego (which closed in 2006.)
It was the end of an era, the end of the old-fashioned ice cream parlor of yesteryear. The strip mall frozen yogurt stores that filled the void, while tasty in their own right, just don’t compare to the celebration of ice cream that only Farrell’s could once provide.
