Farrell's Ice Cream ParlourI have great memories of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours growing up in California in the 1970s. The restaurant concept was a turn of the century ice cream parlour. The monster ice cream bowls (the Trough and the Zoo with all the little plastic animals) (choking hazard!!), the bowl being delivered on a fireman stretcher by 2 servers running around the restaurant while sirens went off and bells rang. They also had player piano, old flip-card movie viewers. I remember if you finished the Trough you got a ribbon that stated "I made a pig of myself at Farrell's" or something like that. If you didn't experience Farrell's, then you missed out. Today, there are only a few Farrell's Parlours left. |
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Quick facts- founded by Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in Portland, Oregon, in 1963. - Quickly became one of the hottest chains on the west coast. - Ken McCarthy retired in 1970. - Bob Farrell sold the chain in 1973 to the Marriot Corporation. (55 stores at this time) - Marriot added about 80 more locations nationwide, mostly in malls. Poor corporated decisions in the mid 1980s led to the decline of the chain and closing of almost all of the restaurants by the 1990s. - trademarks and master development rights now owned by the Kirin Group of California who has franchised a few restaurants with plans to franchise more. Odd facts: - there birthday list was once sold to a marketing firm who then sold it to the Selective Service who sent reminders when birthday boys turned 18. The Selective Service stopped using the list after it came to light that permission was not given by Farrel's for this purpose. - the Founder, Bob Farrell, is now a motivational speaker with a website at www.giveemthepickle.com |
The Farrell's Zone - a very informative site from a person who worked for Farrell's |
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