Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour is an American ice cream parlor chain that was started in Portland, Oregonby Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy in 1963 .Farrell's became known for their offer of a free ice cream sundae to children on their birthday. The parlors had an 1890s theme, with employees wearing period dress and straw boater hats, and each location featured a player piano. The Farrell's "Zoo" dessert is delivered with great fanfare by multiple employees carrying it wildly around the restaurant on a stretcher accompanied by the sound of ambulance sirens.
In 1972, the Farrell's chain was purchased by the Marriott Corporation. By 1975, there were 120 Farrell's nationwide.
Thereafter, sales dropped and most of the parlors were sold off in the 1980s. In 1982, Marriott sold the chain to a group of private investors.
In 1983, the Selective Service purchased Farrell's "Birthday Club" data and mailed warnings to young men to register for the draft before their 18th birthday. Farrell's blamed the situation on an unauthorized sale by a list broker, and the government announced they would stop using the list. One of the last original Farrell's locations in Portland, located near the Lloyd Center mall, closed in 2001. At the time of its closing, it was privately owned and known as The Original Portland Ice Cream Parlor.
Downtown Brea location
Today, the only Farrell's in the mainland U.S. are in the Mountasia Family Fun Center in Santa Clarita, California, The Shops at Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo, California, Rancho Cucamonga, California, in Downtown Brea, California, and in Riverside, California which opened on 31 January 2013. There has also been discussion of an eventual return to Portland, Oregon. The only Farrell's still operating in Hawaii is located in Pearlridge shopping center in Aiea, Hawaii.
Vintage Farrell's Ice Cream Restaurant
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