The
one and only Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour still in operation in
northern Orange County has shut down. The Brea restaurant was the
last of seven to have survived after the company was revived in 2009.
Other locations included Eastridge Mall in San Jose, Serramonte
Center in Daly City, Freemont Fashion Center in Fremont and Alpha
Beta Center in Sunnyvale.
In
the 1970s, Farrell’s was the place to be for a kid’s party. It
had a vibrant, loud atmosphere, tacky Gay Nineties theme and large
ice cream creatures served on platters for its customers.
While
there is nothing remarking about the closure on the Brea’s closure
on its Facebook page or website, attempts were made to call the
location, but no messages could be left due to the inbox being full
in the voicemail.
Bob
Farrell, of Portland, Oregon founded Farrell’s in 1963. He owned
over 50 restaurants in the West by 1970. When it was attained by
Marriott Corporation the next year, there were over 130 locations
around the nation. In 1988, a San Francisco investment group bought
Farrell’s, but most stores shuttered operations by 1990. The
original Farrell’s location in Eugene, Oregon shut down in 2006.
However,
Parlour Enterprises, Inc. brought the company back in 2009 after it
bought the rights to it. Over the next several years, it opened seven
stores – Sacramento, Riverside, Buena Park, Rancho Cucamonga,
Mission Viejo, Santa Clarita and Brea.
Another
company opened Hawaii’s eight Farrell’s, and those closed down in
2016.
The
brand and idea are owned by Marcus Lemonis, and after he closed down
the Buena Park shop, he said he was holding onto it – perhaps to
“retool” the brand when the time comes. He said he was waiting
for the right window to come along and open.
In 1972, Farrell’s Sacramento store suffered from a huge aviation tragedy. A jet at an air show nearby was unable to gain any altitude and crashed into the shop. There were 22 deaths; 12 of them children, as the store was hosting a party for a local youth football team.
