The story
Founded by Bob Farrell in 1963, in Portland.1
1963-1990: Original franchise
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour was started at NW 21st Avenue in Portland, Oregon, by 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 chain was purchased in 1972 by the Marriott Corporation, and by 1975, there were 120 Farrell's nationwide. It peaked at 130 locations.
Thereafter, sales dropped and most of the parlors were sold off in the 1980s. Marriott sold the chain to a group of private investors in 1982, and by 1990, almost all Farrell's locations had closed.
1990-2007: Independent operations
The remaining Farrell's locations continued to operate independently after the original chain had closed. As of 2000, there were only two locations in southern California operating under the Farrell's name. One in Mira Mesa operated by the Ortmann family who had owned and operated all the San Diego locations. A new Farrell's was opened in 1999 in Temecula, California by a former Farrell's employee, Herman Chan. 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. The final original location closed in 2007 in Eugene, Oregon. At the time, it was operating under the name of Pearl Street Ice Cream Parlour.
2008-2019: Revival of franchise
In 2008, after a years-long legal battle over rights to the brand, Parlour Enterprises of Lake Forest, California, was confirmed as the owner and operator of Farrell's properties on the U.S. mainland. The company established a franchise model with original founder Bob Farrell as an advisor. They promptly opened seven Farrell's locations in California, including the Mountasia Family Fun Center in Santa Clarita; Rancho Cucamonga; downtown Brea; Riverside; Sacramento; and Buena Park. In 2009, there was a discussion of an eventual return to Portland, but nothing came of it. By 2014, there was a total of 8 restaurants with one each in Hawaii and Sacramento and the remainder in Southern California.
There were eight Farrell's locations in Hawaii. The last Farrell's in the state was operated by E Noa Corporation at Pearlridge shopping center in Aiea, Hawaii. After 10 years in service, it closed at the end of their lease in October 2016.
By 2016, Farrell's had accumulated $2 million in debt and was forced to start closing under-performing locations. The Mission Viejo location closed in January 2016.
In April 2016, the Farrell's inside Mountasia Family Fun Center was re-branded and named Lickity Split by Farrell's, featuring over-the-counter dining and a streamlined menu.
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In August 2016, Farrell's was featured on CNBC's series The Profit, where Marcus Lemonis made a deal with the current owners and stakeholders of the Farrell's brand; three locations stayed open with a last push to bring back the iconic restaurant and ice cream parlour. Also in August 2016, the Sacramento and Rancho Cucamonga locations closed. The Santa Clarita location quietly closed sometime after the closure of the Rancho Cucamonga but before the closure of the Riverside location in late July 2017.
After purchasing the company, Lemonis immediately closed the Buena Park location for renovations and reopened the restaurant in August 2017. Besides the Buena Park location, only the Brea location remained open.
The Buena Park location closed on December 30, 2018, leaving Brea as the last remaining location. The Brea location closed on June 8, 2019, leaving no remaining locations. While Lemonis owns 51% of the brand, he had no ownership in the Brea location.
From Wikipedia’s article on Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3