A stray Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour game token spurred a revival of a piece of Orange County history.
Laguna Niguel-based Parlour Enterprises Inc. in November opened its second Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour after a 20-year absence for the campy chain.
The latest restaurant at The Shops at Mission Viejo opened to long lines.
More of the 1905-themed restaurants known for their ice cream and Vaudeville-style entertainment are planned for OC, said Mike Fleming, Parlour’s chief executive.
“We plan to stick to Orange County for our next few stores,” he said.
The company is working with Indianapolis-based mall operator Simon Property Group Inc. on additional locations, he said.
Simon, which owns The Shops at Mission Viejo, is said to have more than 100 sites earmarked nationwide for future Farrell’s, a source familiar with the mall operator said.
Fleming said he is being cautious about growing the chain, which saw its heyday in the 1970s.
“There are too many restaurant stories of rapid growth that took the company down the wrong road and ultimately failed,” Fleming said.
The company plans to bring in investors to open restaurants, he said.
“We have a plan for growth, but we need to do it right here first before we get ahead of ourselves,” Fleming said.
Fleming also owns Santa Clarita’s Mountasia Family Fun Center, which includes an arcade, miniature golf course, batting cages and other attractions.
That’s where Fleming stumbled across a Farrell’s token, spurring his interest in the ice cream parlor that vanished by the late 1980s.
In 2001, Fleming opened a Farrell’s inside the Mountasia Fun Center.
Fleming said he had fond memories of the restaurant from his high school days. Farrell’s was a popular spot after football games and for dates, he said.
“I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and used to go to Farrell’s in Woodland Hills for all types of things,” Fleming said. “It was the thing to do back then.”
History
In 1963, Bob Farrell and Ken McCarthy started the chain in Portland, Ore. Farrell later became a motivational speaker. He was known for his “give ’em the pickle” philosophy of customer service.
He came up with the idea after a customer asked for pickles on ice cream and a server balked.
McCarthy left after a few years, leaving Farrell to go on and open about 60 restaurants.
He sold the chain to what now is Marriott International Inc. in 1972. By the mid-1970s, there were about 130 Farrell’s, most in California, including several in OC.
Farrell stayed on until 1975 when losses at Farrell’s prompted his departure.
By the early 1980s, Marriott sold off company-owned restaurants and franchising rights to BK Restaurant Venture Inc., an investment group in San Francisco led by Richard Blum, husband of then-San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein.
Blum tried to change the way Farrell’s operated, leading to a revolt by franchisees, which made up half of the chain, according to Fleming.
Farrell’s continued with huge losses until BK Restaurants fell into bankruptcy in the mid-1980s.
In 1985, the trademarks and franchising rights reverted back to Marriott, which closed or sold off many restaurants.
Some franchised restaurants stayed open for a few years under new names and with similar themes. Within a few years, all the locations had closed or changed their names.
In 1997, Temecula-based Kirin Group Inc. bought the Farrell’s name and development plans from Marriott.
The company opened a Farrell’s in Temecula in 1999 that closed within the year.
Fleming formed Parlour in 2000 to license the name from Kirin. When Kirin went into bankruptcy in 2008, Parlour purchased the Farrell’s name in bankruptcy court.
As part of a settlement, a former Kirin franchisee got to keep development rights for Hawaii, which has two Farrell’s that aren’t part of Fleming’s Parlour.
“It’s been a 12-year journey for me,” Fleming said.
With a background in family fun centers, Fleming enlisted former restaurateur Paul Kramer to help out.
Kramer previously worked for Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited Inc. before going to work for Fountain Valley-based Huish Family Fun Centers.
Fleming also brought on Farrell—the founder of Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour—as a consultant for the chain’s revival.
“We have spent hours with Bob Farrell on how the restaurant should be run and look,” Fleming said.
There are a lot of touches from the original chain, including turn-of-the-century player pianos playing Ragtime music and striped uniforms and skimmer hats for the staff.
Locals
The Mission Viejo restaurant has drawn several local notables, location including Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, who had his first date with his wife at a Farrell’s.
The new Farrell’s has strayed a bit from the original by selling beer and wine.
“It’s not something Bob Farrell would have offered back in the day and nothing we advertise heavily,” Fleming said.
Plans call for future restaurants to range from 5,500 square feet to 7,000 square feet. Fleming said he’s looking at mall spaces left vacant by failed restaurants.
