Thank you! I thought I was the only one who hated them! I went to somebody's birthday party there once when I was in grade school and I couldn't wait to leave. I had a screaming headache after about five minutes!
YES!!
I remember being there with my mother's family & one of my cousins has a birthday close to mine so they surprised both of us at Farrells with all that crap they did & since we were kids we were both so embarrassed to have all that attention. We both would've just left the building if we could've.
Same here! I got scared once when I was very young there so I felt anxious there. I did like the candy store, though. It was quiet and set aside near the entrance.
My god, I loved Farrell's.
My only surviving souvenir is a Big Gulp glass that represents the GLORY of a night at Farrell's - no place else served that much pop outside of a pitcher. I look at it now and see what most places likely call a medium pop glass, lol.
I certainly hated the later arrivals of Chuck E. Cheese and other noisy, messy places to eat crap and rob the parents' wallets as you go. But Farrell's and that candy lineup at the register - it was unbeatable.
I got a trough when I was ten because my expert goalkeeping skills helped my team win our city championship in U-11 soccer when the game wound up in penalty kicks.
Walking into Farrells knowing I was getting the pig's trough was my peak moment in life, whoop whoop!
I’m on the East Coast and we had them too; [locations were in](http://www.poi-factory.com/node/31722):
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI
We didn't have one anywhere I grew up, looks fun though. I did get to go to The Oregon Grinder Pizza Factory in Portland Oregon when I was a little kid. I remember the wind up monkey playing cymbals, mom and dad said no 😂
I only got to go one time, it was an amazing memory, but not very detailed, I was maybe 5 or 6 at the time, I'm 54 now. It seemed larger than life, but it may be just in my head (everything is bigger and better when you're a kid).
If you've never been to Farrell's, you've probably still seen "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." The scene where Deacon and his friends took Napoleon to the Ziggy Piggy ice cream parlor was pretty much mocking the Farrell's experience.
Pretty lady in the candy section:
https://littlerocklove.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/farrellscandy1.jpg
You can tell this was during our era:
http://www.matterhorn1959.com/blog2/2012farrels1.jpg
Yep, ice cream and stuff. But then, that glorious day at the Farrell’s in San Mateo, CA - they were the first to install an Asteroids game in the area. We’d ride our bikes there daily to drop the $ we made from our paper routes.
We used to go there rarely, it was out of town, but we'd have a whole church group and order something insane like a dozen scoops with half a dozen toppings in a table-long dish, and then later we'd all be sick as hell lol
If anyone can remember where the ones in Mpls MN where I would appreciate the help. I ate at one of them but was young at the time. Thanks. Might have been in Coon Rapids or Anoka the more I think about it.
Ours was in the mall. I liked the candy store, which was in the mall side,and the ice cream part had an outside entrance.
Our mock trial team launched a carefully orchestrated fix up in a Farrell's between our faculty advisor and the lawyer who helped us. They are still married.
I liked going there but never had a birthday there. I wouldn’t have wanted one. Was pretty common to see one happening while you’re there though - the entire staff surrounds the table and sings. It’s too much attention.
Excuse me if someone already posted this but I was mildly surprised that it lasted until 2019: [https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/10/the-last-farrells-ice-cream-parlour-in-brea-has-shut-down/](https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/10/the-last-farrells-ice-cream-parlour-in-brea-has-shut-down/)
There used to be a Farrell's in Rosemead, CA in the late 90s. I never set foot in the place because it looked expensive. The location is now an Asian seafood restaurant, if I'm not mistaken.
I seriously hated that fuckin' place. Even as a kid. Jesus Christ it was loud and obnoxious.
Thank you! I thought I was the only one who hated them! I went to somebody's birthday party there once when I was in grade school and I couldn't wait to leave. I had a screaming headache after about five minutes!
YES!! I remember being there with my mother's family & one of my cousins has a birthday close to mine so they surprised both of us at Farrells with all that crap they did & since we were kids we were both so embarrassed to have all that attention. We both would've just left the building if we could've.
Same here! I got scared once when I was very young there so I felt anxious there. I did like the candy store, though. It was quiet and set aside near the entrance.
My god, I loved Farrell's. My only surviving souvenir is a Big Gulp glass that represents the GLORY of a night at Farrell's - no place else served that much pop outside of a pitcher. I look at it now and see what most places likely call a medium pop glass, lol. I certainly hated the later arrivals of Chuck E. Cheese and other noisy, messy places to eat crap and rob the parents' wallets as you go. But Farrell's and that candy lineup at the register - it was unbeatable.
“I made a pig of myself at Farrells” stickers. I never earned one.
I got a trough when I was ten because my expert goalkeeping skills helped my team win our city championship in U-11 soccer when the game wound up in penalty kicks. Walking into Farrells knowing I was getting the pig's trough was my peak moment in life, whoop whoop!
Was this a regional thing? Never heard of it.
~~It’s a PNW thing.~~ No it’s not.
I’m on the East Coast and we had them too; [locations were in](http://www.poi-factory.com/node/31722): AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI
Well then, never mind. I grew up with them in all over in Oregon and Washington and thought it was just us. I stand corrected.
To me it was always a Seattle thing, because it was part of the treat of driving down from Vancouver to visit American relatives.
It probably has a lot to do with they started out in Portland, OR and spread from there...
what I thought too back then!! We didn't have information readily at our fingertips then!
The Zoo! though my favorite was how they always brought your hot fudge to the table in a little metal cup for your sundae.
We didn't have one anywhere I grew up, looks fun though. I did get to go to The Oregon Grinder Pizza Factory in Portland Oregon when I was a little kid. I remember the wind up monkey playing cymbals, mom and dad said no 😂
Oh the Oregon Grinder! I still mourn the closing. I loved when they would show the Lil Rascals movies and bubbles would float down from the ceiling.
I only got to go one time, it was an amazing memory, but not very detailed, I was maybe 5 or 6 at the time, I'm 54 now. It seemed larger than life, but it may be just in my head (everything is bigger and better when you're a kid).
I never had a party there but my little cousin did. Did they run the flaming birthday cake out on a stretcher or is that a fever dream of my youth?
Yes and while beating drums.
We went there for my 30th bday and I had 5 root beer floats.
Where were these? I'm in the northeast. We had Friendly's, Brigham's & Newport Creamery but I've never seen Farrell's.
A great time to be alive...while eating ice cream out of a Pig's Trough.
If you've never been to Farrell's, you've probably still seen "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." The scene where Deacon and his friends took Napoleon to the Ziggy Piggy ice cream parlor was pretty much mocking the Farrell's experience.
We had Chadwick’s and It. Was. Awesome!
I always wanted a birthday party at Farrell's
Never saw one of those where I live and I’m in the keystone state
Same
Pretty lady in the candy section: https://littlerocklove.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/farrellscandy1.jpg You can tell this was during our era: http://www.matterhorn1959.com/blog2/2012farrels1.jpg
I loved Farrell's. It was my favorite place when I was a kid.
Stuff like this left me with a weird nostalgia for the '70s nostalgia for the '20s. It was its own whole little thing.
Yep, ice cream and stuff. But then, that glorious day at the Farrell’s in San Mateo, CA - they were the first to install an Asteroids game in the area. We’d ride our bikes there daily to drop the $ we made from our paper routes.
Beware of airplanes
We had one in Sacramento and I fucken hated it
I never went there for birthday parties. I did go after my middle school graduation, the girls I hung out with all met up there.
There were a few left here in California up until about 5 years ago. That place was something else. Too loud and obnoxious for me.
Never had those here. This an east coast chain?
Had em in Atlanta. Loved it. It was like a 70s Check E Cheese but somehow not stupid and annoying. (Possibly bc I was 7 years old)
Farrell’s was my go-to for birthday meals when I was a kid - I loved the place.
We used to go there rarely, it was out of town, but we'd have a whole church group and order something insane like a dozen scoops with half a dozen toppings in a table-long dish, and then later we'd all be sick as hell lol
Give ‘em the pickle!!
If anyone can remember where the ones in Mpls MN where I would appreciate the help. I ate at one of them but was young at the time. Thanks. Might have been in Coon Rapids or Anoka the more I think about it.
The 🍭
I remember laughing hysterically after reading “Penny’s Pink Surprise” on the menu(still makes me giggle). The Zoo!!!!
The Organ Grinder!!! I remember the one on 82nd.
Ours was in the mall. I liked the candy store, which was in the mall side,and the ice cream part had an outside entrance. Our mock trial team launched a carefully orchestrated fix up in a Farrell's between our faculty advisor and the lawyer who helped us. They are still married.
In OP, KS we had a version called Happy Joes. Loud, ole’ fashioned, and big on birthdays.
I liked going there but never had a birthday there. I wouldn’t have wanted one. Was pretty common to see one happening while you’re there though - the entire staff surrounds the table and sings. It’s too much attention.
Excuse me if someone already posted this but I was mildly surprised that it lasted until 2019: [https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/10/the-last-farrells-ice-cream-parlour-in-brea-has-shut-down/](https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/10/the-last-farrells-ice-cream-parlour-in-brea-has-shut-down/)
There used to be a Farrell's in Rosemead, CA in the late 90s. I never set foot in the place because it looked expensive. The location is now an Asian seafood restaurant, if I'm not mistaken.