The lines are starting to pile up every day. That’s a good thing for the folks operating Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants. The newest location for the ice cream and eatery chain is in Buena Park, just a side step away from Knott’s Berry Farm, the hub of entertainment in the city.
On the day the restaurant officially opened on Monday, Feb. 24, the stream of customers lined up slowly but steadily throughout the day. By end of this week that slow churn has grown into a packed house at any given time.
Curiosity for something, a thirst for what was happening yesterday and simply wanting a new dining experience have Farrell’s at the top of-the to-do list for people.
Farrell’s opened with a lot of fanfare, balloons, welcoming smiles greeted customers as employees scrambled around to make a great first impression. If you want a quiet dining experience, Farrell’s is not for you. The environment is loud, has a ton of energy going and produces a good place to sit back and let your hair down…meaning you can have fun while eating without looking over your shoulder and wondering if someone is watching you.
That would probably be a no, because the other people in the restaurant is too busy enjoying themselves to be worrying about you. If you can’t beat them, join them. Now in the proximity of Knott’s Berry Farm, it is a good bet that Farrell’s will be doing a whole lot of business. No, this is not a food review.
But seeing all of the food and at the delicious ice cream being served up on this day brings this reporter to the conclusion that Farrell’s has what it takes to keep the crowd coming back for more. Erich Heilman, general manger of Buena Park Farrell’s, said he was excited but cautious about opening day.
“This is the 24thof February, the first day of Buena Park Farrell’s,” said Heilman. “I think we’re going to have a little lunch, but we won’t really be getting lines until later this afternoon or later this evening.”
The attraction of the variety of the food the restaurant offers and the ambience setting of Farrell’s is what is appealing, said Heilman.
“Farrell’s is a fifty-year old brand that started with one store from Bob Farrell in Portland, Oregon and grew nationwide,” Heilman said.”A lot of people are curious. A lot of people remember us when they were in their teens or early 20s. They’re coming back to that same experience and bringing their children and their grand kids…there’s also a lot of new people to our brand also.”
There’s one distinction, however, that separates Farrell’s from other chain restaurants, Heilman said.
We’re not a sports bar,” Heilman said. “We have TVs, but they’re strictly driven by memory, from the past, from the present.”
