| As you drive down Soledad Canyon Road in Santa
Clarita, the Mountasia Family Fun Center can be seen on the south side of
the street. A sprawling complex with miniature golf, bumper boats and
go-cart track, there is a large building which houses a roller rink,
substantial arcade, and (of course) Farrell's.
The parlour is constructed using the "Store-within-a-store" concept,
since it is housed entirely within the arcade building. The facia above the
windows is wallpapered with various images which had adorned menus and
literature in the 1960's and 1970's.
The area directly behind the glass is u-shaped banquette. Tall ceilings
are found in this parlour; perhaps it is so that balloons have somewhere to
go. The familiar ceiling fans are found here. The dining room is split by
the entryway; the first thing one sees when entering through the front
doorway is the candy counter.
Over the top of the entry is a red, white and blue canopy replete with
marquis lights.
The candy counter is full of the more commonly available novelty candies.
Behind the cashier station, a selection of skimmer hats, shirts, and even
pig trough dishes are available for purchase. It is a far cry from the
"traditional" candy stores of parlours past.
Looking to the left, the rest of the dining room and the large party room
has plenty of seating. Black and white tile is used in the high-traffic
areas of the floor, while the seating areas are carpeted. The walls are
adorned with more retrospective Farrell's pictures. No bentwood chairs in
this parlour.
The fountain area is adjacent to the candy counter. Since this parlour is
a prototype, the organization and layout of the fountain and kitchen was a
little ragged. The customer's don't seem to mind, though...
The fountain was always the mainstay of Farrell's - watching the masters
assembling sundaes like true artisans was a true adventure. This parlour has
added a display-type ice cream cabinet to the mix. Behind the fountain, the
drum, siren, bell and train whistle are at home, waiting to be called upon
to announce their presence to the guests.
The employees wear the classic skimmer hat, along with dark slacks, white
shirt, tie and vest.
Since the fountain has only one dipping case, busy times prove most
challenging. On a rainy Saturday, the staff served up three Zoo Sundaes, two
Hot Fudge Volcanoes, and three dozen luncheon sundaes within 90 minutes, and
watching them assembling them without falling over each other was almost
humorous. (I did take some time out to discuss the classic recipe for the
Zoo).
Oh, yes, in the party room is the old mainstay, the player piano. Wait,
this looks odd, there is a computer screen at the left of the striker
window. No piano rolls here, this piano is digitally controlled by software
running on Windows 98 (the only piano that uses control-alt-delete). The
piano provides the only music inside the prototype parlour, and it has to
fight with the noise from the arcade games next door.
The tiffany lamps and red-patterned wallpaper will remind the guest of
Farrell's of old. The blue booths may remind you of the back seat of a 1969
Chevy Impala, but they feel much more comfortable.
In the restroom hallway, reproductions of classic menus are framed on the
walls. There is a 1963 menu, a 1974 national menu, and a 1977 national menu.
The restroom doors have pictoral representations of the male and female
characters off the menu.
|
Mountasia from the Front
Farrell's view from the arcade
North Dining Room
Entry Canopy
Candy Counter
Cashier Station
South dining room and party room
Farrell's Fountain
Hot Fudge Volcano in Process
The Player Piano
Party Room
Restroom Signage |
