The Parlour of Jackson

Ive taken my family here for years but the last couple times its been really bad, the service is horrible, ice cream quality seems to be worse but the price has went up. This place desperately needs new management immediately.

Cost-​for your money best to go to Dairy Q for a blizzard. Taste-​not like it used to be ordered a peanut butter cup, they forgot the peanut butter.

We arrived for a small party and reserved one of the rooms. It took 5 min before anyone acknowledged us. We had to wait an additional 5 min to even get the room because they had to set it up. No one else used the room (we asked.) It took 15 min to order the food and about a half hour to get half of the food to us. The other half came 15 min after the first half. When I did finally receive my food (I was second half) my order and my sisters orders were mixed (mine was cheese with tomato, hers was no cheese, no tomato. I got cheese no tomato easy fix) The good itself, was very good. Fries were perfectly seasoned and the sandwich was delicious. I have eaten here before but only for take out ice cream and I was usually served with acceptable efficiency, given the fact they were always empty when I went in. Would not recommend for a party.

Like most other reviews, I went to The Parlour with expectations of how it used to be. I took my wife and daughter thinking that with it being a hot summer day at 7pm, we would be lucky to get a seat in a packed restaurant, similar to the scene I remembered throughout my childhood and as recently as a few years ago. I was surprised upon entering the restaurant to see only two of the sections open. The rest of the restaurant — well over half of it — was closed off. It was strange seeing the restaurant in this condition. The restrooms also seemed largely ignored.
The strangely desolate ambience and somewhat unsanitary restrooms weren’t enough to discourage my family, though. We came here for ice cream and The Parlour never disappoints in that arena… until this time… and in a big and potentially fatal way. My daughter has a peanut allergy. She has vomited the few occasions in the past that she has consumed peanuts. Telling the waitress of her peanut allergy, I confirmed that the double fudge brownie ice cream didn’t contain peanuts. She said it didn’t (and supposedly it doesn’t). So, my wife and daughter shared a two-​scoop bowl of double fudge brownie and black cherry ice cream. My daughter had a few bits of the double fudge brownie ice cream, but mostly stuck with the black cherry ice cream because it was her favorite.
My wife noticed something strange about the brownie ice cream, though. First, she noticed that it didn’t seem to have brownies in them, but simple tiny chocolate chunks. Then, she noticed it had something else crunchy embedded in it… My wife dug them out, and to our horror, they were chopped peanuts (or possibly a different nut, but looked a lot like peanuts). I showed the waiter. She was apologetic and went back and told the owner/​manager. She came back and took that ice cream off the bill.
As we were walking back to the car, we saw the owner/​manager outside of the restaurant. To his credit, he seemed genuinely distraught about the situation and realized the potentially fatal nature of such a mistake. However, I wasn’t happy with how he laid the blame upon the staff in numerous ways. He said 1) Whoever makes the ice cream is supposed to hand it directly to the waiter instead of putting it on the counter. He theorized that it was put on a counter and nuts fell on it, even though no nuts were visible atop the ice cream and were only embedded within it, 2) It is very rare for people with peanut allergies to enter The Parlour, so the staff is unprepared with how to deal with them, and 3) The staff working are all very new and don’t realize the potential dangers when dealing with peanut allergies.
I should note that my daughter never suffered any allergic reaction. This could be because 1) It was a different type of chopped nut that mysteriously found its way into the ice cream, 2) She somehow didn’t consume any bites with nuts in them, 3) Her peanut allergy is getting better as happens with approx. ¹⁄₅ of young children. However, as I spent the 30 minute car ride home constantly looking in the rear view mirror and I spent half the night checking for signs of anaphylaxis, I couldn’t believe that this was an experience that I actually paid money for.
I realize that nut allergies can be difficult to deal with and I certainly don’t expect all restaurant workers to care about the health of my daughter as much as I do. But this is why restaurants should have systems in place so that employees know what to do without hesitation when they hear of a customer with an allergy. This point was further driven home when we visited the MSU Dairy Store a few days later. Again, I confirmed that an ice cream didn’t have peanuts in it. The MSU Dairy Store employee asked if it was allergy-​related. After I said yes, she went and got a scoop from a new carton of ice cream. An overreaction? Perhaps, but a most welcome one that reconfirmed that there IS a proper way of handling things.
As others have noted, the atmosphere of The Parlour is not the same as it used to be. Now, the trust is gone for me, as well. I’ll keep my cherished memories of trips to The Parlour but the restaurant is now Out of Business to me. We won’t be going back.

Just slow, unfriendly, terrible terrible service. Sprinkled with mediocre food, ridiculous large amounts of ice cream (that’s always wasted) and a super high bill that makes you feel you would have rather just ate at McDonald’s. The last few times I’ve been here it has been the same story. I worked here in high school and it was a great place where pleasant service was number one. Obviously times have gotten trashier and the food has gotten slack and pungent.

We always go to The Parlour when we come into town and receive relativity good service. However, this time was terrible. We arrived before it got busy and we still sat and waited for about 1 ½ hours just to enjoy ice cream. The waitress didn’t smile, barely said a word to us and disappeared the whole time. We had some lady from the back come out and deliver 3 of the 7 orders we had. By the time our last two orders came out the others in our party were done. Other people at our station didn’t get served at all until just before we left. The only time we saw our waitress was when she came to collect for the check. The other station behind us were getting served faster. Just sad. This business should hire competent servers and back staff and management should learn to direct their staff. Oh and don’t get me started with their attire. I don’t think I will go back when I’m in town next. Lotsa luck if you decide to try this place.

Portions were large but prices were very high. Ice cream was nothing special just regular hard ice cream. Service was ok. We were underwhelmed.

When I first walked in to The Parlor, I picked up an interesting pungent odor (foot, I smelled foot…), but eventually I ordered an two scoop sundae, and it was good. I guess. My visit was good overall.

The portions are large and the ice cream is good, but the place is filthy in my opinion. There was visible dirt on the walls, booth and floor. The waitress brought our spoons and threw them on top of the menus. Sorry I don’t want my spoons touching menus that are handled by other people. The bench seats were ripped. I used to love this place. Really sad to see it run down.

This used to be a 5-​star best of the best ice cream parlor, and it’s still a good place for ice cream, but just not as special as in days gone by. The service seems slow even when they’re not that busy. There seem to be enough servers, but they’re in the food prep area much of the time. There’s just something missing — maybe the fun factor? The last couple times I was there, my hot fudge wasn’t hot or even warm — it was just a solid glob. It’s still good ice cream with good sized servings, though a little pricey.

As a first-​timer, I was a little put off by the prices: $ 2.99 for one scoop of ice cream? After ordering, I quickly realized their prices were justified. Each scoop of ice cream is hand-​scooped by an employee with a plastic-​gloved hand which results in softball-​sized scoops. We got a scoop of orange pineapple and a scoop of cotton candy. Both were delicious. The menu existed in several parts on 3 different walls, so that was a little confusing and overwhelming. Yummy ice cream though!

Very disappointed in the quality of the ice cream. We’ve been coming here for years and it’s never been this bad. Ice cream is very ‘icy’ with ice crystals. Not creamy. Ice cream and toppings spilling all over the countertop with no placemat or plate underneath. My sundae had a hair in it.
Won’t be back.

Go across the street for fancier food, but definitely come here for ice cream! This place has been here for years and we all have great memories growing up of the Jackson Allstar Dairy! Something missing today… Maybe amidst the bright lights, the lack of pretty uniforms for the wait staff, or the uncleanliness of the insides of the booths? It is a bit slow, and the regular food is not stellar. It lacks the zest and had years ago. Everyone still seems to be enjoying the large ice cream sundaes, though!
On our way out, we were met by the new owner, Bernie. Very nice man who has taken the last two years to build this local treasure back to its original status. It was encouraging to hear how the place has come along, and the plans for the future!
We will be back to find out how it’s coming along this summer :-)

yummy, yummy, yummy.
how about a brownie sundae the size of your head? with really good thick fudge sauce on top. sound like something you would like? then go to the parlour.
they have some amazing sounding desserts. the peanut butter parfait sounded amazing. the brownie sundae i chose was amazing. the ice cream is top notch.
try it out. they also have a really cool way of serving where the servers never leave the serving area, you are just connected to it. its weird. go see it.
love, juston

Bernie,
I do remember the day because it was my sons Birthday. It was ⁹⁄₂₇ and we were there between 3:30 and 5:00pm.
Thank you for responding.

Great ice cream. Went last year for the first time. Get there early because they run out of glacis. So many to choose from. Can’t remember the name of what we ordered but it was humongous! 15 scoops you can choose along with toppings. Make sure you bring plenty of friends to share with.
–Returned today and what a shock… 10 scoops of ice cream is now $ 30 last time we will be coming here!

The following review is based on my July 2013 visit. They now have real menus… no longer the placemat menus I remember from years past. Don’t know the story behind the ownership change but its posted when you walk in that there is indeed a new owner. The still have The Peanut Butter Cup on the menu and it tasted like it always has so I was a happy girl!

There is no reason to travel into Jackson, other than to go to the Parlour. It is by far the best ice cream shop I have ever been to. It is the standard by which I judge all other ice cream. The parfaits are absolutely mouth-​watering, and I am craving one more and more with every word I type. Excuse me, I need to take a break and go drive to the Parlour.

This place is ridiculous. Walked in to a large white room with the old-​time parlour feel. Packed for a Saturday night, but we soon discovered why.
Huge ice cream menu, huge portions and so very good!
This place is an ice cream lover’s dream. I can wait to bring my teenager here for his 18^th birthday to try their 21-​scoop monstrocity. I don’t believe anyone could finish a regular portion, let alone the mountain of ice cream to get your name on the wall or the $ 30 bill, whichever the outcome, but it will be fun to try and take pictures.
The Parlour is located near the Cascades in Jackson and seems to be the big family destination on a Saturday night after the light show.
Be prepared to get sticky and share an order if you aren’t an ice cream fanatic. Best discovery is that all their ice cream is hand dipped. Score!

The Parlour is a cute ice cream restaurant, where when you walk in you can either go towards the right for take out and to the left to sit down and order food and/​or dessert.
Portions are ginormous… even their junior size is big enough for two people. I ordered the junior turtle sundae that came with pecans (you have about three different choices: pecans almonds and cashews) with two big scoops of vanilla ice cream whipped cream a cherry on top and caramel and fudge. I was disappointed that they smothered most of the sundae with fudge instead of evenly distributing the two different sauces. The sundae wasn’t mind blowing amazing and honestly, I’ve had better turtle sundaes at smaller locally owned shops. Again, if it wasn’t so far away I’d probably give it another go.