The effect of surface anchoring on the optical bistability in deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal (DHFLC) has been investigated by electro-optical and textural methods. The threshold voltage studies have been carried out in strongly and weakly treated DHFLC cells. The long lasting memory effect has been observed in weakly treated DHFLC cells, which is due to minimization of depolarizing and ionic charges. Moreover, the response time has been shown to exhibit the dependence on the surface anchoring and the cell thickness. The informations obtained could be helpful for optimizing the parameters for memory devices based on DHFLC materials.