DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Everything gets an American flag at Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant, where the tradition of serving up smiles continues after all these years.
The Fort Lauderdale area fixture hums an old-time tune with its decor of antiques, old-fashioned candy, and cozy booths that transport visitors back in time.
"This is our original, oldest plate that we have in Jaxsons - and it's a 1912 plate," said Linda Udell, current owner of the family business.
Customers now contribute their own stories to the collection, one plate at a time.
"We've got shake me up over here, we actually have one that says Jaxson's up over here - ice cream," Udell said.
Linda's face lights up whenever she talks about her father, Monroe Udell, who founded Jaxson's in 1956.
"For me its so special that I was given this opportunity to continue his legacy and make our customers happy because they want this continue," she said.
"He was like an early Willy Wonka type - he was just so special - he went to ice cream school - when he decided to open up this location with my mother," Udell said.
Pictures of the Udell family line the hallways, including childhood memories of Linda and her brother.
"Here's a picture actually of me and my brother when we were almost 10 years old he was 11 we were actually filming for one of the newspapers and my Dad said sit down and eat that jumbo banana split," Udell said.
The restaurant has become such a beloved fixture that Dania Beach honored the founder by naming the street in front of the establishment Monroe Udell Street.
"Dania Beach actually named a street right in front of the restaurant here Monroe Udell street," Udell said.
The ice cream parlor serves as a beloved destination where customers take a sweet trip back in time, creating emotional connections that span generations.
"There's nothing left that people can remember that is exactly the same the same since people were a child," Udell said.
"We have over five generations of families still coming through - its an emotional connection to the restaurant."
Celebrity visitors have included Adam Sandler, whose parents were regular customers, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who filmed one of his shows at the location.
"Adam sandler was a big fan his mom and dad would come in all the time," Udell said.
"The rock actually filmed one of his shows here at Jaxsons."
The restaurant has also welcomed Miami Dolphins perfect season coach Don Shula and Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem.
"We got our famous don shula," Udell said of the legendary coach's visits.
"You can see how short I am next to him," she said about meeting the towering basketball player.
Henry, Linda's uncle, has been a proud employee for 20 years, representing the special type of person the family business seeks to hire.
"We have a special type of person we like to hire here - Henry's been here 20 years and he is definitely are special sauce," Udell said.
The ice cream-making process requires both skill and heart, according to Udell.
"You have to do it with love - that's the secret," she said.
The restaurant uses uniquely large chocolate chips that set their treats apart from competitors.
"See how large these chips are - this is what makes it special because nobody uses chips like this," Udell said.
"Until it's enough - there's no measurement - we know it."
The vanilla ice cream recipe remains a closely guarded family secret, invented by Monroe Udell himself.
"This is our vanilla and what makes it so unique is that my father invented the recipe for this particular formula," Udell said.
"Everybody here signs an NDA just to make it - but no one knows except for me and the dairy in Tampa that makes it for us."
"The difference between our ice cream and other ice creams is that we make it here, you're getting it so fresh," she said.
Ice cream isn't the only specialty - the restaurant puts equal love and passion into its food offerings, including a one-pound cheeseburger, huge Chicago dog, scratch-made onion rings with homemade spicy remoulade sauce, and massive pastrami sandwiches.
"Taste how tender? It's very lean, not too fatty but just perfect, right?" Udell said of the pastrami.
The crown jewel of the menu remains their trademarked Kitchen Sink dessert, a 4-pound ice cream creation complete with sirens and sparklers.
"We have a trademark on that kitchen sink so anyone can call it a sink, but they can't duplicate our sink," Udell said.
"It's 4 pounds of ice cream, all of our cold toppings, bananas, nuts, cherries, nuts and the sparklers and the Jackson siren of course," she said.
The massive dessert has been conquered by determined customers, including one man who finished the entire Kitchen Sink in 22 minutes.
"We did last week - there was a man who came in and he clocked it and ate the whole thing in 22 minutes," Udell said.
The dessert's name plays on the common expression, though Udell notes the irony.
"Well, it actually has everything in the kitchen sink and you get the kitchen sink, so I don't know if that expression holds true to this one," she said.
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