Jahn's facts for kids

Jahn's Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor was a super cool, old-fashioned ice cream parlor and restaurant. It had many locations in the New York City area and even in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Jahn's was most famous for its absolutely huge "Kitchen Sink Sundae"! Today, only one Jahn's restaurant is still open, and you can find it in Jackson Heights, Queens.

A Sweet History: Where It All Began

The very first Jahn's opened way back in 1897. A man named John Jahn started it at 138th Street and Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven part of the Bronx.

By 1918, John Jahn took a break for five years. He trusted his children, Elsie, Frank, and Howard, to run the store. Later, he opened three more restaurants, giving one to each of his kids: Elsie got a store in Jamaica, Frank's was in Richmond Hill, and Howard's opened in Flushing.

Many Locations for Sweet Treats

By the 1950s, Jahn's was super popular and had grown a lot! There were Jahn's restaurants all over Brooklyn, with a very busy one in Flatbush. You could also find them in places like Marine Park, Bay Ridge, and Sheepshead Bay.

The sweet empire also spread to other parts of New York. There were Jahn's in the Fordham area of the Bronx, Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, and Eastchester. You could even find them further out on Long Island in towns like East Meadow, West Islip, Great Neck, Williston Park, Rockville Centre, and Cedarhurst.

Jahn's even crossed state lines! There were locations in Union, New Jersey and Fair Lawn, New Jersey. For those looking for sunshine with their sundaes, Jahn's also had spots in Florida, including Coral Gables, Florida and Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

The Last Remaining Jahn's

Over the years, many Jahn's locations closed down. In November 2007, one of the last two remaining Jahn's, located in Richmond Hill, closed its doors. (Some records say it closed in 2008.)

Today, only one Jahn's Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor is still open! You can visit this historic spot at 81–04 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Famous Ice Cream Creations

Jahn's was famous for its giant "Kitchen Sink Sundae," which was big enough for a whole group to share! But they also had other fun and unique ice cream treats. Some of these included the "Boilermaker," "Screwball's Delight," and the "Joe Sent Me." These creative names made getting an ice cream treat at Jahn's even more exciting!