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Fans of the old fashioned, retro soda fountain will be pleased to learn that the shuttered Dr. Jazz ice cream parlor in Webster Groves will re-open next month as Fizzy's Soda Fountain & Grill.
The new owner, Michelle Bray, says the restaurant's focus will be on those retro phosphate sodas.
"We're going to try to offer as many flavors of phosphate as possible," she said. "I talked to someone the other day who said they had a watermelon-lime-cherry phosphate, and it was great. Kids and adults all love to experiment with the flavors. But we'll still have oldies like the purple cow and the [virgin] lime rickey, too."
Look for all the other sweet treats you expect from a soda fountain/ice-cream parlor, too, said Bray, like sundaes and floats.
"We're going to be changing up the flavor of the floats," she said. "Everybody goes for Coke or root beer floats. I love orange ice-cream floats and grape ice-cream ice cream floats, too, so we'll have those."
Dr. Jazz served lunch and dinner as well, and look for Fizzy's to do the same, but with a smaller focus, Bray said.
"Dr. Jazz offered everything from salmon to tamales," she said. "This is going to be a much more simplified experience. It'll be quick-serve burgers-in-a-basket, hot dogs, chicken strips, and fries. We want to keep our vegetarian friends happy, too, so we'll have salads and a veggie burger."
Bray is still in the process of sourcing her soda syrups, ice cream, and meats.
"We hope to keeps things local and fresh and tied to the community," she averred. "There are so many good suppliers here in town."
Bray is lucky in that she's chosen to leave the Dr. Jazz interior (below) largely unchanged, which should make life much easier for her than for restaurateurs who opt for a costly rebuild. The weighty soda fountain and counter will stay put, she said, but she does plan to repaint the joint.
"Fizzy's will have a more modern color scheme," she said. "Dr. Jazz had a 1904 World's Fair theme, so we'll be updating the colors."
The recharged soda fountain will still offer plenty of nostalgia for a thoroughly bygone era, however.
"As people have moved to the suburbs, soda fountains have disappeared," said Bray. "We want to bring that nostalgia back, but with a modern touch, too. It should be a stress-free place to go and hang out with your friends."
If Fizzy's does its job well, the spot will join the ranks of other beloved, local retro soda fountains like Jennifer's Pharmacy and the Fountain on Locust.
We just wanna know if the employees behind the counter will be called "soda jerks." 'Cause, ya know, we don't wanna anger anybody when we call them that.
Fizzy's Soda Fountain & Grill
29 N. Gore
Webster Groves
314-495-3179
Scheduled to open May 14
On Facebook: Fizzy's Soda Fountain & Grill
