When I lived in West Virginia for a year, it was the only drive thru for 15 miles around. The nearest other drive thru? Another Dairy Queen. McDonalds was next to the other dairy queen though.
Dairy Queen came to our mall because of their buyout of Orange Julius. Orange Julius has been a such a staple in our mall for smoothies since the 1980s, and also having soft serve ice cream together is why they’re also successful!
@@MichaelTheophilus906 they’re only popular in certain states, because there’s other smoothie shops in different places. It’s mostly to share the same vendor, because they don’t want to pay more for their kiosks.
Regular Person: *Has a Positive Experience at Dairy Queen* "I'll write a 5 star review!" Warren Buffett: *Has a Positive Experience at Dairy Queen* "I'll buy the company!"
My cousins own a Dairy Queen, and it still has the old-fashioned look inside with the Pepsi-Cola lights. They also have the old sign with the "Brazier" burger sign in yellow with the signature Dairy Queen sign shape still hanging. Its like a time capsule and known as our town's local ice cream place.
You missed one of their most obvious business strategies. They like to focus on what some refer to as the "Small Market Monopoly", meaning they find small towns in rural areas of the US that bigger chains avoid and open locations there. Though these stores may not generate the traffic of other locations, seeing as they are usually the ONLY fast food location in their area they generate a very stable income base. Where we live there are many counties and towns within 100miles with populations of less than 2-3 thousand and ALL of them host a DQ as the only stand alone fast food place (there's a few gas stations with a small Subway or KFC inside).
I'm in a small town of 2000 people without a DQ, but its too close to a much larger city. The only fast food chains in town are McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. There was a Burger King but that closed. The closest locations of most chain restaurants are in either a slightly larger town north of mine, or closer to the larger city
DQs ice cream "cake" was always my request for my birthday! I LOVED when they started selling the cupcake versions, it's still my favorite thing to get when I go there.
@@jefferypardue7509 I watched the madlads video on him shortly before watching this video. Slowly going through the old count dankula, so I don't run out of content here on UA-cam, but I'll have to check the new series
Has it occurred to anyone that this channel presents unverifiable company "inspirational origin stories" as facts. Successful companies understand the advantage of having a folksy origins story and an "ah-ha" moment as a part of their brand identity. These types of "brand story" narratives are more likely than not 90% fiction and 10% fact. They are dreamed up after the fact.
My favorite memory of Dairy Queen was sitting it the back of a mini van with my friend. He kept turning his blizzard down and eventually it fell out and all over him
In my area it's been quite a different story with many dairy Queens closing up due to poor sales but I've noticed a couple of others they've rebuilt and modernized and they seem to be doing a little better lately
Are you in Canada? Cuz it's the same story for me, the majority of DQs are closed except for maybe 1 or 2 modernized ones in my city. I'm not a fan of their icecream so I haven't eaten at any of them.
Im in Texas and I can vouche for this too. DQ seems to have committed to modernizing the stores, even in the middle of no where, and theyre always packed while the older ones stay slow.
My husband and i took my 92 year old dad on a motorhome trip from western oklahoma to see the grand canyon and hoover dam in sept 2022. He loved Dairy Queen so i was constantly pulling up DQ locations on my phone map that was close to our travels. I loved it because i love their ice cream. The one closest to him closed several years ago so it was a treat for him.
“Dairy Queens combined the functions of the tavern, café, and general store; they were simple local roadhouses where both rambling men and stay-at-homes could meet. To them would come men of all crafts and women of all dispositions. The oilmen would be there at six in the morning; the courthouse crowd would show up about ten; cowboys would stop for lunch or a mid-afternoon respite; roughnecks would jump out of their trucks or pickups to snatch a cheeseburger as their schedules allowed; and the women of the villages might appear at any time, often merely to sit and mingle for a few minutes…” Texan Larry McMurtry (author of "Lonesome Dove")
Despite being a massive chain, many DQ locations often feel integrated in the community in a way that other fast food chains never will. This rings especially true in the smaller rural towns. Some of the images in your video showed DQ locations with handmade signs promoting the local high school football team which isn't something I can imagine happening in McD's. DQs often feel integrated into the community, rather than a blight on it. There is something warm and nostalgic that feels like a throwback to a simpler time and I'm glad they exist.
Dude honestly. I'll never forget my wife and I were on the way home from her having a surgery, and she really wanted ice cream. We called our local DQ to see if they were still open and they stayed open an extra half hour just to get her some ice cream. It feels more like a friendly neighborhood ice cream shop than a corporation.
The DQs in Texas are rumored to offer a different menu from any other state. Also, their slogan goes "DQ. That's what I like about Texas." They also refer to the DQ sign as a "Texas stop sign". Just a little trivia for those not in the know.
There is a DQ in Minnesota that has tons of things that no other has and is a landmark for that city. It has no indoors and is a classic ice cream window shop only open during april-october
DQs in TX are marketed differently. It's far more meat-based, with the signature sandwich being a greasy chicken-fried steak thing called The Dude. I grew up in TX and now live in MI and often work in northern WI, so I've seen both sides of it.
I worked at DQ in the 90s while in HS. Lack of Uniformity was definitely an issue. We had many people come in and order something that other stores served and we didn’t. The upside though was that this gave ownership some freedom to add some unique food items to the menu that not everyone had. Our owner came up with a “chili dog split” which was just amazing. I loved working there and the owner was a really cool guy.
You mentioned the Blizzard was invented by a franchisee, and that franchisee was named Samuel Temperato. He owned a few dozen locations in the St. Louis area and it is almost certain that he adopted the idea of the Blizzard from a St. Louis frozen custard landmark, Ted Drewes. Ted Drewes has been serving "concretes" of frozen custard and mix-ins since the 1920s, and they serve customers by turning the cup upside down before giving them their order. Just an interesting note to add to the history. And just another note is that Temperato supposedly had a DQ soft serve machine in his house for his grandchildren to use.
That reminds me of a similar franchisee inventor who lived near me. Jim Delligatti owned a McDonald's in Uniontown, PA, which is where he invented the Big Mac. Almost everybody tries to claim that the Big Mac was invented in Pittsburgh. Uniontown is 46 miles south of Pittsburgh--so it definitely cannot be counted as a "suburb" of Pittsburgh.
OMG DON'T ORDER THE BUTTERSCOTCH 🤢🤢 i used to work there (very very recently) and lemme tell you the butterscotch has to be the most disgusting thing. i work morning hours and when i walk in the butterscotch is completely seperated. the top half is entirely oily shit and all the actual butterscotch is at the bottom. i have to sit there and stir it for thirty minutes just for it to be usable. not to mention we don't change that shit for months and all the roaches running around 😣
My favorite things to get at Dairy Queen: If I need a quick meal, their chicken and fries. If I want dessert probably a blizzard, though there were times where I did get a waffle bowl with hot fudge and cookies dough which was a big favorite as a kid.
I don't know if this was just a thing in Reno Nevada, but before the 2000s, Dairy Queen strictly sold ice cream & ice cream cakes. They were competing with Baskin Robbin & did not sell any kind of hot food. Was it just ours? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Can confirm. I've lived in many states and Texas DQs have their own franchise system, branding, and a different hot-foods menu which I would argue is even better than the Grill and Chill menu.
@@MonsterMode2011 you're not ENTIRELY wrong. No, it wasn't founded in Texas, but Texas DQs have their own franchise association and an entirely separate branding and menu. So it's like a separate chain within a chain, just in Texas.
Really ? I Didn't know about those but think I ate at one. It was on a dirt road in Texas. The burgers we ordered were awesome and I could tell they were hand formed patties. It definitely wasn't fast food. The ice cream seemed like usual DQ fare though but the food was excellent. The lady making the burgers was a granny who looked like she had been grilling burgers her entire life, probably why our burgers came out perfect.
And the Texas Dairy Queens, which mostly operate under a separate franchising system as well. Texas is ne of their bigger markets (and no wonder; it's a Sunbelt state where frozen treats go well in the summer); I have many family members that live in Texas (or previously did) and one of them told me that their signs are nicknamed "the Texas stop sign," after a slogan they previously used there.
@@hotwax9376 Awesome. Makes sense why that was the best DQ we stopped at that entire trip. Seriously those burgers were so good they still stand out in my memory.
@@hotwax9376 Yep, I remember as a kid the commercials were always starring a famous-in-Texas reporter who's show was purely about driving around Texas and seeing the sights and tourist traps. I don't know if the Beltbuster combos were available anywhere else but they were the Texas sized portions of burgers and chicken strips. The reason they were so popular in Texas was also because almost every single city in the state had at least one Dairy Queen, they were bigger than McDonalds. Of course, my mother refused to ever stop there.
The cotton candy Blizzard is absolutely one of my favorites. Simple, but sweet. Good flavor, adds some crunchy-ness to the ice cream without being overwhelming. Just all around solid treat.
DQ is a big part of Texas culture. Often they are in every small town and you'll see a DQ before you see a McDonalds way out in the middle of nowhere. They are usually involved in the community and growing up we would always go there after school to wait for our parents to pick us up (and ofc eat a blizzard).
You know you’re in a small town when the only thing on Main Street is a DQ or Sonic, an ace hardware (larger populations will have a walmart), and 3 churches.
"DQ! That's what I like about Texas!" Every time I hear the name Dairy Queen, I hear that jingle. I also remember their "Texas Stop Sign" bit implying that when you see a DQ sign in Texas, that's your signal to stop and get something to eat.
Brilliant marketing. For a company based in Minnesota, you'd never know it by how deeply into Texas DNA they are. Their Texas-centric commercials and stores in tiny Texas towns help a lot.
As far as I know DQ texas own menu and distribution helps their marketing strategy. I remember getting confused why certain things I could get in Missouri I couldn't find in San Antonio.
@@noralewis5390 Probably so since Texas can probably fare better with year-round blizzards and other ice cream desserts as opposed to places like Missouri or New York.
Dairy Queen is amazing. They definitely have my favorite ice cream cone. The blizzard is definitely their best product, in my opinion. I know other places have similar ones now like Sonic but DQ always has the original in my mind and the best ones. Their pretzel sticks with queso is awesome too. Ugh now I'm hungry, thanks.
@@TheAbandonedAccount7 Most of the time, it's decent (I'm not a big fast food fan, so that's a pretty good compliment=l=). Now and again I've had some "meh" reactions, but those are most likely due to individual location issues - training, management, the cook having an off day sort of thing - than the menu or food sourcing. I'm really hoping that one of their new grill items was a location issue... or "it's a new item so we're getting used to the cooking process one. The "rotisserie bites" sound like a great idea... but the ones I had in one of the malls were a bit disappointing. However, the town down the road is building a brand new DQ, and I'm hoping that by the time it's finished they've worked out the kinks on the product.
I havnt had DQ in probably 5years. I went a couple weeks ago due to my brother talking about how he got a blizzard so I wanted to get one myself. I got a medium butterfinger blizzard and it was delicious. I've gotten 3 of them since that day and still really enjoy it every time. Its become my friday end of the week treat. DQ is awesome.
As someone who worked at DQ, the ice cream cakes were super popular for upper middle class families who usually had two working parents. They didn’t have time to make a cake for any party they were having and appreciated fun and higher quality choice.
There are plenty of small towns that still don’t have a McDonalds but they got a DQ. The order of chain openings as a small town evolves is basically: 1. DQ 2. Sonic 3. McDonalds
I think the idea is to show off the thickness by demonstrating that it doesn't fall out when you flip it. Not all DQs do it though, and the one closest to me only started doing it in the last few years.
I remember my small town (no McDonald's, no fast food anything whatsoever) got a dairy queen and everyone went crazy lmao. Literally the first fast food restaurant we ever had.
Dairy Queen is honestly integral to my family. Three generations of family have been meeting regularly at the exact same DQ for over 50 years, providing incredibly fond memories. I bought my grandma a Christmas village DQ as it looked just like our little 50s spot.
From a consumer's perspective Dairy Queen is amazing. Looking at it from a franchisees point of view they are a nightmare. Both my sister and I work at DQ and we are heavily invested in the brand. My biggest complaint about DQ is the cohesion between locations. You have the Grill & Chills, the ones that serve the full good menu, the ones everyone know about. Then you have the Treat stores that don't serve the main food items, but a limited food menu since the stores are smaller. Confusion is very common when customers come for fried food items at a treat store and have to be turned away due to not having those items. Confusion also comes with ingredient stock. This has become more prevalent with TikTok and secret menu items. Not all stores are required to carry certain items. For example Cherry topping is not required by DQ to carry at all times, but some stores continue to carry it. A little more drastic example is chocolate soft serve. Not all DQs are required to have chocolate soft serve. That's the mess from the consumer's end. From the operator's perspective their product rollouts are horrible. Warehouses never have enough product leading to allocations, even pre-covid this was an issue. Just like Amy business lots of new product ideas fail, but they still continue to force them on franchisees despite them failing. As mentioned in the video Orange Julius was bought by DQ. In recent years the popularity of the OJ brand has fallen, with products barely selling. Their Grill & Chill locations no longer serve them while treat stores continue to. Many treat store operators would love to remove them, but corporate won't let them despite it not being a good investment. I love DQ as a brand but it does have some issues that I don't see with many other fast food franchises. This might be due to old contracts with franchisees or just poor management.
Don't they need the chocolate soft serve to make a lot of the frozen items? That seems a very surprising thing to not have on their menu. I can appreciate where not all of them have the grill. Love the Flamethrower burger.
Yeah. The DQ here no longer do OJ and that bums me out, I only found out like a week ago when I went by there to get one and they were gone from the menu.
Dairy Queen was my introduction to the concept of regional advertising. I was born and raised in Texas and every DQ commercial I saw growing up was very southern themed and always ended with the tagline “DQ! That’s what I like about Texas”. With that and a DQ being a staple of small drive through towns I figured it was a Texas original. It wasn’t until I went to Chicago and saw that they also had Dairy Queen when I realized that it was a nationwide chain that had no particular attachment to Texas. I felt pretty duped but you gotta hand it to them, that marketing has probably done them really well over the years.
Love DQ. It's delish. My favorite book when I was 12 was "The Outsiders." There's a scene that takes place at DQ with Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy! I read the book about 30 times before the movie came out, so DQ always reminds me of the greasers!
I live in Texas and every DQ I’ve ever been to has had a different atmosphere and building structure. It’s pretty cool, one of the ones that I frequent is privately owned and has a buffet in it.
My mom used to always get me a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake for my birthday every year when I was a kid. I had Ninja Turtles and even a Pee Wee Herman cake haha.
There is a location not too far from me that literally has a style that looks like it was from the 90s. It even has a super tiny window they hand the food out of. Possibly the most charming DQ I’ve ever been to. Even if it does look weathered and dated.
DQ was one of my favorite places to go back in my early college years. Besides their treats, I really liked their onion rings and cheese curds. Heck, my local Dairy Queen serves cheap pork tenderloin sandwiches.
DQ shops also have local food menus. Here in Austin, they have a whole set of items with jalapenos, tacos, and other items that do well here, but probably wouldn't do well in other locations. I'd put that in the category of staying relevant, but on a more local level.
Not to mention the Blizzard was so popular that McDonald’s and Sonic tried to rip it off. Neither are as good in my opinion, usually down to a lack of as many toppings. Blizzards usually have something in every bite, whereas a McFlurry or Blast will give you a lot of empty vanilla.
@@brianmiller1077 Yeah the Sonic Blast is dead last for me. Always thought their ice cream was bland as heck. McDonald’s is no DQ, but at least theirs has flavor
@@brianmiller1077 I work at Dairy Queen. The blenders are really not very hard to clean. Just put it on low power, fill a cup with water or sanitizer if we are closing, and blend it.
Ok this may seem weird to some of you guys but it’s my favorite fast food places ever. Idk why but i’m just in love with the actual food, which is heavily underrated. I still think that ice cream is incredible it just makes its food shadowed
My dad owned 3 Dairy Queen’s in Canada & I grew up with them. Thank you for this video, my family grew up with DQ & I remember when the 1st blizzards came out. They would send the franchisees whole chocolate bars & we had to buy a machine that crushed the chocolate into blizzard size pieces. Plus the nerds blizzard was so popular back in the 90’s. But growing up in the DQ industry, I think DQ was most popularized by its classic Banana Spilt- it always had consistent sales & is well known for a DQ staple. (& the peanut buster parfait). Also when we would get the ice cream (that ran through the soft serve machines) it arrived as “ice milk”. The Brazier machines cook the meat & chicken through a grill (no flipping involved).
I loved the cotton candy Blizzard. My wife works there and they had tons of left over inventory after that featured month was over. So I kept getting them and cleared the leftover ingredients
@@thepinkestpigglet7529 well people are moving out of California and to the mid west. Will be interesting too see what happens with the recall election
I love dairy Queen, unfortunately they don't have any near where I live anymore. So it's kind of become a family tradition every year when we go on vacation to eat ice cream at Dairy Queen.
In Minnesota, where I grew up, Dairy Queen is an institution. As a result, some of the oldest "DQ's" are in a small town with around 2,000 people, but along a major highway, or in an area with many lake cabins. In many towns, DQ is the first fast-food restaurant, and even the only one. Also, in the Upper Midwest, people have a big taste for dairy products -- maybe it's because our schools gave us so much milk and cheese in our lunches. That focus on the Upper Midwest forced them to become a McDonald's competitor, because after about October or even Labor Day, a small-town DQ without a hot menu would have to close for the year. Many was the times I was disappointed by a crude hand-written "CLOSED FOR THE SEASON" sign at a small-town DQ in autumn. The "Brazier" line started as a necessity due to climate, it wasn't a random menu expansion. So now DQ is a power in small-town America, providing fast food where McDonald's or Wendy's or even Hardee's are never seen. Franchising, and the uniformity that it creates, has helped many small towns remain commercial centers by attracting travelers to partake in food that tastes just like in the town in which they live.
The only DQ around me is seasonal. It has no indoor seating or indoor anything else, just a window to place your order and another window to collect it. No drive through even, walk-up only.
For about the last 10 years I thought I was living through a huge Mandala Effect ! Every time I mention an Orange Julius people look at me like I'm crazy... Thanks a ton for this !
That's funny you say that - in Houston no one seems to remember a restaurant chain called Chi-Chis. They tell me there is no way a place would be called that because it means "tities" in Spanish. I feel like I am taking crazy pills lol.
Do Victoria’s Secret - Why they are successful. Despite being located in malls that are dying, they’re always crowded and busy. I’m starting to think they’re the reason why malls are still around.
Why has it ever been successful its womens underwear marketed towards men Fun fact the guy who started the place did so because he felt unwelcome in underwear places that marketed towards women
Dairy Queen is a gold mine for me. Their blizzards are the best,especially the cotton candy blizzard. I bet you they have a research team who are in the labs of which tasty blizzard flavor they’ll concoct next
In the 60s, the DQ in my area called themselves Dairy Queen Brazier and expanded their menu long before the Grill and Chill. That may have been local only, though. Peanut Buster Parfait still rules!
The only fast food restaurant in my hometown was DQ, and that was my first job. When I was a kid in 93 it was an ice cream and hot dog stand with no indoor seating or public restrooms, and when I worked there as a teen in 2003 it was a fully modern restaurant with lots of new innovative ideas... Plus if work got too stressful, I could just sit in the cooler and angrily eat fistfulls of little cheesecake bites about it.
I love the Oreo Blizzard and basically always get it. For regular food, I like the chicken tender basket. So yummy. And Strawberry Julius is a childhood favorite I don't get to have as often as I'd like.
The 5 buck lunch was the best thing for me. $5 for some chicken strips, fries, a drink and sundae made for the best and cheapest lunch in my small town. Theyve since raised the price to $6, but still, its worth.
The dairy queen in my area was one of the large ones with seating. I don't know how they managed that because it was super uncommon back in the 80's, but it was so amazing for meeting up with friends after sports events or concerts. I'm lactose intolerant, so I don't eat it regularly, but their ice cream cakes, blizzards, sundaes and now food are all pretty good. It's still the same as what I remember when I was a kid too. Although there are some in this area that have closed, which were really sad. They were having disagreements with the franchising requirements and they were requiring them to purchase new machines that were too expensive.
last september, the blizzard of the month was a cinnamon roll blizzard. it tasted like how the milk tastes when you eat a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch and had little chunks of cinnamon roll in it. it was the best ice cream ive ever had and i pray that it returns
Back in the 70's my little league team was league champs. The local Dairy Queen treated us to a giant bananna split. It was as long as a picnic table. Good times.
You should do a video on Phillips, they declined heavily in the HD tv era but came back with toothbrushes, razors, lights all of which are extremely popular while still making decent smart TVs
The Blizzard! Great job highlighting their sales when they introduced this item. DQ reiterates the importance of innovation to your top and bottom line. Adding the Blizzard and more menu items creates more income streams for your business. 👍🤘🏻
Yo your videos are dope. Like who knew information on companies could be so entertaining. like if finances were taught like this in middle school high school who knows were people would be. Passion is contagious thank you
I actually work at the first DQ location in kanakakee, and it’s one of I think only two locations (the other being in Bourbonnais only like 15 minutes away) that doesn’t sell food, fun fact
My grandma lived in this small town up in South Dakota and had an old school Pizza Hut and a DQ as the only two fast food places in town. And that DQ was the most popular spot in town it was awesome! Use to get a strawberry sundae almost every Friday when we went into town for supplies and such.
Dairy Queen is successful bc they adapt and let franchisers operate different types of DQs. So all of them have ice cream, but DQ allows franchisers to sell different menus of hot foods. Some have the regular corporate hot menu, but some dont a d instead carry hot dogs, bbq, and one even serves brisket that I know of. My local DQ sells several styles of hot dogs including pizza dogs, italian dogs, chili cheese dogs, etc. I think the way they adapt to local markets and function very successfully in small towns is what makes them so successful overall.
Nothing but good memories of DQ. It’s funny that even though they changed the name to DQ the newer generation still refers to it as Dairy Queen. That’s when you know they have stood the test of time
A birthday tradition of mine for at least 7 years is getting an ice cream cake at my local DQ and bringing in an image for them to use on the birthday cake. The machine scanner they have is incredibly accurate with the frosting designs.
@@RobertGrif They're known as the "rogue" DQs tht are still working off old franchising from the 1940s. They arent owned by the bigger DQ we all know today.
@@RobertGrif Because Texas owners had enough collective power to get their way, and old franchise agreements with no termination date. It's the same Soft Serve, but the food menu is completely different. And delicious.
Small Twist, Chocolate Jimmies. Perfection. This is coming from someone who worked at DQ as his first job and had the ability to try nearly everything. Sometimes simplicity is best.
MA. I used to refer to them sprinkles until I worked at DQ where internally they were referred to as jimmies. Now, I still call Rainbow ones sprinkles, but Chocolate ones I call jimmies. For me it feels the most way to say each of them (I'm 24).
As an employee, the cotton candy is the worst. Try the Oreo cheesecake blizzard, Girl Scout Thin Mint blizzard, or the pink punch misty slush (basically an Icee)
My favorite thing that my grandpa would do was everytime I was with him going somewhere, Every time when we would pass a DQ he’d go “mmmm”, eventually turning around and getting us some. Glad that one is being built in me town to carry it on!
Dairy Queen has a special place in my heart because it was always so exciting when my parents offered to buy us DQ for dessert after dinner (especially in the summer). And now this video has made me really want DQ now, their Cotton Candy Blizzard is fucking stellar.
In 1982 our DQ had an arcade in it with games like PacMan, Donkey Kong, Tempest, Defender, Space Invaders, Galaga, Star Wars and even the Journey game. There were also Norman Rockwell prints hanging all over the restaurant. Great memories eating ice cream and dropping quarters.
Adding and expanding the hot 'fast' food and shifting to eat-in locations was critical as gave franchises revenues during the winter months when usually had to close down as very little ice cream demand. They also were popular in suburbs and as other noted, in many rural and semi-rural small towns where majors like McD's were too small for them. Likely modest up front franchise costs, flexibility in building designs, adding locations to mall (then withdrawing when malls started dying out) likely helped them too.
As far as ice cream, the Oreo blizzard is great and reliable. For non-dairy menu items, I love the chicken strips, and IMO their buffalo dipping sauce is the best I’ve had from any restaurant, period.
I think I can speak for everyone from a small town in the US that DQ's are absolute gold mines.
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When I lived in West Virginia for a year, it was the only drive thru for 15 miles around. The nearest other drive thru? Another Dairy Queen. McDonalds was next to the other dairy queen though.
Absolute fact. Very fond memories of going to a cone-shaped shack as a kid.
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There's one right by my old high school, and then one between my house and the middle school. Used to eat there once a week on my walks home mmm
Dairy Queen came to our mall because of their buyout of Orange Julius. Orange Julius has been a such a staple in our mall for smoothies since the 1980s, and also having soft serve ice cream together is why they’re also successful!
It happened in our city too, but they closed the one in our mall!
@@MichaelTheophilus906 they’re only popular in certain states, because there’s other smoothie shops in different places. It’s mostly to share the same vendor, because they don’t want to pay more for their kiosks.
@@Markimark151 mind if u ask ur city cause mine is the same situation once an orange Julius turned dq and I live in Santa Maria
Yea there not really known for there food
@@macajimbo where Santa Maria, because I’m from Texas.
Regular Person: *Has a Positive Experience at Dairy Queen* "I'll write a 5 star review!"
Warren Buffett: *Has a Positive Experience at Dairy Queen* "I'll buy the company!"
‘That’s totally accurate! :-D
My cousins own a Dairy Queen, and it still has the old-fashioned look inside with the Pepsi-Cola lights. They also have the old sign with the "Brazier" burger sign in yellow with the signature Dairy Queen sign shape still hanging. Its like a time capsule and known as our town's local ice cream place.
which location is it? that sounds so cool!
You missed one of their most obvious business strategies. They like to focus on what some refer to as the "Small Market Monopoly", meaning they find small towns in rural areas of the US that bigger chains avoid and open locations there. Though these stores may not generate the traffic of other locations, seeing as they are usually the ONLY fast food location in their area they generate a very stable income base.
Where we live there are many counties and towns within 100miles with populations of less than 2-3 thousand and ALL of them host a DQ as the only stand alone fast food place (there's a few gas stations with a small Subway or KFC inside).
as someone from a small town with a dq their not the only fast food here, but they are the only one with their gimmick.
I'm in a small town of 2000 people without a DQ, but its too close to a much larger city. The only fast food chains in town are McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. There was a Burger King but that closed.
The closest locations of most chain restaurants are in either a slightly larger town north of mine, or closer to the larger city
That would make sense. I've only lived in populated areas and the DQs here are always empty.
@@ddjsoyenby Dairy queen was the first fast food place we ever had in the town I grew up in lol
@@mlck3851 McDonald's? Bruh my town had Subway and got dairy queen eventually lol everyone went crazy when they built it (all 5000 of us).
DQs ice cream "cake" was always my request for my birthday! I LOVED when they started selling the cupcake versions, it's still my favorite thing to get when I go there.
Same bro, that cake is special
And you can get any blizzard flavor as the center if you ask!!
Jesus Christ loves you bros
Have you tried all of the different cupcake toppings? We have crunch, sprinkles, Oreo crumble, or plain frosting. (Might be location/region specific)
I agree with you there, my birthday is in a month and I am looking forward to the ice cream cake the most.
It's cool how the "accident" of having a flat tire was actually a happy accident, as Bob Ross would say, and paved the way for his future endeavors
Cookie Puss and Fudgie The Whale are grateful
@@donaldpaluga "those guys at Carvel know what they're doing"- Sterlimg Archer
There is a new documentary on Bob Ross and his Joy of painting TV series currently on Netflix (USA) in the year 2021 as of August 25th
@@jefferypardue7509 I watched the madlads video on him shortly before watching this video. Slowly going through the old count dankula, so I don't run out of content here on UA-cam, but I'll have to check the new series
Has it occurred to anyone that this channel presents unverifiable company "inspirational origin stories" as facts. Successful companies understand the advantage of having a folksy origins story and an "ah-ha" moment as a part of their brand identity. These types of "brand story" narratives are more likely than not 90% fiction and 10% fact. They are dreamed up after the fact.
My favorite memory of Dairy Queen was sitting it the back of a mini van with my friend. He kept turning his blizzard down and eventually it fell out and all over him
In my area it's been quite a different story with many dairy Queens closing up due to poor sales but I've noticed a couple of others they've rebuilt and modernized and they seem to be doing a little better lately
Are you in Canada? Cuz it's the same story for me, the majority of DQs are closed except for maybe 1 or 2 modernized ones in my city. I'm not a fan of their icecream so I haven't eaten at any of them.
Im in Texas and I can vouche for this too.
DQ seems to have committed to modernizing the stores, even in the middle of no where, and theyre always packed while the older ones stay slow.
@@Megabean I’m from Canada and the ones in my city have line ups around the building all the time even in winter for whatever reason lol
Here in mexico they seem to sell well
Jesus Christ loves you bros
My husband and i took my 92 year old dad on a motorhome trip from western oklahoma to see the grand canyon and hoover dam in sept 2022. He loved Dairy Queen so i was constantly pulling up DQ locations on my phone map that was close to our travels. I loved it because i love their ice cream. The one closest to him closed several years ago so it was a treat for him.
“Dairy Queens combined the functions of the tavern, café, and general store; they were simple local roadhouses where both rambling men and stay-at-homes could meet. To them would come men of all crafts and women of all dispositions. The oilmen would be there at six in the morning; the courthouse crowd would show up about ten; cowboys would stop for lunch or a mid-afternoon respite; roughnecks would jump out of their trucks or pickups to snatch a cheeseburger as their schedules allowed; and the women of the villages might appear at any time, often merely to sit and mingle for a few minutes…”
Texan Larry McMurtry (author of "Lonesome Dove")
how did i know this was texas before reading it all
@@BuckingHorse-Bull same
Despite being a massive chain, many DQ locations often feel integrated in the community in a way that other fast food chains never will. This rings especially true in the smaller rural towns. Some of the images in your video showed DQ locations with handmade signs promoting the local high school football team which isn't something I can imagine happening in McD's. DQs often feel integrated into the community, rather than a blight on it. There is something warm and nostalgic that feels like a throwback to a simpler time and I'm glad they exist.
Dude honestly. I'll never forget my wife and I were on the way home from her having a surgery, and she really wanted ice cream. We called our local DQ to see if they were still open and they stayed open an extra half hour just to get her some ice cream. It feels more like a friendly neighborhood ice cream shop than a corporation.
Agreed! They'd always donate coupons to the library summer reading programs. They feel way more like a community restaurant than most chains.
I love how people know them the most for their blizzards more than their actual food .
those pretzel bites tho 👌
I always get a blizzard and cheese curds
Their chicken tenders are 🔥
Doo Doo Doo Doo
Probably because their food isn't that good.
The DQs in Texas are rumored to offer a different menu from any other state. Also, their slogan goes "DQ. That's what I like about Texas." They also refer to the DQ sign as a "Texas stop sign". Just a little trivia for those not in the know.
Now to be cslled......DQ of Gilead or DQ of Kabul
Sorry.
Sorry..............couldn't help but make the connection
There is a DQ in Minnesota that has tons of things that no other has and is a landmark for that city. It has no indoors and is a classic ice cream window shop only open during april-october
@@TheOtakuKnownAsWolf ya its in Moorhead Minnesota its still operating under its original franchise agreement
DQs in TX are marketed differently. It's far more meat-based, with the signature sandwich being a greasy chicken-fried steak thing called The Dude. I grew up in TX and now live in MI and often work in northern WI, so I've seen both sides of it.
I was born in Texas and to this day that is the only place I've seen my favorite menu item, the Country Fried Chicken Sandwich!
I worked at DQ in the 90s while in HS. Lack of Uniformity was definitely an issue. We had many people come in and order something that other stores served and we didn’t. The upside though was that this gave ownership some freedom to add some unique food items to the menu that not everyone had. Our owner came up with a “chili dog split” which was just amazing. I loved working there and the owner was a really cool guy.
You mentioned the Blizzard was invented by a franchisee, and that franchisee was named Samuel Temperato. He owned a few dozen locations in the St. Louis area and it is almost certain that he adopted the idea of the Blizzard from a St. Louis frozen custard landmark, Ted Drewes. Ted Drewes has been serving "concretes" of frozen custard and mix-ins since the 1920s, and they serve customers by turning the cup upside down before giving them their order. Just an interesting note to add to the history.
And just another note is that Temperato supposedly had a DQ soft serve machine in his house for his grandchildren to use.
That reminds me of a similar franchisee inventor who lived near me. Jim Delligatti owned a McDonald's in Uniontown, PA, which is where he invented the Big Mac. Almost everybody tries to claim that the Big Mac was invented in Pittsburgh. Uniontown is 46 miles south of Pittsburgh--so it definitely cannot be counted as a "suburb" of Pittsburgh.
“They don’t even advertise their food is good” - Tim dillon
@Ken Norcott their fries are pretty good ngl
@Ken Norcott
Depends on the location.
@Ken Norcott
The best and worst fast food experiences that I can remember have been at two different DQ’s.
@Ken Norcott Depends in where you are
They do advertise lol not as much as say, McDonalds, but they do
"Hugh, do you regret selling the company?"
Hugh: Don't you mean, "Do I regret not running Dairy Queen into the ground?"
When I was a kid we'd always stop by a Dairy Queen when we visited family. I loved the dipped cones - especially the butterscotch ones.
I work at DQ and hate taking care of that shit it gets oily and it is a pain when it's busy.
I enjoy the cherry dip but I wish they would put in the orange dip permanently.
OMG DON'T ORDER THE BUTTERSCOTCH 🤢🤢 i used to work there (very very recently) and lemme tell you the butterscotch has to be the most disgusting thing. i work morning hours and when i walk in the butterscotch is completely seperated. the top half is entirely oily shit and all the actual butterscotch is at the bottom. i have to sit there and stir it for thirty minutes just for it to be usable. not to mention we don't change that shit for months and all the roaches running around 😣
@@daydreams6956 Well, it was probably 50 years ago since I ordered one. I imagine it was done differently back then.
Bro i work at a DQ and that shit is gross
My favorite things to get at Dairy Queen:
If I need a quick meal, their chicken and fries. If I want dessert probably a blizzard, though there were times where I did get a waffle bowl with hot fudge and cookies dough which was a big favorite as a kid.
I don't know if this was just a thing in Reno Nevada, but before the 2000s, Dairy Queen strictly sold ice cream & ice cream cakes. They were competing with Baskin Robbin & did not sell any kind of hot food. Was it just ours? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You should talk about how Texas DQ is separate from all the other DQ's. It's very interesting stuff
Can confirm. I've lived in many states and Texas DQs have their own franchise system, branding, and a different hot-foods menu which I would argue is even better than the Grill and Chill menu.
Need to visit
I grew up in Texas thinking that was the regular DQ menu, and was significantly disappointed to find that the menu was different out of state.
Texas born and raised and I’ve always thought it was a Texas company like Whataburger. Learn something new everyday! 🤣
@@MonsterMode2011 you're not ENTIRELY wrong. No, it wasn't founded in Texas, but Texas DQs have their own franchise association and an entirely separate branding and menu. So it's like a separate chain within a chain, just in Texas.
I'd like to see your take on the "Rogue" Dairy Queen franchises who are still operating on contracts from the 1940's.
Really ? I Didn't know about those but think I ate at one. It was on a dirt road in Texas. The burgers we ordered were awesome and I could tell they were hand formed patties. It definitely wasn't fast food. The ice cream seemed like usual DQ fare though but the food was excellent. The lady making the burgers was a granny who looked like she had been grilling burgers her entire life, probably why our burgers came out perfect.
And the Texas Dairy Queens, which mostly operate under a separate franchising system as well. Texas is ne of their bigger markets (and no wonder; it's a Sunbelt state where frozen treats go well in the summer); I have many family members that live in Texas (or previously did) and one of them told me that their signs are nicknamed "the Texas stop sign," after a slogan they previously used there.
@@hotwax9376 Awesome. Makes sense why that was the best DQ we stopped at that entire trip. Seriously those burgers were so good they still stand out in my memory.
I think I’ve seen one
@@hotwax9376 Yep, I remember as a kid the commercials were always starring a famous-in-Texas reporter who's show was purely about driving around Texas and seeing the sights and tourist traps. I don't know if the Beltbuster combos were available anywhere else but they were the Texas sized portions of burgers and chicken strips. The reason they were so popular in Texas was also because almost every single city in the state had at least one Dairy Queen, they were bigger than McDonalds. Of course, my mother refused to ever stop there.
Honestly I think they're still underrated and could potentially blow up even more
I am going to try to invest 100 dollars in Dairy Queen and see what it becomes in 5 years. September 27, 2021, 12:51am
@@Adamkalb1 but i dont think they're a publicy traded company thought
@@Trigger_Man Closest thing would be Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, but that's much, much bigger than DQ alone.
The cotton candy Blizzard is absolutely one of my favorites. Simple, but sweet. Good flavor, adds some crunchy-ness to the ice cream without being overwhelming. Just all around solid treat.
It’s amazing, sadly they make it limited time.
Yes. I have to ask every time even though I know mine has stopped selling them
Yeah fr ive copped that alot fire
I remember it being way too sweet for me but really good
Preach! And it actually tastes like cotton candy. Whenever I’m at DQ in the summer, I always try and get one!
DQ is a big part of Texas culture. Often they are in every small town and you'll see a DQ before you see a McDonalds way out in the middle of nowhere. They are usually involved in the community and growing up we would always go there after school to wait for our parents to pick us up (and ofc eat a blizzard).
You know you’re in a small town when the only thing on Main Street is a DQ or Sonic, an ace hardware (larger populations will have a walmart), and 3 churches.
"DQ! That's what I like about Texas!" Every time I hear the name Dairy Queen, I hear that jingle. I also remember their "Texas Stop Sign" bit implying that when you see a DQ sign in Texas, that's your signal to stop and get something to eat.
Brilliant marketing. For a company based in Minnesota, you'd never know it by how deeply into Texas DNA they are. Their Texas-centric commercials and stores in tiny Texas towns help a lot.
As far as I know DQ texas own menu and distribution helps their marketing strategy. I remember getting confused why certain things I could get in Missouri I couldn't find in San Antonio.
@@noralewis5390 Probably so since Texas can probably fare better with year-round blizzards and other ice cream desserts as opposed to places like Missouri or New York.
Just wondering what does DNA stand for in your comment ?
@@amir3515 In Texans' bloodstreams. DQ is as Texas as Friday night football.
@@stevedave9386 ah ok gotcha I was thinking it stood for something like DFW. Thanks!
The Blizzard is hands down my favorite ice cream treat. Cookie dough has always been my go to.
Usually mint Oreo (most often) or Reese's for me. Though I did like their short-lived Nerds blizzard for a while when they had it.
Dairy Queen is amazing. They definitely have my favorite ice cream cone. The blizzard is definitely their best product, in my opinion. I know other places have similar ones now like Sonic but DQ always has the original in my mind and the best ones. Their pretzel sticks with queso is awesome too. Ugh now I'm hungry, thanks.
Pretzel sticks with queso sounds bangin. I wonder what DQs food tastes like
@@TheAbandonedAccount7 Most of the time, it's decent (I'm not a big fast food fan, so that's a pretty good compliment=l=). Now and again I've had some "meh" reactions, but those are most likely due to individual location issues - training, management, the cook having an off day sort of thing - than the menu or food sourcing.
I'm really hoping that one of their new grill items was a location issue... or "it's a new item so we're getting used to the cooking process one. The "rotisserie bites" sound like a great idea... but the ones I had in one of the malls were a bit disappointing. However, the town down the road is building a brand new DQ, and I'm hoping that by the time it's finished they've worked out the kinks on the product.
I havnt had DQ in probably 5years. I went a couple weeks ago due to my brother talking about how he got a blizzard so I wanted to get one myself. I got a medium butterfinger blizzard and it was delicious. I've gotten 3 of them since that day and still really enjoy it every time. Its become my friday end of the week treat. DQ is awesome.
As someone who worked at DQ, the ice cream cakes were super popular for upper middle class families who usually had two working parents. They didn’t have time to make a cake for any party they were having and appreciated fun and higher quality choice.
I fondly remember the Dennis the Menace branding on all their packaging
There are plenty of small towns that still don’t have a McDonalds but they got a DQ. The order of chain openings as a small town evolves is basically:
1. DQ
2. Sonic
3. McDonalds
Whst about Subway? Often I have seen towns have Subways and nothing else as well.
not even close to true...
Definitely not sonic. The closest one to me is like 50 miles away and the only one remotely close to me in NE OH
My town had a dairy queen decades ago but lost it in the 90s. Never have gotten it back but we do have McDonald's
I've been to many small town in my life, and I've never seen a Sonic in one. Usually a Dairy Queen and a McDonalds, maaaybe a Subway.
Holding ice cream upside down is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen a restaurant do
It’s to show consistency
But it's the best part of buying a blizzard
I think the idea is to show off the thickness by demonstrating that it doesn't fall out when you flip it. Not all DQs do it though, and the one closest to me only started doing it in the last few years.
@@guppy2816 and that's why the idea works so well. People expect it and smile when it happens.
But it sure does sell
I remember my small town (no McDonald's, no fast food anything whatsoever) got a dairy queen and everyone went crazy lmao. Literally the first fast food restaurant we ever had.
Dairy Queen is honestly integral to my family. Three generations of family have been meeting regularly at the exact same DQ for over 50 years, providing incredibly fond memories. I bought my grandma a Christmas village DQ as it looked just like our little 50s spot.
From a consumer's perspective Dairy Queen is amazing. Looking at it from a franchisees point of view they are a nightmare. Both my sister and I work at DQ and we are heavily invested in the brand. My biggest complaint about DQ is the cohesion between locations.
You have the Grill & Chills, the ones that serve the full good menu, the ones everyone know about. Then you have the Treat stores that don't serve the main food items, but a limited food menu since the stores are smaller. Confusion is very common when customers come for fried food items at a treat store and have to be turned away due to not having those items. Confusion also comes with ingredient stock. This has become more prevalent with TikTok and secret menu items. Not all stores are required to carry certain items. For example Cherry topping is not required by DQ to carry at all times, but some stores continue to carry it. A little more drastic example is chocolate soft serve. Not all DQs are required to have chocolate soft serve. That's the mess from the consumer's end.
From the operator's perspective their product rollouts are horrible. Warehouses never have enough product leading to allocations, even pre-covid this was an issue. Just like Amy business lots of new product ideas fail, but they still continue to force them on franchisees despite them failing. As mentioned in the video Orange Julius was bought by DQ. In recent years the popularity of the OJ brand has fallen, with products barely selling. Their Grill & Chill locations no longer serve them while treat stores continue to. Many treat store operators would love to remove them, but corporate won't let them despite it not being a good investment.
I love DQ as a brand but it does have some issues that I don't see with many other fast food franchises. This might be due to old contracts with franchisees or just poor management.
Dang this is insane! Thank you for your input!
Texas DQs in my area serve both grill items and orange Julius, but I’ve heard the TX DQs are weird
Don't they need the chocolate soft serve to make a lot of the frozen items? That seems a very surprising thing to not have on their menu. I can appreciate where not all of them have the grill. Love the Flamethrower burger.
In my area DQ is also always understaffed
Yeah. The DQ here no longer do OJ and that bums me out, I only found out like a week ago when I went by there to get one and they were gone from the menu.
Dairy Queen was my introduction to the concept of regional advertising. I was born and raised in Texas and every DQ commercial I saw growing up was very southern themed and always ended with the tagline “DQ! That’s what I like about Texas”. With that and a DQ being a staple of small drive through towns I figured it was a Texas original. It wasn’t until I went to Chicago and saw that they also had Dairy Queen when I realized that it was a nationwide chain that had no particular attachment to Texas. I felt pretty duped but you gotta hand it to them, that marketing has probably done them really well over the years.
Out of all of the fast food chains, I've definitely had DQ the most. You can never go wrong with a blizzard, and there are so many good flavors.
Love DQ. It's delish. My favorite book when I was 12 was "The Outsiders." There's a scene that takes place at DQ with Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy! I read the book about 30 times before the movie came out, so DQ always reminds me of the greasers!
I live in Texas and every DQ I’ve ever been to has had a different atmosphere and building structure. It’s pretty cool, one of the ones that I frequent is privately owned and has a buffet in it.
My mom used to always get me a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake for my birthday every year when I was a kid. I had Ninja Turtles and even a Pee Wee Herman cake haha.
Best mom, ever!
@@Alex-yj9xl *too. 😋
@@jamesanderson6373 you were cool until you started correcting grammar
There is a location not too far from me that literally has a style that looks like it was from the 90s. It even has a super tiny window they hand the food out of. Possibly the most charming DQ I’ve ever been to. Even if it does look weathered and dated.
There are three of those kinds of Dairy Queen a town over from where I live.
My town has that too
You guys arent in Pennsylvania by chance are you? maybe we're all talking about the same DQ :D
@@catashtrophe1269 no, I live in Indiana.
The only one by me is like this, walk up window only
DQ was one of my favorite places to go back in my early college years. Besides their treats, I really liked their onion rings and cheese curds. Heck, my local Dairy Queen serves cheap pork tenderloin sandwiches.
you have a loli pfp, your opinion is invalid.
DQ shops also have local food menus. Here in Austin, they have a whole set of items with jalapenos, tacos, and other items that do well here, but probably wouldn't do well in other locations. I'd put that in the category of staying relevant, but on a more local level.
DQ is the ol reliable, I've never had a bad experience at a DQ.
I have only had one bad experience at a dq and I have went over 100 times, they really are the ol reliable.
The only bad experiences I've had with them are them not being open 24/7. I want my ice cream at 3 AM DAMMIT!
@@StarboyXL9 Sadly, we don't have DQ in Puerto Rico. It left in 2000 because of its high prices and it has never returned to the market ever since.
Did you know that Burger King is married to Dairy Queen? Or at least that's what we used to say as kids in the 80s.
I did but that's because I was working there 💀
Not to mention the Blizzard was so popular that McDonald’s and Sonic tried to rip it off. Neither are as good in my opinion, usually down to a lack of as many toppings. Blizzards usually have something in every bite, whereas a McFlurry or Blast will give you a lot of empty vanilla.
Wait you get ice cream at Mc Donald
@@darcone9 There's a hidden number of the population who dunk their fries in ice cream, not condiments.👀
McFlurry gets points for the spoon being the mixing implement (no mixer part to clean!)
@@brianmiller1077 Yeah the Sonic Blast is dead last for me. Always thought their ice cream was bland as heck. McDonald’s is no DQ, but at least theirs has flavor
@@brianmiller1077 I work at Dairy Queen. The blenders are really not very hard to clean. Just put it on low power, fill a cup with water or sanitizer if we are closing, and blend it.
I've always had positive experiences at Dairy Queen but for some reason I haven't been to one in years. Maybe I'll pay them a visit tomorrow. :)
Ok this may seem weird to some of you guys but it’s my favorite fast food places ever. Idk why but i’m just in love with the actual food, which is heavily underrated. I still think that ice cream is incredible it just makes its food shadowed
My dad owned 3 Dairy Queen’s in Canada & I grew up with them. Thank you for this video, my family grew up with DQ & I remember when the 1st blizzards came out. They would send the franchisees whole chocolate bars & we had to buy a machine that crushed the chocolate into blizzard size pieces. Plus the nerds blizzard was so popular back in the 90’s. But growing up in the DQ industry, I think DQ was most popularized by its classic Banana Spilt- it always had consistent sales & is well known for a DQ staple. (& the peanut buster parfait).
Also when we would get the ice cream (that ran through the soft serve machines) it arrived as “ice milk”.
The Brazier machines cook the meat & chicken through a grill (no flipping involved).
I loved the cotton candy Blizzard. My wife works there and they had tons of left over inventory after that featured month was over. So I kept getting them and cleared the leftover ingredients
I haven't been to the DQ by my house in a while, but they keep the cotton candy blizzard year round, that thing is like crack.
Do ya'll get an employee discount?
It's interesting going to the Midwest and Dairy Queen is on the level of In-N-Out, Shake Shack and Whataburger.
👍
There is no reason to go to the mid west
@@thepinkestpigglet7529 well people are moving out of California and to the mid west. Will be interesting too see what happens with the recall election
not even close lol.
Dairy Queen, Shake Shack and Sonic serve similar stuff on their menus too. 😅
I love dairy Queen, unfortunately they don't have any near where I live anymore. So it's kind of become a family tradition every year when we go on vacation to eat ice cream at Dairy Queen.
same here! getting a good old dipped in chocolate cone from dairy queen is one thing my mother and i always enjoy
Obviously they are most known for their ice cream, but their actual food is underrated.
Second that. If I’m driving and this is one of the few fast food places passing by, always choosing DQ
absolutely agree
In Minnesota, where I grew up, Dairy Queen is an institution. As a result, some of the oldest "DQ's" are in a small town with around 2,000 people, but along a major highway, or in an area with many lake cabins. In many towns, DQ is the first fast-food restaurant, and even the only one. Also, in the Upper Midwest, people have a big taste for dairy products -- maybe it's because our schools gave us so much milk and cheese in our lunches.
That focus on the Upper Midwest forced them to become a McDonald's competitor, because after about October or even Labor Day, a small-town DQ without a hot menu would have to close for the year. Many was the times I was disappointed by a crude hand-written "CLOSED FOR THE SEASON" sign at a small-town DQ in autumn. The "Brazier" line started as a necessity due to climate, it wasn't a random menu expansion. So now DQ is a power in small-town America, providing fast food where McDonald's or Wendy's or even Hardee's are never seen. Franchising, and the uniformity that it creates, has helped many small towns remain commercial centers by attracting travelers to partake in food that tastes just like in the town in which they live.
There was a time in my hometown in Canada when the two Dairy Queens closed for the winter. It made sense as they didn’t have a dining room.
We still have a few seasonal DQs in Minnesota too!
The only DQ around me is seasonal. It has no indoor seating or indoor anything else, just a window to place your order and another window to collect it. No drive through even, walk-up only.
I love Dairy Queen Reese‘s peanut butter cup blizzard! I’ll definitely be covering these guys in my nostalgic series for my end of summer episode!
PB cup blizzard was my favorite.
That's my go-to.
For about the last 10 years I thought I was living through a huge Mandala Effect ! Every time I mention an Orange Julius people look at me like I'm crazy... Thanks a ton for this !
I've only ever seen orange Juliuses in malls. Malls just aren't as popular as they used to be. I used to love orange Julius.
It's... it's the Mandela Effect. Not Mandala. Are you from one of the other universes?
@@Del_S I'd rather not say
Nope they existed, I use to get referenced to this all the time ( name )
That's funny you say that - in Houston no one seems to remember a restaurant chain called Chi-Chis. They tell me there is no way a place would be called that because it means "tities" in Spanish. I feel like I am taking crazy pills lol.
Do Victoria’s Secret - Why they are successful. Despite being located in malls that are dying, they’re always crowded and busy. I’m starting to think they’re the reason why malls are still around.
Yes I am interested in seeing the supermodels in lingerie stock footage for business reasons. Market research. Analytics.
Their "success" has waned greatly over the past decade.
I feel like Victoria's Secret and Hot Topic are just included in every mall by default.
Sex sells.
Why has it ever been successful its womens underwear marketed towards men
Fun fact the guy who started the place did so because he felt unwelcome in underwear places that marketed towards women
Dairy Queen is a gold mine for me. Their blizzards are the best,especially the cotton candy blizzard. I bet you they have a research team who are in the labs of which tasty blizzard flavor they’ll concoct next
In the 60s, the DQ in my area called themselves Dairy Queen Brazier and expanded their menu long before the Grill and Chill. That may have been local only, though.
Peanut Buster Parfait still rules!
Fun fact: DQ ice cream cakes can't be considered ice cream cakes.
Why!?
@@jbo8060
Because they're not made with Ice Cream ;-)
@@yvonnebryant5120 what do you mean?
Fun Fact: You only know this from a UA-cam video / tik tok by some dude who makes ice cream
@@navalemon or is it frozen custard?
god i love blizzards, oreo blizzards specifically , theyre the most guilty pleasure kind of dessert in existence in my opinion
I once ate a large blizzard in 5 minutes and I had sharts for 2 days.
Oreo blizzards is what I always get ur right
The only fast food restaurant in my hometown was DQ, and that was my first job. When I was a kid in 93 it was an ice cream and hot dog stand with no indoor seating or public restrooms, and when I worked there as a teen in 2003 it was a fully modern restaurant with lots of new innovative ideas... Plus if work got too stressful, I could just sit in the cooler and angrily eat fistfulls of little cheesecake bites about it.
I’ve never been to DQ yet I have heard of it what feel’s like hundreds of times.
“Vegeta!”
“What is it Napa”
“Well, I got good news and bad news”
I love the Oreo Blizzard and basically always get it. For regular food, I like the chicken tender basket. So yummy. And Strawberry Julius is a childhood favorite I don't get to have as often as I'd like.
The 5 buck lunch was the best thing for me. $5 for some chicken strips, fries, a drink and sundae made for the best and cheapest lunch in my small town. Theyve since raised the price to $6, but still, its worth.
The dairy queen in my area was one of the large ones with seating. I don't know how they managed that because it was super uncommon back in the 80's, but it was so amazing for meeting up with friends after sports events or concerts. I'm lactose intolerant, so I don't eat it regularly, but their ice cream cakes, blizzards, sundaes and now food are all pretty good. It's still the same as what I remember when I was a kid too. Although there are some in this area that have closed, which were really sad. They were having disagreements with the franchising requirements and they were requiring them to purchase new machines that were too expensive.
last september, the blizzard of the month was a cinnamon roll blizzard. it tasted like how the milk tastes when you eat a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch and had little chunks of cinnamon roll in it. it was the best ice cream ive ever had and i pray that it returns
Back in the 70's my little league team was league champs. The local Dairy Queen treated us to a giant bananna split. It was as long as a picnic table. Good times.
Them Chilli Dogs in the 90s when we were out trapping were a major key in survival lol Shouts out to the DQ in Crawfordsville, Indiana
The old school German Chocolate Blizzard is my favorite. Some places will still make it upon request... Some actually get it right.
I work at a Dairy Queen, this and the Banana Split Blizzard aren’t on the menu, also no one knows how to make it anymore cause its so rare.
@@danielg2009 bruh banana split is still on there lol it’s one of the worst ones to make
@@ayedone not at my location dude, we took it off the menu years ago
Peanut buster blizzard - If I get a strange look I just say nuts and Fudge, please
@@brianmiller1077 that’s also not on the menu
I'm 40 years old, and those commercials you showed of the Blizzard really took me back!
the first time my dad took us to get dq will forever be a core memory
You should do a video on Phillips, they declined heavily in the HD tv era but came back with toothbrushes, razors, lights all of which are extremely popular while still making decent smart TVs
The Blizzard! Great job highlighting their sales when they introduced this item. DQ reiterates the importance of innovation to your top and bottom line. Adding the Blizzard and more menu items creates more income streams for your business. 👍🤘🏻
I love there Icecream treats but I never did like there food very much.
DQ offers simple tasty foods. I've been having their dipped cones since I was a child and they never get old.
you are dq
Yo your videos are dope. Like who knew information on companies could be so entertaining. like if finances were taught like this in middle school high school who knows were people would be. Passion is contagious thank you
I actually work at the first DQ location in kanakakee, and it’s one of I think only two locations (the other being in Bourbonnais only like 15 minutes away) that doesn’t sell food, fun fact
This is because since they are original locations they wanted to keep them like how they started
I haven't been to one in years, but their burgers were always actually really good.
Really
I need to try their food
haven’t even seen it yet but I know it’s gonna be good!
I would if liked to seen something about their menu and how it’s different in Texas.
My grandma lived in this small town up in South Dakota and had an old school Pizza Hut and a DQ as the only two fast food places in town. And that DQ was the most popular spot in town it was awesome! Use to get a strawberry sundae almost every Friday when we went into town for supplies and such.
I didn’t even know DQ was still around. I haven’t heard of anyone going to a Dairy Queen since like 2010
Dairy Queen is successful bc they adapt and let franchisers operate different types of DQs. So all of them have ice cream, but DQ allows franchisers to sell different menus of hot foods. Some have the regular corporate hot menu, but some dont a d instead carry hot dogs, bbq, and one even serves brisket that I know of. My local DQ sells several styles of hot dogs including pizza dogs, italian dogs, chili cheese dogs, etc. I think the way they adapt to local markets and function very successfully in small towns is what makes them so successful overall.
Orange Julius had one at our mall loved it
Idk if every DQ does this but the ones in my town will give you a free cone if you get good grades on your report card
😅😅😅
Going to try this out
@@kittykittybangbang9367 good luck!
They do it here on the East coast of Canada where I am at but it is to all kids, even the flunkies 😆
@@jonnymac8925 newfoundland??
Nothing but good memories of DQ. It’s funny that even though they changed the name to DQ the newer generation still refers to it as Dairy Queen. That’s when you know they have stood the test of time
A birthday tradition of mine for at least 7 years is getting an ice cream cake at my local DQ and bringing in an image for them to use on the birthday cake. The machine scanner they have is incredibly accurate with the frosting designs.
No mention of Dairy Queen as the "Texas Stop Sign"? There's even a separate App for Texas Dairy Queens
Yeah, this kind of bummed me out.
I was hoping to learn why Texas DQ's have a different menu
I thought Dairy Queen was only in Texas because of the ads "DQ, that's what I like about Texas"
So learning more about that would have been very nice
@@RobertGrif They're known as the "rogue" DQs tht are still working off old franchising from the 1940s. They arent owned by the bigger DQ we all know today.
@@RobertGrif Because Texas owners had enough collective power to get their way, and old franchise agreements with no termination date. It's the same Soft Serve, but the food menu is completely different. And delicious.
Small Twist, Chocolate Jimmies. Perfection. This is coming from someone who worked at DQ as his first job and had the ability to try nearly everything. Sometimes simplicity is best.
PA/NJ? A lot of people don't call the "sprinkles" Jimmies. From the Philly area myself.
MA. I used to refer to them sprinkles until I worked at DQ where internally they were referred to as jimmies. Now, I still call Rainbow ones sprinkles, but Chocolate ones I call jimmies. For me it feels the most way to say each of them (I'm 24).
I have had the cotton candy Blizzard and will confirm it's the GOAT. SOO damn good!
Our town was supposed to get a Dairy Queen a few years ago but it did not end up happening, I was devastated
As an employee, the cotton candy is the worst. Try the Oreo cheesecake blizzard, Girl Scout Thin Mint blizzard, or the pink punch misty slush (basically an Icee)
Sounds like a certain UA-camr really loves DQ.
My favorite thing that my grandpa would do was everytime I was with him going somewhere, Every time when we would pass a DQ he’d go “mmmm”, eventually turning around and getting us some. Glad that one is being built in me town to carry it on!
Dairy Queen has a special place in my heart because it was always so exciting when my parents offered to buy us DQ for dessert after dinner (especially in the summer). And now this video has made me really want DQ now, their Cotton Candy Blizzard is fucking stellar.
In 1982 our DQ had an arcade in it with games like PacMan, Donkey Kong, Tempest, Defender, Space Invaders, Galaga, Star Wars and even the Journey game. There were also Norman Rockwell prints hanging all over the restaurant. Great memories eating ice cream and dropping quarters.
Adding and expanding the hot 'fast' food and shifting to eat-in locations was critical as gave franchises revenues during the winter months when usually had to close down as very little ice cream demand. They also were popular in suburbs and as other noted, in many rural and semi-rural small towns where majors like McD's were too small for them. Likely modest up front franchise costs, flexibility in building designs, adding locations to mall (then withdrawing when malls started dying out) likely helped them too.
As far as ice cream, the Oreo blizzard is great and reliable. For non-dairy menu items, I love the chicken strips, and IMO their buffalo dipping sauce is the best I’ve had from any restaurant, period.
Their burgers are surprisingly tasty!!