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Dairy Queen slowly dying


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1 minute ago, elguapo said:

You couldn't pay me to go into one of those Beaver hellscapes

I won't lie. I used to stop there for an Alamo turkey sandwich for lunch. It slams and goes hard. Then I found out about the owner's political contributions and subsequent payoff. I haven't been back.

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2 hours ago, elguapo said:

Robert Mayfield is a far right nutjob. He sent a crazy rant letter to the LISD school board concerned that his grandkids were being "indoctrinated" with "critical race theory" and "graphic sexual content." He donated a bunch of $ to anti public education candidates in recent school board elections.

I won't be visiting his establishments.

Yeah....we have known the family for quite a while.  They've gotten.....much worse over the past 10 years or so.  Full-on bad shit.  We do our best to avoid their establishments, because we don't want to fund that sort of BS.

Which is a shame, because their DQs are generally well-run.  But, that's the choice we've made.  They can believe and do as they wish, we just won't finance it.  Such is life.

Anyway, DQ is more road-trip food for us, so we get it when we're traveling.  The Ozona one is a regular stop when we go west, it seems okay (although we usually just get an ice cream treat there).

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10 minutes ago, utee94 said:

I only go to Bucees when I'm towing the RV and need to stop for gas.  They tend to have large, easily maneuverable parking lots, plenty of gas pumps widely spaced apart, and clean restrooms.

You'll find things crowded and sketchy at the far right.

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On 12/1/2022 at 12:06 PM, Samson's Wig said:

"Slowly" is the key word from the title of this thread.  DQs are the slowest fast food chain in Texas, especially those in small towns.  Nothing worse on a road trip than stopping at a DQ and waiting half an hour for a shitty burger.


but those steak fingers slam 

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On 11/28/2022 at 10:05 AM, elguapo said:

Robert Mayfield is a far right nutjob. He sent a crazy rant letter to the LISD school board concerned that his grandkids were being "indoctrinated" with "critical race theory" and "graphic sexual content." He donated a bunch of $ to anti public education candidates in recent school board elections.

I won't be visiting his establishments.

Don't care... Got Beltbuster.... 

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The DQ in Llano has been well run for years, in my experience.

It’s a convenient stop on the way back to Houston from hunting and visiting my in-laws.

We often call in an order when we are about 5 minutes out. Gives us enough time to arrive, use the restrooms, then have a hot, fresh meal waiting for us.

Didn't call ahead 3 weeks ago, food came out quick, slammed. 

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On 12/1/2022 at 12:06 PM, Samson's Wig said:

"Slowly" is the key word from the title of this thread.  DQs are the slowest fast food chain in Texas, especially those in small towns.  Nothing worse on a road trip than stopping at a DQ and waiting half an hour for a shitty burger.

I could circle around DQ 3 times for 3 different orders and still be waiting on one damn thing at Whataburger, although I love Whataburger.

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DQ is such a weird brand. Franchising is usually meant to result in a level of uniformity between locations, but DQ is all over the place. In bigger markets they have the DQ Grill and Chill's which are typical fast food type places, pretty indistinguishable from a McDs or BK in their aesthetics. But in small towns they are mostly in shacks, like Home Depot sheds with 40 years of wear and tear, with wall units for AC, and tables that seem second hand, like they were used originally in a McDonalds in the mid '70s. I still dig the steak finger baskets and ice cream though, just a strange company.

Edited by 'stache
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2 hours ago, 'stache said:

DQ is such a weird brand. Franchising is usually meant to result in a level of uniformity between locations, but DQ is all over the place. In bigger markets they have the DQ Grill and Chill's which are typical fast food type places, pretty indistinguishable from a McDs or BK in their aesthetics. But in small towns they are mostly in shacks, like Home Depot sheds with 40 years of wear and tear, with wall units for AC, and tables that seem second hand, like they were used originally in a McDonalds in the mid '70s. I still dig the steak finger baskets and ice cream though, just a strange company.

a lot of those franchise agreements are positively ancient and didn't include corporate being able to require upgrades to the facilities.  so i've been told by a franchise owner. 

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51 minutes ago, deft said:

Told ya in the first page four years ago: Mexia Dairy Queen has been gone for a decade. I don’t even think it’s the Italian food place anymore. I’ll get a pic at Christmas and let you know.


hmm, if the taqueria is an old dq building, those tacos are about to slam !

 

Slam Dunk Sport GIF by NBA

Edited by tx 3 putt
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  • 4 weeks later...

dq in Loveland CO still setting franchise records

image.thumb.png.d3583bdef0b6f601c6fbd5019a9b945d.png

Loveland’s Dairy Queen has earned the “Emerald Crown” award, something no Dairy Queen treat store in the country has ever accomplished.

Proprietor Craig Lindberg declined to say the dollar amount needed to earn the award, citing safety for his employees, but it requires a considerable net revenue in a single year, he said.

Lindberg and his staff met the threshold with just hours to spare, a little after 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We were really counting down the last couple of months. As of two weeks ago we didn’t think we were going to make it,” Lindberg said.

“I did,” said longtime manager Heather Wild, who started at the store in 2006.

The purchase that pushed them over the line was made by Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh, who bought a handful of certificates for free blizzards that she plans to give to the members of the city’s Youth Advisory Commission.

Lindberg attributes the store’s success to its managers and the employees they train, but he and Wild both said that other factors, like the location at the intersection of Eisenhower Boulevard and U.S. 287, as well as nostalgia, contribute.

The building, formerly a Texaco gas station, has retained most of the retro flavor that other such establishments have long since replaced — tile floors, old school stools and plenty of historic memorabilia and photographs on the walls.

Lindberg has been operating the Dairy Queen, which has been named the most successful treat location in the franchise for the past four years, for 40 years, and said both customer and employee loyalty are responsible for its success.

Several families have multiple generations who have worked there.

“Our employees are amazing,” he said. “I’ve had employees work here for 15 years. I’ve had sons, sons of former employees, come to work for me.”

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On 11/30/2022 at 8:42 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

I can't find cherry dipped cones anymore.  There's some goofy ass flavor of the month, and butterscotch, if I'm lucky.  Is this a national thing or a shortcoming of my local DQs?

You're in Iowa, right?  All the good food is south of US 183.

I stopped in at a DJ in North Jersey a while back hoping to get the steak fingers and gravy but all they had was ice cream.  The whole store was loaded with kids eating dipped cones and Blizzards.  The girl at the counter thought I was insane for thinking they had actual food.  Thought it was a regional thing.

Edited by Bullneck
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44 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

You're in Iowa, right?  All the good food is south of US 183.

I stopped in at a DJ in North Jersey a while back hoping to get the steak fingers and gravy but all they had was ice cream.  The whole store was loaded with kids eating dipped cones and Blizzards.  The girl at the counter thought I was insane for thinking they had actual food.  Thought it was a regional thing.

We have actual food in the Midwest.  They call it DQ Grill & Chill

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3 hours ago, Chopper said:

dq in Loveland CO still setting franchise records

image.thumb.png.d3583bdef0b6f601c6fbd5019a9b945d.png

Loveland’s Dairy Queen has earned the “Emerald Crown” award, something no Dairy Queen treat store in the country has ever accomplished.

Proprietor Craig Lindberg declined to say the dollar amount needed to earn the award, citing safety for his employees, but it requires a considerable net revenue in a single year, he said.

Lindberg and his staff met the threshold with just hours to spare, a little after 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We were really counting down the last couple of months. As of two weeks ago we didn’t think we were going to make it,” Lindberg said.

“I did,” said longtime manager Heather Wild, who started at the store in 2006.

The purchase that pushed them over the line was made by Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh, who bought a handful of certificates for free blizzards that she plans to give to the members of the city’s Youth Advisory Commission.

Lindberg attributes the store’s success to its managers and the employees they train, but he and Wild both said that other factors, like the location at the intersection of Eisenhower Boulevard and U.S. 287, as well as nostalgia, contribute.

The building, formerly a Texaco gas station, has retained most of the retro flavor that other such establishments have long since replaced — tile floors, old school stools and plenty of historic memorabilia and photographs on the walls.

Lindberg has been operating the Dairy Queen, which has been named the most successful treat location in the franchise for the past four years, for 40 years, and said both customer and employee loyalty are responsible for its success.

Several families have multiple generations who have worked there.

“Our employees are amazing,” he said. “I’ve had employees work here for 15 years. I’ve had sons, sons of former employees, come to work for me.”

I’m sure it’s a coincidence that the weed store a block over is also highly rated

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On 11/26/2022 at 11:36 PM, Brisketexan said:

My dad worked at the DQ in Eagle Pass when he was in high school.  He has some bullshit story about inventing the onion ring, or figuring out the best way to cook them in their fryer, or some shit like that.  I need to ask him to tell it again.

And you can get the original nacho just across the bridge.  I think I actually did both on a trip 15-20 years ago.  Tell your dad thanks.

On 12/1/2022 at 1:11 PM, JTL2005 said:

I do love me a blizzard, but I haven't had their non-desserts in years.

My grandmothers love of blizzards was such that we all ate them graveside at her funeral.  We would drive to Colorado to ski every year when I was a kid, and I bet she put down 3 each way.  My sister lived across the street from a DQ at the time and she filled up a cooler and brought it.

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On 12/5/2022 at 11:59 AM, 'stache said:

DQ is such a weird brand. Franchising is usually meant to result in a level of uniformity between locations, but DQ is all over the place. In bigger markets they have the DQ Grill and Chill's which are typical fast food type places, pretty indistinguishable from a McDs or BK in their aesthetics. But in small towns they are mostly in shacks, like Home Depot sheds with 40 years of wear and tear, with wall units for AC, and tables that seem second hand, like they were used originally in a McDonalds in the mid '70s. I still dig the steak finger baskets and ice cream though, just a strange company.

 

Team DQ shack.  There is one a few miles from me that has been there forever and has to be just minting money.  (bar district to the north, big high school just to the south and a park /rec center to the east)  There is usually a line down the sidewalk day or night.

If I'm getting DQ I don't want fancy or corporate. 

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