Posted by : PR Wonk

As the saying goes, all good things have to come to an end.  Although I understand that my world around me is constantly changing and evolving, it doesn’t mean that it is always easy to accept.

Growing up in Mountain Lake, a small farming community in southwest Minnesota, life was pretty consistent from year to year.  We had our families, our friends, our school, our hang out (which happened to be the Dairy Queen®  store) and numerous other things that helped define who we were and who we’d become later in life.

Recently, while visiting my mom who still lives in the same house in which I grew up, I realized just how much Mountain Lake had changed since I moved away more than 25 years ago.  Highway 60, which used to run through the heart of my community, now skirts around its edges giving travelers nary a glimpse of what life must be like in town.

The public high school, once home of the Lakers, our orange and black colors and rich heritage, now has a consolidated sports program with a neighboring community and claims a silver and maroon wolverine as its mascot. 

Other than the local post office, none of the main street businesses from my past such as Mix bakery, Our Own and Gambles hardware stores, Epps Department store, Manor Inn restaurant, or Jack and Jill grocery store are still in operation.  The buildings are there, but the people and merchandise that was once offered there are no longer.

Perhaps one of the hardest things to accept as I drove through town this time was not seeing the familiar red DQ® ellipse sign that always seemed to welcome young and old alike.  You see, the Dairy Queen that had always been there for me after school, after practice, after games, on dates, after swimming, when I needed to grab a quick bite for lunch or dinner or just hang out in front of with friends, is no more.  Oh, the building is there and is in the process of being renovated into an independent establishment, but the familiar DQ restaurant, as I had always known and remembered it, is now gone. 

Sadly, it is the end of an era. Just as I’ve said good-bye to friends and family members, I say good-bye to “my DQ.”  Yes, unfortunately, all good things do have to come to an end.  It was a wonderful run and I am glad that the memories I experienced there are still as fresh as creamy soft serve that was once enjoyed by tens of thousands of customers through the years just like me. 

Even though the DQ location of my youth has closed, the cool thing is that there are more than 250 DQ restaurants to visit throughout the state, and nearly 4,600 throughout the country.  We have our own Dairy Queen restaurant where I live today, which gives me the opportunity to take my two boys and start making their own lifelong memories.  And if the tradition holds true, I’m confident that someday soon, they will come to refer to it as their DQ.

Posted by : Carolyn K

Remember Halloween or harvest parties from your childhood?  How you spent weeks agonizing over what would be The perfect costume?  And how much fun it was to try to figure out who was behind that goofy looking mask?

 We do!  And many of us here at International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ) haven’t yet grown up.  In the past three or four years our corporate Halloween party has become something we all look forward to.  In previous years our receptionist had embraced the fun and greeted guests in all kinds of fabulous costumes – and a smattering of other employees would don costumes for fun. Now most of the corporate team takes part in costume contests, cheering on the executivess in some kind of event, and enjoying a pizza lunch.

 Some of the fun in past years included Duct Tape Man (I am sorry no photos of that costume survived!), Lady Luck, a 401k Portfolio, Mr. Bill …  and, as you might imagine, food-themed costumes. Last year we had a contest where teams turned our executives into toilet paper mummies.

This year we’re looking forward to a pumpkin decorating contest, more costume contests, lunch, and an “Executive Fear Factor” event.  What do you do at your office?

Posted by : Michael Keller

Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer, shares his thoughts and unique insight on what DQ® can learn from U2!

CBO Corner Audio Blog:

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Posted by : BRS

Amid the thousands (or so it seemed) decisions my husband and I had to make over the past year in planning our recent wedding, the cake was something I hadn’t thought too much about. I was too busy picking out a dress and booking the photographer, florist, reception site, etc. Sure, the cake is important, but there were other things that had to be done first!

Don’t get me wrong; I love cake, chocolate and anything sweet, but my husband is more of a Gummi Bears guy, so I thought choosing a cake we could agree on would be one of our hardest decisions. Was I ever wrong! One day my then-fiancé mentioned that we should have Dairy Queen® Cake for all of our guests at our wedding. At first I thought that was a silly idea. I mean, who has ice cream cake at their wedding? But after talking with one of my co-workers, I found out that’s exactly what she did too, and it was a hit with all of their guests. All of a sudden, it didn’t seem like such a crazy idea after all.

So we served DQ® ice cream cake at our wedding, and honestly, it was one of the easiest decisions we made. Not to mention, all of the guests loved it, including my husband, who made sure everyone knew whose idea it really was!

Posted by : BRS

With more than 5,600 Dairy Queen® locations in the world, there are bound to be some unique and interesting stories that go with them. For instance, there is a six-ton NASA space capsule sitting in front of a Franklin, Pa., DQ® restaurant; Bill Gates used a Kirkland, Wash., DQ restaurant for a mock business meeting he was filming for a documentary; and last winter a couple tied the knot at a Bethlehem, Pa., DQ Grill & Chill® restaurant.

But in Nappanee, Ind., there is one Dairy Queen location that boasts something unique to the DQ system—a 100-foot-long hitching post for Amish buggies. After a tornado ripped through the small town in 2007 and destroyed the local DQ restaurant, the owners bought property in a better location and built a new DQ Grill & Chill® restaurant.

Along with the new space came room for more seating inside and outside, and a bigger parking lot. To accommodate the large Amish population in the area, the owners decided to build the hitching post that can hold up to 10 Amish buggies. It even comes with a separate driveway.

Posted by : Carolyn K

Everyone has their favorite DQ® treat – and one of mine happens to be the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard® Treat. 

Really.

If you like pumpkin pie at all – this is really delicious. Honest.  I enjoy lots of different Blizzard Treat flavors, but always say the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat is my favorite.  So, in honor of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard of the Month, I give you my Ode to the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat.

Ode to the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat

O Pumpkin Pie Blizzard how I wait for thee! 
Your appearance each year is altogether too brief.
The air is crisp, the leaves are changing;
I know your time is come!

Delicious pumpkin and pie crust pieces swirl in my cup –
A dance with cold creamy vanilla DQ soft serve.
A white cloud of whipped topping dusted with nutmeg
Completes the perfect confection!

All the flavors all year long pale in comparison
Sweet treats, delight, but only just tease 
I long for – hope for – dream of Pumpkin Pie Blizzard perfection –
I know your time is come!

Posted by : BRS

Last summer, the Dairy Queen® brand reached a huge landmark when the 500th international DQ® location outside of the United States and Canada opened in Manila, Philippines. That’s right—there are DQ stores in the Philippines! In fact, the Philippines is home to 20 DQ locations on last count, and there are currently DQ locations in 19 countries other than the U.S. and Canada.

The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeastern Asia east of Vietnam. The country is slightly larger than the size of Arizona, but has a population of more than 96 million. All of the DQ locations in the country are Dairy Queen/Orange Julius® stores that only serve treats, not food.

The most popular treat internationally is the same one that is No. 1 in North America—the Blizzard® Treat, with the Oreo® Blizzard Treat being the favorite in the Philippines. The products on the menu are similar to those found in the United States and Canada, but they are sold in smaller sizes. Internationally, the Blizzard Treat is guaranteed to be served “upside down or it’s free,” which the Filipino customers love.

Posted by : The Web Master

What exactly is the “Taste of DQ®”?

Well, every year we share our marketing and operations plans with 500-600 of our leading Dairy Queen® system store operators at our annual Leadership Summit. The highlight of every Leadership Summit is “Taste of DQ,” where the group gets to preview and taste the next year’s new products, like new Blizzard flavors, new food items and beverages.

Here’s some quick highlights of this summer’s event:
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Posted by : Michael Keller

Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer, shares his thoughts and unique insight regarding marketing to both consumers and the DQ® franchise owners.

CBO Corner Audio Blog:

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Posted by : JT

When I was a kid, our neighborhood DQ store didn’t hand out cone whistles, but based on the comments and photos we received after our memorabilia post, they were a popular item with many young DQ fans over the years.  Chris Del Plato from Long Valley, NJ, still has one:

And here is another version, submitted by Joshuah Cornell of Indianapolis, IN:

DQ® store owner Herman Reschke, from Geneseo, IL, shared his impressive collection of vintage packaging:

John Longoria of Corpus Christi, TX, tells us that he is still in touch with the girls in this photo: 

We wonder how long it took Trevor Klein of Eik River, MN, to eat the sundaes that came in his collection of miniature baseball helmets:

And our own Web Master has this hanging in his garage at home:

He will not be receiving a $5 gift card, but everyone else will.  Thanks to you all for sharing your photos!