The Adventures of Bear

Posted by Lisa C under Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen on June 30th, 2011

I received a customer letter at the corporate offices recently that was pretty cute. A little girl forgot her stuffed teddy bear in the restroom at a DQ® restaurant. This wasn’t any old bear, but the one this little girl had since birth. Her mother didn’t notice the mistake until several hours later at bedtime that Bear was missing. She called the DQ restaurant and the manager had found him and was keeping him safe for a few days until this family would drive through the state again.

When they picked up Bear, a few of the employees had taken photos of Bear and his adventures at the DQ restaurant. How cute is that?

Growing Up DQ®

Posted by Lisa C under Blizzard,Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,Eats & Treats,In the Community on May 19th, 2011

What is it about growing up with the DQ® system that was a direct correlation with the size of the products my parents would allow me to order? My first memory is of a push-up style soft-serve treat I could get myself out of the self-serve freezer at my local DQ store. While I would have preferred to get the same Peanut Buster® Parfait my Dad would order, he would always talk me into something smaller because he knew my eyes were bigger than stomach.

As I grew older and started grade school, I moved through ordering the other novelties, including the DQ Sandwich, Dilly® Bars of various flavors and the Buster Bar®. Then I can remember going through a Strawberry Sundae phase in about 6th grade. I would occasionally switch up the flavors—sometimes hot fudge, sometimes caramel.

When I got my first driver’s license, my favorite product was a Crunch Cone because it was easy to handle in the car. Then, by the time I was graduating high school, the Blizzard® Flavor Treat was rolled out, introducing me to a whole new delicious treat platform.

However, with the recent introduction of the Mini Blizzard size, the pattern has shifted. Now I’m able to still get all the same great taste of a Blizzard Treat, but as a smaller indulgence with little guilt.

My past memories of the DQ system just show how this brand has something for everyone. Do you remember how your DQ purchases have changed over the years?

Community Volunteering

Posted by Carolyn K under Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,In the Community on April 28th, 2011

I love theater- music, drama, dance…the arts.  Just love all of it. One of my earliest memories is as a tiny girl going to see The Nutcracker Ballet with my parents.  If I close my eyes I can still see that stage and the dancers.  Wonderful!

I am currently assisting one of our local community theater groups with props for their April production.  With most of our city currently buried under several feet of snow, garage sales are out of the question.  Rats.  Thank goodness for second-hand stores, discount stores and online sale sites. 

 I have made a connection in the last couple of days that will help me find the last bits of furniture I will need for our set.  Connections. That’s really what it’s all about isn’t it?  Connecting with others in your community, building relationships and getting to know people…really know them, not just the “Hi,” “Bye,” “I’ve seen you in the community,” kind of  know.

This kind of connection is what American Dairy Queen Corporation upholds as one of our values — giving back to the communities in which we live, work and do business.  It’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to be part of the DQ Family.

What kinds of things are you doing in your community?

Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Posted by Carolyn K under Blizzard,Dairy Queen on April 21st, 2011

How many of ye get a day dedicated entirely for thine birthday? Three days hence, William Shakespeare’s day of birth, April 23, hast officially been named “Talk Like Shakespeare Day”, and mayhap ‘tis why thou mayest struggle understanding this eloquent blog.

Faith, this very blog ‘tis written in Shakespeare Speak in honor of  this auspicious event.  In sooth, e’en  before I apprenticed at DQ® ‘twas a tradition to partake in DQ Cakes  on all happy celebrations.  Why, e’en better, thou might tryest a Blizzard® cake!

Indeed, I urge all honey-tongued gentlemen and gentlewomen partake in “Talk Like Shakespeare Day.”  Prithee,  do also have your scribe announce  thy favorite happy celebrations here, so that all mayest consider the delights!

http://www.talklikeshakespeare.org/

Changing Habits and Healthy Choices

Posted by Carolyn K under Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,Eats & Treats on April 14th, 2011

Whew! This winter was tough – with snow piles higher than I am tall, and living in a neighborhood where there are no sidewalks…getting exercise has been tough these past four months!  When I was home and it was light out (kinda), neighbors were either leaving for work or coming home and with the snow narrowing the streets; it was risky to even go for a walk.

We shoveled a path for our pup so he could get out – it’s kind of scary when the snow is two or three feet higher than you are – but that didn’t afford the kind of exercise he needed either.  He’s a dog who barks anyway, and you can imagine how he is now as he’s going stir crazy in the house. 

Spring is here, the snow has melted and it is daylight longer.  What a blessing!  Who cares that the pup needs a bath after the walk?  It’s great to get out and MOVE. 

Moving isn’t enough, of course, for me; I really have to change my eating habits too.  Two weddings and a house remodel project require me to be in better shape than I have been.  Not to mention, it’s important for my general health.  I have been doing great so far, happy to see changes in my shape and happy that my clothes are not so snug.  Even so, it’s tough to make the change and fight those urges for yummy sweets – particularly when, say, there’s a birthday or other festive occasion and there is a CAKE. 

*sigh*

I love cakes.  Cake – cakes and DQ® cakes.  And we all know that DQ makes WONDERFUL cakes with delicious DQ soft serve.  My daughter’s birthday is this weekend, and she wants a DQ cake.  What am I going to do?  I am going to purchase a box of DQ No Sugar Added Bars….I think the DQ No Sugar Added Fudge Bars (50 calories for one bar) will be perfect…though there are the Vanilla Orange bars (60 calories for one bar) too…. What are you doing to change your habits and make healthy choices?

DQ® Drive-Thru Dilemma

Posted by Lisa C under Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,Eats & Treats,In the Community on March 24th, 2011

I received a customer letter at the corporate offices that made me chuckle. It seems a girl and her friend decided to go to their local DQ® restaurant’s drive-thru after a basketball game. Not surprisingly, they needed to peruse the drive-thru menu board for a few seconds before ordering. What was surprising though was that once they placed their order, the employee kept saying “excuse me?” as if she couldn’t hear the order.

The girl and her friend repeated their order a few times, but still the employee couldn’t hear them. Finally, the customer heard a much larger male voice loudly say, “Ma’am, you are speaking into the bird house. Could you please pull ahead 10 feet and repeat your order into the intercom?”

The girls says she and her friend were so embarrassed and laughing so hard, they just pulled out of the drive-thru lane and drove away. Have you ever had an embarrassing DQ moment?

Introducing eGift!

Posted by admin under Dairy Queen on March 8th, 2011

Dairy Queen® has launched a new way to buy gifts for all your special someones! You can now send a Dairy Queen eGift card electronically to your friends through Facebook, or you can visit the eGift Social storefront outside of Facebook. The person you send your DQ eGift to will receive an e-mail that they can print out and present to the cashier at their favorite DQ location. The best part is that these are REAL gifts, of REAL DQ food and treats–not the virtual kind–and a DQ eGift is sure to put a smile on someone. HAPPY eGIFTING!!

Didn’t Order a Blizzard®

Posted by Lisa C under Blizzard,Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,In the Community on March 1st, 2011

I recently heard a really funny story from my husband’s cousin. She made a last-minute decision to go out into the snowy evening with her two small sons to get treats from the local DQ® store. Because it was so snowy and cold, she chose to order their malts at the drive-thru window. She moved on to the pick-up window to await the treats.

As she was sitting with her window open waiting for the employee to finish the malts and hand them out to her, a huge pile of snow slid off the DQ roof right into her car! She was so shocked and surprised that her first thought was that the DQ employee had thrown snow at her.

It wasn’t until she left the drive-thru lane that she thought of the perfect comeback to her shocking situation, “I didn’t order a Blizzard®!” Have you ever had something funny happen to you at a DQ drive-thru window?

Act of Kindness Appreciated

Posted by Lisa C under Creating Smiles and Stories,Dairy Queen,In the Community,Uncategorized on February 24th, 2011

I recently received a customer letter at the corporate DQ® headquarters about how a family knew they would be taking their beloved pet to the veterinarian for the last time. Because they made it a ritual to take Patches to the local DQ restaurant for a hamburger as a treat after every vet appointment, this time the family took her to the restaurant before the final appointment.

The family went through the drive-thru lane to pick up the hamburger, and was surprised to receive the hamburger free of charge because the employee was so sorry about the unfortunate day. The owners of that little dog will always remember that employee’s act of concern and caring.

Sometimes it can be such a simple act of kindness that can help someone through a difficult time. This is an excellent example about how the DQ system could help someone feel just a little bit better.

What have you done to help someone through a difficult time?

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