With summer in full swing, I’m reminded of a cross promotion some DQ operators participate in with their local police force. When kids are “caught” correctly wearing a helmet while riding their bikes, they are rewarded with free DQ cone coupons from their local DQ store. While this is an optional program, meaning restaurant operators choose whether to participate, I can’t help but wish this type of reward was around when I was a little kid.
When I was young, I rode my purple Schwinn, with the flowered banana seat and plastic white wicker basket, around the neighborhood at least half of my waking hours once school was out for the summer. I rode to stores, the neighborhood pool, my friends’ houses, the park—anywhere and everywhere. But back then, we didn’t know about things such as safety helmets.
Times have changed. For many kids today, putting a bike helmet on prior to going out for a ride is second nature. What a great idea to actually stop them in their tracks and reinforce the positive behavior with a DQ treat coupon. Not only that, but it also creates positive interactions between the children and their local police force.
How exciting it must be for these kids to “win” a DQ cone, and be honored by a police officer for doing the right thing!
American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ) believes in giving back to the communities in which we live, work and do business – it’s simply one of the core values of our corporation. Through our DQ® Cares giving structure, we donate monetary grants to a select number of non-profit organizations that aim to help kids and families most in need.
Recently some of us at the DQ corporate office had the privilege to participate in a special one-day event with 8th grade students graduating from the W.I.S.E. Charter School. This unique and amazing school in North Minneapolis has formed a special partnership with ADQ through our DQ Cares initiatives. The school is founded on the seven African principles of Kwanzaa, which are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. It was clear after spending the day together that the children and teachers work daily to embody these values, and most importantly, pass those values on to those around them.
As part of the students’ 8th grade graduation, they took their first field trip of the year to our DQ corporate headquarters, where they participated in a day-long event that included creating a new Blizzard® flavor and presenting a rock-star marketing campaign to a panel of experts. No small task! It became quite the competition between not only the student groups, but the corporate group leaders as well. In the end, the students had created five great-tasting Blizzard Treats–one even incorporated a touch of cayenne pepper, which was surprisingly delicious and had our panel of experts chanting “feelin’ hot, hot, hot!” From TV commercials to in-store merchandising, these kids did an amazing job and truly showcased their creative side and their talents. The highlight of the presentations was a young man who wrote a short rap about his team’s Blizzard Flavor. Check it out!
While many DQ customers have stories about how their entire family loves the brand, some even have stories about how much their dogs love our soft serve! One customer wrote to the corporate offices about their 13-year-old dog named George. He loved ice cream with a passion, and they often took him to their local Dairy Queen store to get him some soft serve in a cup as a treat.
However, George was getting up in age, and when there was nothing more this woman and her husband could do for their beloved family dog to extend his life, they were devastated. They took him outside the veterinary hospital for a few minutes to say their goodbyes, and the husband ran down the street to a DQ restaurant to get George a final treat.
The DQ employee explained that it was too early for the soft-serve machine to be ready, but said she had some Dilly Bars that hadn’t yet been dipped in chocolate. The employee gave the man one and wouldn’t take any money for it.
The letter went on to say how George savored every minute of that last treat, and how much the woman and her husband appreciated their final minutes with him. They really appreciated the DQ employee’s actions. Even during a difficult time, this experience created a lasting positive impression for this family.
When it comes to the topic of monster trucks, there are some extremely avid fans out there. Many years ago when one of my nephews turned four years old, I took him to a monster truck rally because it was what he wanted more than anything in life.
I will never forget that day. He was a young boy stocked with ear plugs and his eyes were as wide as saucers. He stared unblinkingly at the action. The noise was deafening, but the more noise the crowd of thousands made, the more noise the trucks made. I wondered about him becoming scared of the screeching and booming chaos all around us, but his smile never once left his face.
During a break nearly half-way through the event, I purchased a poster of Grave Digger for him to take home for his bedroom wall. Grave Digger, the world’s best-known monster truck, weighs 10,000 pounds, costs nearly $250,000, can jump 100 feet and crushes cars like ants with its 66-inch tires. My nephew held that rolled up poster like it was pure gold worth millions of dollars.
I couldn’t help but remember that day when I first heard about the Monster Jam event held in Tampa, Fla., last year that was a tie-in with DQ® restaurants in the Tampa market , the Children’s Miracle Network and all Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. The best part of all is that in addition to Grave Digger, there was a truck included in the Monster Jam owned by local residents Bill and Vicki McShane that is styled in Dairy Queen® colors. The McShane’s escorted Curly Top® the DQ mascot, as well as Miracle Families around the infield of each event. The kids got to meet the drivers and get autographs, and kicked off the event with a lap around the stadium.
Those kids must have had a blast! I can only imagine it would be quite similar to the reaction my nephew had many years ago. I’m sure it was the creation of a memory they will have for the rest of their lives, and it’s another example of how the DQ system makes a difference.
Posted by Carolyn K under In the Community on February 12th, 2010
Like so many people in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, we here at IDQ were looking for ways to make a difference and to help. On Thursday, Feb. 4, and Friday, Feb. 5, 45 corporate employees of International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ) volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children site in Chanhassen, Minn.. We packed a total of 78,336 meals during those two days!
In addition to the meals that we packed, IDQ made a donation to Feed My Starving Children to help defray the cost of ingredients and packaging of the food. It was a great experience and so rewarding to know what a difference a few hours of our time can mean to children and families in Haiti and other countries!
If you are interested in learning more about Feed My Starving Children, visit their website at http://www.fmsc.org or check out their Facebook page.
We have a strong Community Service Team here at the Dairy Queen corporate headquarter in Minneapolis, and in addition to the year-round work IDQ does on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network, we are always looking for new opportunities to serve in our community. In fact, “Service” and “Supporting our Community” are two values the entire IDQ team holds dear.
What are you and your families, or the companies you work for, doing to make a difference? I know that there are more good deeds happening than are ever noted in the media!
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 the 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.
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.
Many Dairy Queen® operators give back to the community through donations of gift certificates, cakes, food and treats. Others agree to pick a certain day, and for two or three hours donate a percentage of sales to an organization. One operator from Kentucky has begun to do the latter, and is quite happy with the results.
He says this idea has generated more revenue, increased the customer base and given the local organization a tangible donation. His most recent fundraising events were for a local food pantry and a church. He holds the fundraisers on a Monday or Tuesday evening, requires that the head of the organization be present and that members of the organization deliver the food to the tables.
It is the participation from the organization that makes the most difference, and friends and family want to come into the restaurant to see people they know working, and to help donate to the organization via purchasing great DQ® food and treats. Everyone wins.
We want to thank everyone who stopped at a Dairy Queen® location on Aug. 13 to purchase a Blizzard® Treat in support of Miracle Treat Day. This year was very different in that, for the first time, we used the social Web to help spread the word about Miracle Treat Day. So thank you to everyone who tweeted on Twitter or shared information regarding Miracle Treat Day on their blog or became fans of Dairy Queen on Facebook.
I had the opportunity to join John Gainor, the president and CEO of International Dairy Queen Corporation, on a trip to Dayton, Ohio, on Miracle Treat Day. We visited The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton and three Dairy Queen locations in the Dayton area. Here are some highlights from my trip with John Gainor on Miracle Treat Day:
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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 is Miracle Treat Day, and if you haven’t read any of our other posts regarding Miracle Treat Day, or haven’t been motivated to head out to a particpating Dairy Queen® location yet, here’s a little more information for your regarding this amazing day.
Since 1984, the DQ® system has raised over $77 million to help make miracles happen for children at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals throughout North America. On Miracle Treat Day 2008, DQ raised $5.7 million for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, and we hope to raise as much, if not more, this summer.
Buy a Blizzard® Treat at a participating DQ® location tomorrow and $1 or more per Blizzard will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network hospital in your area. The funds raised stay local, so you’ll be helping to save and improve the lives of children in your community!
Remember to buy a Blizzard Treat on Aug. 13 and SAVE A LIFE!
