Posted by Beth Carlson under Uncategorized on February 2nd, 2012
Well, unless you just don’t really care whether or not a rodent wakes up from his slumber to make an appearance determining whether or not YOU have to deal with six more weeks of winter or only six weeks until spring…
…Wait a second. Six more weeks of winter or only six weeks until spring? Well, that’s the same thing! Are you trying to tell me that Groundhog Day is made up and doesn’t really mean anything?! I suppose next you’re going to tell me there isn’t an Easter Bunny…
All of this being said, I’m sure someone, somewhere down the line, decided it’d be fun to make up a holiday to signify the coming of spring. Personally I wouldn’t have included aforementioned rodent but, that’s neither here nor there. When I first started dating my husband he told me we had to go to dinner at his parents’ house for “Kids’ Day.” I asked him just exactly what THAT was. He told me it is a holiday on his maternal grandfather’s birthday that his mom made up because his grandpa loved kids. Right.
Not one to turn down a free meal and candy, I was more than happy to partake in Kids’ Day. And thus, the tradition continues.
Do you have any special occasions in your family that, while real to you, are made up to the rest of us? And how do you celebrate?
Posted by Blizz Prez under Uncategorized on January 31st, 2012
January 31st is Backward Day. But you already knew that. You’ve been looking backward to it for some time now. So, buttons to the rear, tag in front and dessert before dinner. That’s right. Forget what your mother told: the Blizzard®Treat’s got first dibs on your taste buds. It’s quite possible that this could turn out to be my favorite holiday of the year––well, right after Everybody Buy the Blizz Prez a Blizzard Treat Day. But that’s not until May.
Posted by Blizz Prez under Uncategorized on January 24th, 2012
Hey fans! I thought we’d have a friendly showdown this week between two classics. Of course, it’s impossible to choose to just one, but, let’s just say you had to… Cookie Dough Blizzard Treat or OREO®Blizzard Treat? It’s cookie vs. cookie. Who will emerge the victor?
There are a lot of celebrity fragrances released around the holidays. I mean, A LOT. Don’t get me wrong, I love smelling famous as much as anyone, but it got me thinking that maybe now’s the time to cash in. I even have an idea for a television commercial.
It’s filmed in black and white (of course). We see a shot of the ocean, a shot of a galloping horse, and a shot of me running through a field in slow motion, cape billowing in the breeze. There’s the flash of a camera and another shot of the horse. We slowly pan across my eyes and then cut back to the horse. Suddenly, a blindfolded man approaches me on a giraffe. There’s a close-up on my mouth as I mutter some words in French and the subtitles reveal, “It appears that you could use a treat.” The man on the giraffe releases a single white dove into the sky, and we hear an authoritative, yet gentle voice intone as we close on the product shot:
“Introducing a delicious new fragrance from the Blizz Prez: Eau de Cookie Dough.”
I mean, we could always call it something else. What do you think? What would you call my Blizz fragrance?
Does anyone else agree with me that there doesn’t need to be a dedicated day for cranky co-workers? Yes, true story it’s one of those crazy days of recognition that exists. I mean, maybe it’s me but it seems you can come across this everyday if you’d like. Of course it’s rarely ever you that is cranky, crabby, or less than cheery but on those ever so occasional days when it happens, what cheers you up? For me it can be something as little as a coffee break, hot fudge DQ milkshake or lunch out with friends.
American Dairy Queen 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.
This fall we held a backpack drive at our corporate offices to benefit Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People – a local organization better known as VEAP. We stuffed almost 50 backpacks full of all the school supplies for local children!
As the school year kicks off what volunteer opportunities do you most look forward to at your local schools?
Backpacks were stuffed with all necessary school supplies!
So, I got this idea. Wouldn’t it be great if every Blizz fan not only bought a Blizzard® Treat for themselves this Thursday on Miracle Treat Day, but also bought one for someone else? Every Blizzard Treat sold at participating locations on August 11 will send $1* or more to your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, so your soft serve philanthropy would go twice as far! It’s the treat that keeps on giving. Now the wheels are turning, I can tell. Who are you thinking of treating on Thursday?
*Canadian Dairy Queen locations donate all proceeds from sales to CMN.
Posted by Blizz Prez under Uncategorized on August 2nd, 2011
Hey fans! Giving never tasted so good. Because Thursday, August 11 is Miracle Treat Day at DQ®, which means you’ll have the chance to make miracles happen for sick and injured children in your area. Simply buy a Blizzard® Treat at a participating location, and $1 or more* from each Blizzard Treat sold will be donated to your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Pretty cool, huh? Who would have thought that our Blizz fanaticism could make such a difference in our communities? So please, tell your friends. Tell your family. Spread the word and let’s spread some hope!
*Canadian Dairy Queen locations donate all proceeds from sales to CMN.
Everyone knows that for decades Dairy Queen® stores have been a special place in the community where friends and families visit for a unique combination of amazing treats, delicious food and great times. However, not many know that the first Dairy Queen location opened more than 70 years ago, on June 22, 1940, in Joliet, Ill. Even fewer of our fans know that the original building that was home to that first DQ® store still exists. Constructed in 1895, this structure has also held a funeral home and, in the late 1930s, a grocery store. Today a small church conducts weekly services there as well.
In early 2011, in recognition that Joliet was home to the original Dairy Queen store, the Joliet City Council voted to protect the building located at 501 North Chicago Street as a historic landmark. In honor of this proclamation, the city and Dairy Queen representatives planned a brief celebration to recognize the building as a protected site. Various Joliet city officials, as well as the president and CEO of International Dairy Queen, Inc., John Gainor; as well as Jennifer Rintelman, grand daughter of Sherb Noble, our first franchisee, made presentations at the event.
After photos were taken and Dilly® Bars were enjoyed, attendees walked a few blocks from the Joliet Area Historical Museum, where the celebration took place, to the building on North Chicago. As attendees took more photos and reminisced about what it must have been like to operate a DQ store out of this location, Janita Ruth, one of the original customers of this location 70 years ago, stopped by to see what the commotion was all about. Janita shared with us what it was like for her, as a 10-year-old girl, to taste this revolutionary product, and what a thrill it was when her family had the money to visit the location to purchase a 5-cent DQ cone or 8-cent sundae. Although it may have been a coincidence that Janita happened to walk by this former DQ location at the same time everyone was gathered to take photos and view the building, it was as if history came alive for just a few short moments.
Appreciating our heritage is, and will always be, a key value in the DQ system. Having the opportunity to witness the exact site where it all began made for a special day for all of us associated with this great brand.
They say “imitation is the greatest form of flattery.” So, all of us at Dairy Queen® headquarters are officially flattered. You see, we introduced a new tagline, “So Good It’s RiDQulous.” We’re even sponsoring the most RiDQulous play of the day on ESPN. Then, we hear that there is a new word in Dallas – RiDIRKulous. Makes sense, Dirk knows when good isn’t good enough just like we do at Dairy Queen.
Ironically, there’s an interesting, long-standing connection with the Dallas Mavs through their owner Mark Cuban. You see, a number of years back, Mark, commenting on Ed Rush, the NBA director of officials at the time, said, “I wouldn’t hire Ed Rush to manage a Dairy Queen.” Well, maybe Ed couldn’t manage a Dairy Queen, but we thought Mark might want to try. Mark came out to his local DQ store and served up treats to customers who lined up around the building for the experience. At the same time we collected donations for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, our national charitable partner. The result was a blizzard of publicity and enough smiles and stories to last a lifetime. Mark was a great sport. We congratulate him and the Mavs on a fantastic season and first NBA Championship.
Do you know anyone who’s RiDQulous? We’d like to hear about them.
