Posted by Blizz Prez under Uncategorized on January 8th, 2013
When was the last time you were in a good old-fashioned snowball fight? How about a bad one? It’s kind of like dodgeball but way less organized. I was never super clear on the rules. I mean, in the movies, there are always victors who celebrate as the losers run home to their mothers. But how do you score points? How do you know when it’s over? When the other team runs home to their mothers. Fair enough. I guess you don’t have to understand everything about something in order to enjoy it. I could never explain how a Blizzard®Treat stays in the cup when you flip it upside down, but that won’t stop me from turning it right-side up and putting in my mouth. I still don’t like getting hit with snowballs, though.
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on January 1st, 2013
Here’s to new beginnings and a new Blizzard®of the Month: the Chocolate Candy Shop Blizzard Treat! Every bite of creamy vanilla soft serve blended with cocoa fudge and assorted mini chocolates (filled with hazelnut crème, fudge and caramel) is an invitation to do it again. And again. And again. Yes, a Blizz Prez could get used to this sort of thing. 2013 is off to a delicious start.
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on December 25th, 2012
The holiday season is a time for enjoying well-established family traditions, but also creating new ones. This year, I came up with a new theme for our big get-together. Picture this winter wonderland: instead of wrapped presents, our tree is surrounded by coolers stocked with Blizzard® Treats in anticipation of the upcoming gift exchange. My mom strings together red spoon garland, while Cousin Steve folds DQ®cups into origami ornaments. Meanwhile, I invite carolers in for a spot by the fire and teach them my newly penned song, “Carol of the Treats” (sample lyrics: “Here, have a treat/ So fun to eat/ Refreshingly cool/ Blizzard Treats rule”). I think it’s a beautiful Blizz Prez Family tradition in the making. Happy holidays, everybody!
When I think back to when I was a child, all of my holiday memories are happy ones. Wonderful meals, Christmas carols playing and family gatherings made for a very special time of year.
One of the traditions that I enjoyed the most was the search for the perfect Christmas tree. My grandparents lived on a 100-acre farm and it was a tradition to go into the forest to hunt for and cut down the perfect tree. The entire family would join – aunts, uncles, cousins – and we’d make a day of it.
Some of the grandkids would ride in the bucket of my grandfather’s tractor and others would be pulled in a sled behind a snowmobile. The cold weather and snow didn’t stop us; in fact it made it even more fun!
After the perfect trees were found, they’d be loaded into the tractor bucket and brought back to the farm house. My grandmother would have hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies waiting for us. Nothing warmed rosy cheeks and cold hands better than Grandma’s treats.
Now that I have my own children, the tradition of cutting down a tree is one that I have carried on. Although we no longer have a family farm, there are several tree farms in our area that offer a great experience. Its lots of fun to hop on the back of a tractor-pulled wagon and go out into the forest and find the perfect (or not-so-perfect) tree that will grace our home for the season. It’s that time of year for my family and I to go out and get our tree and I can hardly wait to make the trip.
What holiday traditions have you carried on since your childhood?
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on December 18th, 2012
This Friday is the shortest, darkest day of the year, which is great news if you’re a stargazer, candle enthusiast or nocturnal critter. Me, I like sunshine, but I feel like I never truly appreciate it until it becomes a valuable early-winter rarity. So this week, in honor of the solstice, let’s appreciate the fleeting things in life, be they daylight or holiday-themed DQ® Cakes. After all, it’s not every day you can inspire an outbreak of merry-making with a seasonally decorated soft serve cake. (Sure, you can buy a cake in August and dress it up in mistletoe, but it’s just not the same.) So don’t forget to place your order before your next round of holiday entertaining – while you still can.
Quicker than you can say, “Jack Frost,” 2012 has flown by and the holidays are now upon us. Although this time of year brings about the hustle and bustle of gift giving for friends, family and acquaintances, it is always fun to take in the colorful lights, decorations, trimmings, music and celebrations of the season.
Dairy Queen® operators are also getting into the holiday spirit by not only offering delicious seasonal products such as the Candy Cane Chill Blizzard® Treat or Candy Cane Royal™ Shake, but also with festive, interactive window clings that allow customers to “RiDQulize” themselves at our locations. We have already seen and heard from a few customers who have taken photos of themselves interacting with these fun and unique displays and posted them to our Facebook page or “tweeted” about them.
In the spirit of the holidays, we’d love to have more of our raving fans shoot and post their “RiDQulized” photos to either our DQ Facebook (Facebook.com/DairyQueen), Twitter (@DairyQueen#RiDQulize) or Instagram (RiDQlize) pages. Have fun, be merry, be creative and who knows, Santa might just give you a something a little extra in your stocking this year.
So what are you waiting for? Go get your holiday shopping done and stop by your local DQ store to “RiDQulize” yourself before the holidays pass you by.
From all of us to all of you, have a safe and cheerful holiday season!
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on December 11th, 2012
The Nobel Prize winners were announced yesterday, and while I’m sure they’re all brilliant, well-deserving world-changers, the news got me thinking more about the ingenious ideas that have made a difference in my life. Naturally, I thought of Blizzard® Treats. You want world peace? Well, once upon a time, people said crumbled cookies and cheesecake pieces could never get along in the same cup, and then – bam! – OREO®CheeseQuake®, an inspiration to us all. I don’t know much about chemistry, but I do know that the simple combination of ingredients in the Hawaiian Blizzard Treat can magically transport me across the ocean to a rainbow-drenched paradise. And what about that most wondrous invention of them all, the red spoon? My favorite utensil was meticulously designed to ensure that humanity reaches the last bit of delicious soft serve at the bottom of every cup. I think we can all agree: that’s innovation that deserves a standing O.
Sometimes it’s hard to choose. Sometimes each of the options is so attractive… so unique in its appeal that making a decision is downright impossible. For example, choosing between a Chicken Strip Basket and a GrillBurger™ Combo Meal is hard. Or choosing between the Candy Cane Chill Blizzard® Treat (December’s Blizzard of the Month) and the limited-time-only Candy Cane Royal Shake—that’s REALLY hard.
Which makes me a little bit glad that I wasn’t a part of the Dairy Queen® system back in 1983, when the DQ® uniform catalog offered these store employee ensembles in both “Standard” and “Western” versions:
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on December 4th, 2012
According to the big guy in the red suit,* this year’s hot wish list item isn’t rocket-propelled ice skates or a breakdancing robot butler (though those would both be pretty cool). No, it’s the Candy Cane Chill Blizzard® Treat! Give yourself the gift of peppermint candy cane pieces and choco chunks blended with creamy vanilla soft serve. And be sure to spread the joy to the world. The Candy Cane Chill Blizzard Treat has been known to boost holiday spirit in even the most stubborn Scrooges, not to mention good behavior in tiny tots with their eyes all aglow. I can personally attest that this treat keeps me aiming for the “nice” list year ‘round.
*His name is Gary and he manages my local DQ®store. Good guy.
Posted by Blizz Prez under Blizzard on November 27th, 2012
What?! How could you not know what that is? Kidding! I just invented it. And lemme tell ya, this new shopping day is destined to make your holiday season 200% hollier and jollier.* Tasty Tuesday is sort of like Black Friday, but instead of standing in a parking lot overnight only to battle a mob of sale-crazed shoppers at dawn, you finish all your shopping quickly and safely by getting everyone on your list DQ® gift cards. Or it’s like Cyber Monday, but in addition to being able to buy your gift cards online, you can also pick them up at a DQ location (making it oh so convenient to get yourself a little something at the same time). Presents: acquired. Stress: lowered. December: merrier than ever.
