Dairy Queen

It's possible I might have overlooked it, but I haven't seen any posts on Dairy Queen Drive-Ins. Any opinions on that long standing institution?

Well, haven't really eaten at one, but have noted that over the past 5 years or so Dairy Queen has been making a comeback of sorts in Cincinnati. It had been dying out a slow death here, but right around 1997-98-99. I noticed that several brand new locations were being built, generally on the outskirts of Cincinnati, usually not far from the I-275 freeway that encircles greater Cincinnati.

Dairy Queen still serves one of the best hot dogs you can get and their chili dog is good. They also still make malts with MALT. Pretty popular in Florida.

quote:

Originally posted by roy51

It's possible I might have overlooked it, but I haven't seen any posts on Dairy Queen Drive-Ins. Any opinions on that long standing institution?

There's a thread about Dairy Queen's hotdogs/chili dogs.

Indeedily doodily MH. The thread is here: http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2701

I LOVE DAIRY QUEEN

Growing up it was the only fast food within walking distance from my home. The Ultimate burgers are so good - and I don't usually go for burgers with 'Special sauces". Their ice cream cakes are also the best. I also love the peanut buster bars - a peanut buster parfait on a stick.

"Everybody likes parfait" - donkey from Shrek (voice of Eddie Murphy)

Ahhh warm, fuzzy memories of hanging out at the DQ in the summertime!

Dairy Queen is perhaps the epitome of fast food restaurants in MY area (yes, we are deprived...)
We have a Wendy's, Hardee's, McDonald's, Burger King, et. al., in a county of perhaps 25K citizens. We also have a multitude of other FF and other eating establishments, some excellent, some deplorable. We have, shall we say, a better variety of things to eat in a city about an hour's drive away. Yet, to my wonderment, the Dairy Queen in my area is busy from open to close. While I feel their product(s) are probably mediocre @ best, I think that Dairy Queen, nationally, has a lot more customer base available simply because of their "consistant" endeavors to provide a "consistant" product to their consumers. Of course, that is my opinion by observation only.

I have noticed a revival in the Dary Queens in the area that I live in. I have seen new buildings with a new menu that is expanded and still great ice cream.

Great Burgers, hot dogs and great Butterscotch milk shakes.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Our two Dairy Queens here in Morgantown are approaching the 50 year mark rapidly. One is downtown, near the WVU campus and the other about 1/3 to 1/2 mile from me. Being the singular most consistent part of my life, from infancy to my now pubescent girlhood(yeah , yeah I'm 44, but everyone lies on the internet), I revere Dairy Queen. I'm impressed that for most part, it's stuck with tradition and not gotten "new and improved and in -your-face" sterile technology and pr. There is no greater culinary comfort and "ahh the Good old Days" than there is with a Dairy Queen burger, dipped cone, Mr Misty, Black Raspberry Milkshake or Buster Bar. Hurry up March 1!( Our Dairy Queens take a December 15 to March 1 hiatus)

I grew up in west Texas, and so Dairy Queen means something very different from (and in many cases superior to) what it does for the rest of the country. Although they share the same logo and many of the same menu items, Texas Dairy Queens are a whole different beast, with a fuller menu and (unlike most of the rest of the country) plentiful indoor seating. Every west Texas town has a Dairy Queen, and it's the town's social center.

The Diary Queens in our area have better sandwiches than any of the other fast food places. The one closest to my house has really good hamburgers-I like mine with mustard , onion and coleslaw. They make their french fries while you wait so you always get hot fries. Of course, I have to have a Dilly Bar or Ice Cream Sandwich afterwards.

If I'm going all out junkfood-wise, DQ has always been there for me.

Love their onion rings, buster bars and Mr Misty! But my all time fave is the banana split...something I used to get all the time as a kid. I always took home their red or yellow plastic Dennis the Menace spoons back then, too, and ate my cereal with them until they wore out or mom threw them away!

nothing better than a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate. DQ has the best soft serve and nothing better on a hot summer night. also the blizzards with nilla wafers and vanilla rock. never ate the food. dq's where i grew up are ice cream only.

The Dairy Queen in Westbrook, Connecticut is the one my family has been going to for over thirty years. A temple of cool treats close to the beach, this place brings such great memories of summers of great times! It still has the old time feel to it. Is there anyone else out there who frequents this DQ and has memories of it growing up? Give us your wisdom.

I live in a small town in West Virginia and I must admit that our DQ is very good. The burgers always seem to be good (except the onions. wilty, thin sliced round style that cause the entire onion to come off the sandwich when biting). The onion rings rule, but the fries arent that great. They have the taste and consistancy of Burger King fries and i've never cared for them. All in all, i'd rather goto the DQ then our local Wendys and Pizza Hut.

Although I relish a good steak, I only eat organic, grass fed beef that is humanely raised and processed, nd I draw the line at eating chopped up cow from any source. Something about ground meat that gets me. I feel if you are going to eat meat it shouldn't be a passive thing, one should give thought about where it comes from, and the animal who gave it's life for the meat. Grinding it all up so it is unrocognizable somehow seems disrespectful. That is just my way of approaching things, not rant at those of you out there who DO eat hamburgers. I just can't speak of their burgers.

What I like about DQ is the fact that it still has ties to it's southern roots; specifically the fact that one can get *pecans* on one's hot fudge sundae! Yum! Tht is the onlyq thing I eat at DQ. I imagine on the long road trip I will be leaving on I will have a DQ sundae or two.

From what i have seen, the other food looks pretty decent.

We have one of the original DQ's here in Minneapolis at 60th and Penn Av. S., near the airport. It is the original architecture; no bathroom, and just big enough to go in and get your food. People from the corporate offices, when passing through town make aa detour to see the wonderfullay maintained originaal buillding.

quote:

Originally posted by c.a.

Although I relish a good steak, I only eat organic, grass fed beef that is humanely raised and processed, nd I draw the line at eating chopped up cow from any source. Something about ground meat that gets me. I feel if you are going to eat meat it shouldn't be a passive thing, one should give thought about where it comes from, and the animal who gave it's life for the meat. Grinding it all up so it is unrocognizable somehow seems disrespectful. That is just my way of approaching things, not rant at those of you out there who DO eat hamburgers. I just can't speak of their burgers.

What I like about DQ is the fact that it still has ties to it's southern roots; specifically the fact that one can get *pecans* on one's hot fudge sundae! Yum! Tht is the onlyq thing I eat at DQ. I imagine on the long road trip I will be leaving on I will have a DQ sundae or two.

From what i have seen, the other food looks pretty decent.

We have one of the original DQ's here in Minneapolis at 60th and Penn Av. S., near the airport. It is the original architecture; no bathroom, and just big enough to go in and get your food. People from the corporate offices, when passing through town make aa detour to see the wonderfullay maintained originaal buillding.

OOPS>>>> Spell check time. As for comments regarding "eating chopped up cow" I shall be

was in western south dakota and the d.q. had the best food in town but the competition was not strong

First of all, I have a keyboard that is not functioning correctly. I don't have spell check on the e-mail system I use.

Secondly, i don't understand why you put that little silly icon on your reply about zipping up about my comment about eating chopped up cow. i think it is disgusting, a personal opinion to be sure. There are just too many examples of e-coli associated with ground up meat When one eats a steak or other intact meat, anything in terms of e-coli on the surface gets killed by the heat.

I also have issues with animals being raised inhumanely, standing in feed lots up to their knees in their own waste, eating other animals, antibiotics, growth hormones and god knows what else in their feed. If you choose to eat that type of meat, that is your choice. If I am going to take the life of an animal for food I want to make sure it had a good life right up until it is processed.

The other interconnected issue is the idea of eating close to home, as it were, eating food grown and produced locally, preferably organically. I am much more interested in buying beef from pe3ople I know who raise it on organic pastureland on their farm in western Minnesota than getting the cheapest chemical laden stuff from cattle that are mass prohduced.

The beef tastes a lot better in addition to doing the right thing in terms of supporting local producers.

Yes, I will forgo those burgers, actually any burgersu, but escecially those produced from cattle grown on clear cut rainforest land, which is where a lot of the big fast food chains get their beef.

Think globally, act locally.

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

quote:

Originally posted by c.a.

Although I relish a good steak, I only eat organic, grass fed beef that is humanely raised and processed, nd I draw the line at eating chopped up cow from any source. Something about ground meat that gets me. I feel if you are going to eat meat it shouldn't be a passive thing, one should give thought about where it comes from, and the animal who gave it's life for the meat. Grinding it all up so it is unrocognizable somehow seems disrespectful. That is just my way of approaching things, not rant at those of you out there who DO eat hamburgers. I just can't speak of their burgers.

What I like about DQ is the fact that it still has ties to it's southern roots; specifically the fact that one can get *pecans* on one's hot fudge sundae! Yum! Tht is the onlyq thing I eat at DQ. I imagine on the long road trip I will be leaving on I will have a DQ sundae or two.

From what i have seen, the other food looks pretty decent.

We have one of the original DQ's here in Minneapolis at 60th and Penn Av. S., near the airport. It is the original architecture; no bathroom, and just big enough to go in and get your food. People from the corporate offices, when passing through town make aa detour to see the wonderfullay maintained originaal buillding.

OOPS>>>> Spell check time. As for comments regarding "eating chopped up cow" I shall be

geez - don't have a cow!

Clever.

No one is going to pry your factory farmed burger from your cold, dead hands.

I post on other forums where people discuss things in depth; issues that are perhps peripheral to the main topic, but still related. Perhaps this forum does not; I am new to it, but perhaps should have been clued in by the little smiley faces. Perhaps it is easier to just stfick one of these up tht articulate and expand on one's views. I for one, enjoy discussion. I may not agree with you, but if something is discussed, I may change your viewpoint, or vice versa. At any rate, we both will probably arrive at a greater understanding as to why the other person feels about an issue the way one does.

That is why I expanded on the "chopped up dead cow" line. Just because I find hamburger repulsive does not mean I don't eat and enjoy meat. I am not vegan or even vegetarian.

One pound of factory farmed beef takes 16# of grain to make, rather like driving that big SUV by yourself to the corner grocery store for a quart of milk.

More and more people are making choices in terms of buying food produced close to home. Face it, the little strawberries that don't travel well are far and away better than those huge, tasteless monsters from somewhere else.

I am on the eve of a big road trip in my 35 year old car towing my 39 year old travel trailer. Althoough i will be carrying my All Clad potsw and pans and my nice Wusthoff 10" chef knife, I still plan on enjoying road food, and will, I am sure eat things I would not normally eat. I hope I pass through Gnaw Bone, Indiana at a time I can have oe of those pork tenderloin sandwiches. i still am drawing the line at burgers although I am sure I will relax my avoidance of fried food. It is *SO* good, and somehow epitomizes to me Road Food. e

quote:

Originally posted by evilpez


geez - don't have a cow!

hey CA, you're opinions ARE appreciated.Don't worry about POing anyone. The best thing about roadfood is the lack of pretention. We had a really good discussion about organic vs coporate beef and other foods a while ago. If you grew up in California and are now in the midwest, I can't wait til you give your impressions of visiting other parts of the country. Does your trailer house your darkroom? Having owned about 25 volvos myself, If you are in love with a 145 Volvo, well you're my kind of woman.visit us any time you head up southern oregon way. As far as dairy queen, for chain burgers, they are among the best. We all have to make decisions as to how much we tie into coporate food culture. My daughter plays softball with organic farmer's daughters, we have a big raw food bunch here, and then there's lots of people who trust that if it's being sold in the marketplace it's safe and good for them.
Will we die from eating one? No. Will we die if we saturate ourselves in preservatives?no contest. we're mulch.
At it's best, Roadfood is about seeking out those real one-of -a kind places that do things the right way.
Bill

Yes, i am a third generation Californian. I lived briefly in Walterville, Oregon, east of Springfield, up 126.

Oregon is nirvaana for old Volvos. My 145E is my "winter beater", but with the B-20 engine and disk braakes all around it is a better choice for towing than my 122 wagon. I also have a '67 122 waagon, and a '62 544. I will be posting an online travel journal on the brickboard <www.brickboard.com> Go to the "Opinions' section. I hope to be posting as of next Wednesday.

My trailer is a little one. It is from Belgium. I bought it because I felt a European caravan would be in keeping with the old Volvo. That trailer was built to be towed with a four cylinder car. The body of the trailer is only 11.5', and the total weight is 1180# unloaded. No bathroom, so no darkroom. Stove, sink, and 'fridge, though. I do alternative process stuff; platinum/palladium, gum prints, argyrotypes, cyanotypes, ect.

quote:

Originally posted by bill voss

hey CA, you're opinions ARE appreciated.Don't worry about POing anyone. The best thing about roadfood is the lack of pretention. We had a really good discussion about organic vs coporate beef and other foods a while ago. If you grew up in California and are now in the midwest, I can't wait til you give your impressions of visiting other parts of the country. Does your trailer house your darkroom? Having owned about 25 volvos myself, If you are in love with a 145 Volvo, well you're my kind of woman.visit us any time you head up southern oregon way. As far as dairy queen, for chain burgers, they are among the best. We all have to make decisions as to how much we tie into coporate food culture. My daughter plays softball with organic farmer's daughters, we have a big raw food bunch here, and then there's lots of people who trust that if it's being sold in the marketplace it's safe and good for them.
Will we die from eating one? No. Will we die if we saturate ourselves in preservatives?no contest. we're mulch.
At it's best, Roadfood is about seeking out those real one-of -a kind places that do things the right way.
Bill

no lack of volvos and subarus here. I'm right by ashland, so we have tall mountains AND sunshine. My niece and her husband live in St. Paul, and they participate in the arts/photo/music scene also. I'll E-mail you sometime to see if you know them. good luck on your trip, and don't forget us. Native Californians have a unique world view, cuz in my experience, a lot of them don't know what to make of the rest of the world when they find out it isn't like California. You seem not to be one of those. Looking foward to your experiences,
Bill
PS: shouldn't you have a p1800 or better yet, a 1800Esportwagon , in your collection?
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When is Dairy Queen coming to Upstate New York? None around my area.

When the new Culver's Stand opened up in Corydon IN they put a real dent in the business of the nearby D Q...But the D Q is open 24 hours...So the midnite to 10am market is theirs. They increased the breakfast menu a bunch and have long lines in the morning...and in the wee hours too. They are the only 24 hour Fast Food in the area.
Regarding the discussion of the finer points in the creation of a meat dish (the execution)...After slaving over my fruit trees all Spring, I saw 95% of the apples disappear in two nights to Bambi and his/her friends. I have no problem eating venison in any form without a bit of guilt in the 'payback attitude' area. Expand that to include all critter's large and small. To each his own, please.

I'm going to give a big "thumbs up" to my "usual" at DQ: a BBQ sandwich (hey, it's shredded pork, not beef and that makes it edible in my book) and a chocolate dip cone. Yum!

quote:

Originally posted by josh123

When is Dairy Queen coming to Upstate New York? None around my area.

Well, they are headquartered in Minneapolis, so they have 'em up north, but they seem to thrive best in small towns in hot climates. If you live in rural Dixie (or the southwest) and just got your driver's license, hangin' at the DQ is what you did on sultry nights when I was growing up.

Not sure how that would play in "Upstate New York".

When I lived in Cincinatti many years ago there was a DQ right down the hill from the office. There were about three of us that were known to close many bars during the week and wakeup the next AM with hangovers that made our eyes water.

The CURE - Meet at DQ the next AM and pound down a large Banana Milk Shake! With the real Bananas in them. Did the trick every time!

Don

My experience with DQ is it varies from location to location. Our local DQ, for instance, served pretty good burgers. If they're flame broiled, they are very good.

I've eaten at other DQ locations that did not flame broil the burgers and they tasted...well...just nasty.

I also love chili dogs and as far as I'm concerned, DQ's chili dogs barely rise above average.