ft Friday, April 2, 1982
Dairy Queen reigns
Texas franchise
What not
nation's
by Nancy Floeck
Battalion Staff
Driving down obscure Texas
highways, passing through
even obscurer Texas towns, we
ary travelers often scan the hori
zon for that red and white sign
that means caffeine and a re
stroom.
Dairy Queens are highway
havens. Everyone in Texas has
eaten or at least stopped there —
and seeing one in an unfamiliar
terrain provides a sense of
security.
It's as if the stores multiply in
Texas. Dairy Queen operates
859 stores in Texas, more than in
any other state, and it seems ev
ery town from El Paso to McAl
len has at least one. DQs have
become a status symbol among
smaller towns — you know your
town has really arrived when it
gets a Dairy Queen. (Nevada is
still hoping.)
They're the meeting place
and social hub of these com
munities. Recreational hang
outs are few in places like Rock
wall or Snook, and what better
place to meet friends and catch
up on the latest news?
Case fact: once, in some deso
late, probably nameless town in
West Texas, a notice was taped
to the DQ's door, urging the
town to attend a local woman's
bridal shower. Not a very per
sonalized invitation, but it sure
cuts postage costs.
But having a DQ serve as the
town's meeting place isn't a
phenomena exclusive to those
towns not on the map. Terry
Smith, owner of three of the six
DQs in the Bryan-College Sta
tion area, said his stores also
have regular customers.
He said these regulars tend to
be "middle-aged" customers
who have gotten into the habit
of dropping into the local Dairy
Queen for a cup of coffee and
conversation.
Chances are that these cus
tomers live around the corner
and have learned to think of the
store as a neighborhood meet
ing place. Charles Tanner, who
owns the other three local
stores, said a recent survey
shows that 60 percent of Texas
DQ customers live within a IV2
miles of the store.
He said the survey also
showed that DQs tend to be
family restaurants — 42 percent
of their customers are married
couples and 43 percent are chil
dren, with the rest spread out
among other folks.
The fact that most Texas DQs
are owned and operated by area
natives perpetuates an aura of
friendliness. About V3 of these
DQs are second generation
operations.
largest
The veterans of the Texas
business are the Smiths, who
live in the Bryan-College Station
area and have been in the DQ
business for 30 years. They own
27 stores in south and central
Texas in addition to the three
here.
Tanner also falls in this cate
gory; he was born, raised and
educated in this community.
Downhome at the DQ
But this down-home image
also may be hurting Texas sales,
although the 859 Texas stores
gross about $9 million monthly.
About 100 stores have gone out
of business since the late 1970s,-
and Donna Bigelow, office man
ager of the Texas Dairy Queen
Operators' Council, said this is
mainly because of competition
from other fast food franchises.
"The numbers have de
creased in the large metropoli
tan areas — Houston, Dallas,"
she said, and the council is
trying to combat this by chang
ing the stores' hometown, rural
image.
"We're going to be updating
the stores," Bigelow said.
"Dairy Queen is the oldest fran
chise in existence and most of
the stores reflect this."
She said that modernizing the
stores may attract some of the
crowds that frequent other fast
food restaurants.
But while the appearance of
DQs will be changing, the items
offered won't. And keeping
these items even more consis
tent throughout the state also
will be a major priority in this
effort.
Tanner said the stores will be
closely watched to ensure such
consistency, since in the past
some stores have offered items
others haven't — double and tri
ple hamburgers are one example
of products that may be offered
in one region, but not in
another.
The modernizing drive will
begin in mid-April, he said, with
high priorities on product
quality.
It seems one thing is already
constant across Texas — the
Dairy Queen appeal.
Smith said his stores are
equally popular in all parts of
the state and credits this to the
menu's variety.
Hamburgers probably sell the
most, he said, although ice
cream runs a close second.
The businesses within the
state offer basically the same
items, he added, but those in
other states often lack the varie
ty offered by their Texas
cousins. Dairy Queens in the
state serve country-style food,
like chicken fried steaks, that
many Northern stores don't
have. Smith said.
But besides that, the chain's
fare is basically the same
throughout the nation, and Tan
ner said this is another reason
the franchise has stayed alive —
a DQ is a DQ, whether it's in
Texas or Wisconsin.
"We're working harder in the
state to make it more so than
ever before," Tanner said.
Friendliness, popular food
and accessibility. That seems to
be what keeps Dairy Queen
hanging on and the money roll
ing in. And they owe it all to
Alex McCoullogh of Kankakee,
Ill.
In the beginning
According to a 1979 issue of
Texas Monthly, the idea of Dairy
Queen was born in 1938 when
McCoullogh perfected the
stores' now-famous ice cream.
He charged 10 cents and let
customers eat all they could. He
promptly sold out. But with in
vention of the continuous ice
cream maker he was ready to go
into business.
In 1948, he and a partner
opened the first Dairy Queen in
East Moline, III., but with little
sucess. He had only 10 stores six
years later.
It took a Texan to make the
operation flourish. In 1946,
O.W. Klose, a 63-year-old groc
er and entrepreneur, bought the
Texas franchise and Dairy
Queen as we know it was born.
Within a few years the first
store, which was in Austin,
spawned several others across
the state and started the family-
owned-and-operated prece
dent.
So now when you savor that
creamy ice cream or see that
familiar, friendly sign looming
ahead, you know who to thank.
to eat
Now that you know the history
and social consequences of
Texas Dairy Queens it's time to
P et down to the nitty-gritty:
OOD.
In order to provide a helpful
guide to DQs' menu, Battalion
and Focus writers took a staff
expedition to one of six local
Dairy Queens. Being connois
seurs of fast food, we feel we
know quality junk food when
we taste it.
Thanks, but no thanks: The But
terscotch-dipped Dilly Bar is not
a dessert we recommend. Tastes
like nothing, but leaves an un
pleasant aftertase that closely re
sembles the way old clothes
smell. We suggest it be thrown
out the out car window.
A delight alright. Two mounds
of ice cream from the nifty dis
penser covered in chocolate
fudge and butterscotch top
pings with whipped cream and
chopped pecans topped with 2
marachino cherries make up the
Double Delight. For a $1.67 (tax
included) it's not a bad dessert,
It was creamy, smooth and
sweet. The best part is you're
able to lick the bowl when your
finished, because who really
cares in DQ?
Don't can it. This chili didn't
taste canned. After much dis
cussion, we decided they actual
ly make it there. The cheese was
real — a nice surprise —but the
hot dog wasn't so grand. After
more speculation, we concluded
that tney're probably turkey
franks. So get the chili cheese
dog without the dog.
Oh, peanuts. The Peanut Par-
fait. In spite of its fancy name, j
it's nothing more than a hot
fudge sundae topped with t
peanuts. But a good sundae \
with fresh peanuts, not dry
roasted ones.
Burger or bust. The Hunger
Buster with cheese, commonly
referred to as a cheeseburger,
rates about 9.8 on the Focus
scale. Above average, consider
ing the usual quality of hambur
ger-stand cuisine. The french
fries obviously were frozen 5
ones, but they had been freshly
fried and hadn't been sitting |
under a light for the past % I
days.
Sentimental favorites. Dip con
es and Dilly bars.
After ordering, we sat down
and an employee actually I
brought the food to our table.lt I
took a long time for her to bring
it, but what can you expect fora 1
$2.93 meal?
Of course, the decor is no- I
thing to write home about, but I
that's no loss. If you're home- 1
town has a Dairy Queen, your I
folks have already seen it I
anyway.