There's more to Dairy Queen than meets the eye. It might just seem like your average
fast-food restaurant, but there's a lot that makes this fan-favorite establishment
different from your typical burger joint. This is what you need to know about Dairy Queen.
As is the case with most fast food joints, Dairy Queen has seen
quite a few changes over the years. Back when Dairy Queen first opened, the menu was a lot
smaller and simpler. In fact, milkshakes and malts weren't added to the menu until 1949,
which is nine whole years after Dairy Queen first opened its doors.
According to Taste of Home, the original Dairy Queen menu looked a lot different than it does
today. Sure, they originally offered soft-serve cones, ice cream sundaes, and larger containers of
ice cream, but the prices of their most popular items will leave you speechless. Specifically,
a soft-serve cone was only five cents, and a fresh hot fudge sundae was just eight cents.
While many changes to the DQ menu have been positive, those old prices sure would be nice.
While the Blizzard might be Dairy Queen's most famous product, it actually wasn't on the menu for
quite some time. In fact, it was about 45 years before the item was introduced, according to the
Dairy Queen website. The Blizzard hit stores in 1985, and restaurant-goers were instantly
taken with the soft-serve ice cream treat blended with chopped-up candy bars or cookies.
"It's Dairy Queen, an American original. With another all-time hit.
The one and only Dairy Queen Blizzard."
It was so monumental that The New York Times covered it about a year after it launched. Harris
Cooper, International Dairy Queen's president and chief executive, told the publication,
"It's certainly the biggest thing that has happened to Dairy Queen in the last 25 years."
Americans were absolutely smitten with the Blizzard;
restaurant workers told The Times that the machines were almost constantly running to
meet customer demand. There's no doubt that the Blizzard was a smart addition to the menu.
When you think of the treats at Dairy Queen, you likely think of them as ice cream. After all,
it's frozen and creamy. Also, isn't soft-serve typically categorized as "ice cream" anyway?
Well, not always. As it turns out, the United States Food and Drug Administration
has specific requirements for something to be called "ice cream." Surprisingly enough,
Dairy Queen's soft-serve and Blizzard treats don't meet those requirements.
In fact, the Dairy Queen website actually states as much:
"Technically, our soft serve does not qualify to be called ice cream. To be categorized
as ice cream, the minimum butterfat content must be ten percent,
and our soft serve has only five percent butterfat content."
While you can call a Blizzard a delicious frozen treat,
there's a reason they won't call it ice cream — because it's made from their soft-serve,
which isn't technically ice cream. That said, it's still pretty delicious.
In addition to delicious frozen treats, Dairy Queen is also known for its food
items. The chain has plenty of options for hungry customers,
but as far as those hamburgers are concerned, there's been some speculation.
Someone had complained that there was, quote, "human meat" in DQ burgers,
according to The New York Post. Those rumors got started because of an FBI raid at a Greenwood,
South Carolina location. But manager Saif Momin denied that, stating,
"If that was the case, they already would have shut me down. I just want to make sure people
know it has nothing to do with my business. They were looking for people that don't work there."
In fact, the FBI was actually searching for someone participating in an unlicensed
money-transfer business at that location. So when you order a Dairy Queen burger,
there's no chance you're eating human meat.
While you might not care how Dairy Queen makes its burgers or fries,
anyone who has had the chain's soft-serve is probably curious to know how they could
replicate the concoction at home. Unfortunately, Dairy Queen's famous soft-serve recipe is top
secret — so much so that executives wouldn't even discuss it during an interview with ABC News.
Dairy Queen's chief branding officer, Michael Keller, told ABC News it was impossible for anyone
else to know the ingredients that make the soft, creamy, ice-cold treat so delicious. Keller said,
"There's no way I could tell you what's in that formula....it is kept in a safe
deposit box and there are only a few keys to it."
Because the soft-serve is so iconic and is used in Dairy Queen's other fan favorite, the Blizzard,
it makes sense that the company would want to keep the recipe under strict lock and key.
You might be surprised to learn that someone like business mogul and Shark
Tank star Mark Cuban has actually worked at a Dairy Queen before.
And not just as a teenager or young adult trying to earn some extra cash.
As The Dallas Morning News reported, Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team,
landed himself in some hot water when he made a disparaging comment about Ed Rush,
the director of NBA officials. Cuban said,
"Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen."
The NBA then fined Cuban $500,000 for, quote, "repeated public criticism of NBA officiating,"
but that wasn't where the story ended. In fact,
Cuban flew to a Dallas area Dairy Queen to work there for a day.
Apparently, Cuban was a natural behind the counter as he took orders, served up treats,
and even made some Blizzards for customers. Cuban's fellow Dairy Queen employee,
Sharon West, told The Dallas Morning News,
"He caught right on. He is a fast learner."
Clearly, the billionaire is not above serving burgers and fries. Cuban learned his lesson
and worked hard during his time at Dairy Queen.
When you think of Dairy Queen, you might not think of a pop-punk band
from the 1990s. But as it turns out, No Doubt formed at a DQ location.
Former No Doubt band member John Spence actually helped launch the band in a pretty fascinating
location. According to Interview Magazine, while Spence, Gwen Stefani, and her brother,
Eric, were working at their local Dairy Queen in Orange, California, they decided to start a band.
In an interview with Marie Claire, Stefani revealed that she made her first dollar,
quote, "Working at Dairy Queen," proving that celebrities really are just like us. Of course,
not everyone forms a world-famous band at their first real job, but you get the point.
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