Before you head to Dairy Queen and order yourself a frozen treat, there are some things you
should know.
From the best days and times to visit, to the tools you need to make your order easier,
and even how you might score a free Blizzard, these tips will help to ensure the best DQ
experience ever.
The gang from Stranger Things aren't the only people who spend time in the Upside Down.
Dairy Queen employees do too!
Dairy Queen is not afraid to make the claim that their Blizzards are so thick that they
can hold their place inside of the cup even if it is turned upside down.
So DQ has a promotion where employees at participating locations are supposed to turn Blizzards upside
down — and if they don't, you get it free!
When you head to Dairy Queen, you're probably not planning to order seaweed.
Ice cream, yes.
Seaweed?
Not so much.
But you might get some anyway.
See, their soft serve has an ingredient called carrageenan, which is derived from red seaweed.
It's FDA approved, and helps give the soft serve a thicker consistency.
And it's not really unusual.
"It's a common ingredient used to thicken everything, from milkshakes to baby foods."
But it also has been linked to gut irritation and inflammation, so keep that in mind before
you place your order.
If you have a favorite Dairy Queen dish, you might discover the unpleasant fact that your
personal fave isn't available at every Dairy Queen you visit.
That's because there are over 2,000 different franchisees who own more than 4,500 total
stores across the country.
And with so many different people running things, there's going to be some minor variations
in the menu.
This is particularly true when it comes to regional dishes — Texas, for instance, has
roughly 600 Dairy Queen locations, and many offer menu items that aren't available outside
of the Lone Star State.
Road trip, anyone?
It's ironic: during winter, there's ice everywhere, but people will do anything to escape it.
During the summer, though, when you desperately want ice, there's none to be found — except
at places like Dairy Queen.
And DQ knows how much people look forward to enjoying the warm temps and their delicious
soft serve, which is why they welcome the arrival of spring with their Free Cone Day
promotion.
On the first day of spring, you can enjoy a free small vanilla cone at participating
DQ and DQ Grill and Chill locations across the United States.
All they ask is that you also donate to charity How "cool" is that?
"It's gotta be one of my favorite days of the entire year!"
"Favorite!"
"Free!
Free soft serve on a cone!"
“Free soft serve on a cone!”
Dairy Queen has been serving up delicious dessert treats since 1940.
But it's not just a place to get soft serve.
In 1958, Dairy Queen introduced its Brazier stores, which were locations that served burgers
and other food items along with the soft serve.
That concept has become the modern Grill & Chill, which also serves breakfast.
But since no trip to DQ is complete without some ice cream, many locations also offer
a special Grill & Chill lunch combo that includes an entree, fries, a drink and a sundae for
just $5.
"What?”
“What?”
“WHAT WHAT!!"
Here's a quick news flash: eating a ton of ice cream is not the healthiest thing you
can do.
Dairy Queen has actually tried to make things healthier from time to time with… well,
poor results.
In 1990, for instance, the chain introduced a Frozen Yogurt option called the Breeze.
"Now, you can get frozen yogurt at Dairy Queen.
It's the new Breeze frozen yogurt treat!"
However, customers were still piling it high with toppings, making it unhealthy anyway
— and if you're going to eat an unhealthy dessert, why pick low fat fro-yo over ice
cream?
As a result, they discontinued the Breeze in the year 2000 due to poor sales.
"I really want to make a healthy low fat, or non-fat, um…"
"...Blizzard."
There are some things you can do, though.
While there are no sugar-free soft serve options, there are a few no-sugar-added items such
as the Fudge Bar, Vanilla Orange Bar, and the Chocolate Dilly Bar.
And some menu items are better than others.
At 230 calories and 7 grams of fat, a small vanilla cone is one of the lightest options
on the DQ menu, while peanut butter lovers can have the small Peanut Butter Sundae instead
of the much less healthy Peanut Buster Parfait.
People who love Dairy Queen really love Dairy Queen, which is why the Blizzard Fan Club
loyalty program — which rewards frequent eaters with sweet rewards — boasts over
4 million members
And Dairy Queen also has a mobile app which grants you discounts, provides directions
to the nearest location, and allows you to place you order ahead of time for an expedited
ice cream experience.
Now that's hot.
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