Crissta Ames
Contributing Writer
Charlotte Dairy Queen announced this week it will be reopening on Saturday, Feb. 2. The ice cream joint will reopen just days after Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a State of Emergency for the sub-zero temperatures and forecasted -50 degree wind chills.
There are more items available to purchase than ice cream, such as hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches, but with the weather warming up little-by-little, one might opt for a Blizzard. Their ice cream cakes will also be in stock on opening day, including Valentine’s Day cakes.
“We’ve never been open for Valentine’s Day before, so we’re going to try it out and see how customers respond,” said owner Brett Roberts.
With the newly constructed building that has indoor seating available, the restaurant surprised many Charlotte residents when they announced their closing back in December before the holiday season. Roberts said despite the new building, he never planned to remain open year round, and said he is not sure when the store will close for winter in 2019.
“We’re opening two-to-three weeks earlier than usual to see how it goes,” Roberts said. “We don’t have any definite plans. It really depends on our customers.”
One change for 2019 will be the addition of a drive-thru speaker, which Roberts said will significantly reduce wait times in the drive-thru. The restaurant recently won an appeal to the circuit court board of appeals that will allow the use of a drive-thru speaker, something the City of Charlotte prohibited initially. Roberts said the speaker should be installed in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s definitely going to make our speed of service in the drive-thru significantly faster,” Roberts said. “There will be a learning curve for us as well. We’ve never had a drive-thru speaker.”
Dairy Queen’s new season also comes with new hours, with the store opening at 11:30 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. Online cake ordering is available at DQCakes.com, and their Blizzard of the Month is the Dipped Strawberry made with Ghirardelli chocolate chunks.
