At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, a new Dairy Queen opened in Dallas proper.
It certainly isn't the only one in Dallas: DQs already exist south of downtown, in Oak Cliff, Redbird, Pleasant Grove and Rylie. And north: in Allen, Plano and Wylie. East and west, too. But Dairy Queens seemed to make a circle around much of the middle of Dallas, leaving people in Bluffview, Lakewood and Highland Park without a Blizzard nearby.
The new Dairy Queen is located near Lake Highlands, at Eastridge Drive and Skillman Street in Dallas in place of a now-shuttered Chicken Express. (Condolences, if you were relying on Chicken E for its popular sweet tea.) The Advocate first reported the news back in August.
The Skillman/Northwest Highway interchange is a busy part of town, with a Walmart and fast-food chains like Whataburger on one corner, a Home Depot on the top of the hill, and a massive construction project taking place at Abrams Road and Northwest Highway. That 180,000 square-foot shopping center is now home to an Academy Sports + Outdoors, a Burlington Coat Factory and more.
Dairy Queen franchisee Sajib Singha says he was drawn to the intersection because of the demographics of the neighborhoods nearby. The traffic is bound to be a draw, too: About 75,000 cars pass the intersection with the big construction project nearby, Halkias says.
While the new Dairy Queen will have a menu that mirrors the other DQ's in Texas, here's a fun fact: Dairy Queens in Texas have special food, unlike menus in other states.
For instance, the Texas T-Brand Tacos are only available in the Lone Star State. That dish is three beef tacos topped with shredded cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
Texans also get Jalitos, which are fried jalapeno strips.
Singha -- whose favorite DQ item is the BeltBuster burger -- says the company's "treats" like Blizzards, cones, sundaes and other ice cream desserts are what expectant customers keep talking about.
"Everybody is ready for us to open the store so they can bring their kids and have the treats," he says.
The drive-thru, order-at-the-counter Dairy Queen is located at 6445 Eastridge Drive in Dallas and opened Nov. 28, 2018.
Original story written Aug. 10, 2018 and updated Nov. 27, 2018.
