The Blizzard dates back even further, though, to the 1960s. They sold over 100 million Blizzards that first year. The Blizzard Hits the Sceneĭairy Queen’s Blizzard treat has probably been their most famous menu item since it was introduced in 1985. If you said the magic word when you ordered, you could get a Peanut Buster Parfait for only 49 cents. If you were a kid in the 1970s (or at least a kid-at-heart) you might remember the word scrumpdillyishus. Misty slushies came on the scene in 1961 and the Buster Bar later that same decade, in 1968. The world-famous Dilly Bar was added in 1955, and the “Brazier” locations that started selling burgers and other food followed soon after in 1958.ĭairy Queen’s Mr. Those were followed by banana splits in 1951, still one of their most popular menu items. The first foray beyond cones, sundaes, and tubs of ice cream were malts and shakes in 1949. But some of them are particularly memorable, especially their best-known treats. With nearly 80 years of history, there are a lot of milestones in the Dairy Queen story. The signature “curl” on every DQ cone, which is created with a twist of the wrist when serving it, has been passed down ever since. The secret to making it work was a modified custard machine that would keep this new creation at the right temperature and let them serve it up at will. The only ice cream you would find is what we now consider “hard” ice cream.īefore that fateful day when they sold 1,600 servings in two hours, the McCulloughs discovered that lowering the butterfat content of the ice cream, keeping it at a slightly warmer temperature, and mixing it with some air when serving it would let them serve the soft treat we all know and love. Up until the late 1930s, there was no such thing as “soft-serve” ice cream. There are nearly 6,000 locations across the globe now. They grew to 100 locations in 1947, and all the way to 2,600 by 1955.Ĭanada contributed to the massive growth over the eight-year span from 1947 to 1955, with the first Dairy Queen north of the border opening in 1953 in Estevan, Saskatchewan.ĭairy Queen continued to expand to countries around the world over the next several decades. The first Dairy Queen location opened in Joliet, Illinois in 1940.
Over the course of two hours, they dished up more than 1,600 frozen treats, and people were hooked. John Fremont McCullough and his son Alex were testing a soft frozen dairy treat and convince a family friend, Sherb Noble, to let them sell the treat in his ice cream store.
You can trace Dairy Queen’s history back more than 80 years to August 4, 1938. Information About Dairy Queen Canada’s Menu Where Did Dairy Queen Originate? Chicken Garden Greens Salad (Crispy or Grilled)