And it also brought back a lot of fond memories of another Dairy Queen location on North Verity Parkway near Skateway, according to some readers commenting on the Journal-News Facebook page. Another Dairy Queen was mentioned that was located on South Main Street near the PFC Patrick L. Kessler Ohio National Guard Armory.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Jennifer Angel said, “Yay!!! We went there all the time when I was a kid.”
“I’m glad that I won’t have to go to Monroe to go to DQ now. Whoop whoop,” said Bill Keith.
Melody West said, “Good news but we still need a Chick-fil-a.”
Several people recalled working at Dairy Queen as their first job or one of their children. Others said they were looking forward to vanilla malts, cones, flurries and Blizzards.
Issac Downey said, “Now we just need Chi Chi’s to return.”
“My kids will be really happy,” said Patty Ryan.
Another reader, Kathy Lynn, recalled the former Dairy Queen ran down pretty quick the last time.
“Wish they were putting it closer to the highway,” she said. “Afraid it will have the same fate putting it in the same place.”
Piyush Patel of Liberty Twp. received a building permit from the city of Middletown Building Department on July 23 to construct a new a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in a sublot in the 4700-block of Roosevelt Boulevard between the White Castle restaurant and the Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz Law office.
Patel said it was a coincidence the location is the same as the previous Dairy Queen location more than 20 years ago.
“COVID-19 delays affected us big time,” he said. “Now that the building permit has been approved, we’re just waiting to close on our construction loan.”
He said construction was supposed to start in mid-April but expects construction to begin on the $600,000 project in early September. Patel hopes to open the 2,200 square-foot restaurant in January or February 2021.
Patel said the new store will employ about 30 people with six to seven of those as full-time workers.
Patel, who also owns the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill on Cincinnati-Dayton Road at Wyandot Lane in Liberty Twp., said “things are finally coming together.”
While the new Middletown location will be smaller than the Liberty Twp. location, it will feature the same menu items such as burgers, fries and various ice cream treats, he said.
There are more than 6,800 Dairy Queen restaurants in the United States, Canada and 27 other countries, according to Dairy Queen.
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