Manhattan's Only Dairy Queen Is Permanently Closed - Time Out

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NewsManhattan’s only Dairy Queen is permanently closed

The national chain was a nostalgic favorite for many New Yorkers.

Written by Bao OngWednesday July 29 2020ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsApp

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There won’t be any Blizzards in Manhattan this summer.

New York City has no shortage of chain restaurants these days, but while nobody was looking, the only Dairy Queen in Manhattan permanently closed. Time Out confirmed today with the company’s reps that a local franchisee closed the shop on 14th Street near Union Square back in May.

Curiously, there’s only been one operating Dairy Queen in Manhattan even as chains have infiltrated neighborhoods across the five boroughs—Taco Bell, Chik-fil-A and Krispy Kreme to name a few. Currently, there’s a DQ in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and one in the Bronx.

But when the DQ Chill & Grill opened in May 2014, it garnered lots of attention. New York magazine’s Grub Street blog published a rant titled “Please Don’t Actually Go to Manhattan’s First Dairy Queen” shortly after its debut. Even The New Yorker weighed in about the two-story, 2,500-square-foot space that served frozen desserts and food such as chicken strips and fries. This location opened with its own Blizzard dubbed the Big Apple Blizzard with an apple pie-flavored soft serve mixed in with some Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Despite being a multi-national chain, Dairy Queen evoked a sense of nostalgia for many New Yorkers (at least the many who didn’t grow up here). Sure, the city is full of fancy, artisanal shops serving ice cream, gelato and soft serve, but whether you grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, or Winona, Minnesota (the company has headquarters in the Twin Cities), an Oreo Blizzard or strawberry sundae hit the spot.

An editor on The Times's masthead recently tweeted about whether there was a DQ in Manhattan and a number of replies demonstrate this love affair with the chain:

I love NYC. I really do. But how come they don’t have ⁦@DairyQueen⁩ around here? pic.twitter.com/NMEG5lUh58

— carolynryan (@carolynryan) July 6, 2020

There’s no word on if another Dairy Queen will open in Manhattan.

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