BROKEN BOW, NE — Taste buds — Be prepared to be enhanced! Dairy Queen is returning to Broken Bow.
A new DQ Grill and Chill is in the works in central Nebraska with a targeted opening date of March 1, 2017. Local developers/entrepreneurs Craig and Kelli Safranek say they want to bring another quality restaurant to the area, and equally important, they want it to be a recognizable franchise to help attract people off of Highway 2.
The new DQ will be located on the west end of Broken Bow, on the south side of Highway 2 between the new Judicial Center and the car wash. Broken Bow’s City Council gave its unanimous nod of approval for TIF financing at a board meeting earlier this fall.
“We are very excited to bring Dairy Queen and the best ice cream on the planet back to town,” said Craig. When people start talking about Dairy Queen there are visions of their childhood, from Dilly Bars to ‘the best chocolate malts ever.’ Craig and his fellow investors would like to recapture this experience, as well as enhance Broken Bow’s already great food offerings.
Along with fellow developers, Art and Dianne Anderson, Perry and Carol Myers, Chris and Jami Myers, James and Cindy Markham, Kevin and Martha Safranek and Jerry and Karen Safranek, the investors have been working for the better part of five months to entice the national chain to come. The process usually takes a year from application to servicing customers.
“It is unusual for DQ to entertain the idea of opening a new site in a community the size of Broken Bow, and that makes the corporate nod of approval not only unique, but hugely complementary, not only for the community, but also for the organizational and management skills of the investors,” noted Custer Economic Development Executive Director Deb McCaslin. “This is truly exciting news!”
Craig naturally agrees.
“When Dairy Queen came to town in early July for a visit, they saw in Broken Bow what they were looking for: a great town in central Nebraska with great people coming from all over the county for work, church, relaxation and recreation. Broken Bow has a lot to offer with a new county/regional court facility, a regional hospital, a large school with many strong small schools in the area, a major highway going through town, large employers in the area, a strong economic development group, strong city government, and great people with a strong work ethic,” C. Safranek said.
The work ethic element will be put into place as the new eating establishment aims to employ 30–40 people, full and part time.
Broken Bow’s first Dairy Queen opened in 1950. Establishment owners Samuel and Nina Murray offered their signature chocolate malts for 25 cents. Through the years, the owners changed and included Wes and Dorothy Sloggett, Russell and Angenette Adams, and then returning to the Sloggett family. The name was changed from Dairy Queen to Dairy Corner in the early 1980s, closing for one last time in 1999. When the building came down in 2010, a Facebook page dedicated to Broken Bow’s Dairy Corner filled with memories:
“I fondly remember the Mister Misty’s and the ice cream cones dipped in chocolate. I always stopped on the way from the pool in the summer.”
“Ahhh! The best fried chicken and chocolate malts EVER! I do believe I’m still wearing some of it! Great memories from many years ago.”
“Mom and dad (Myron and Nerine Kleeb) always took my three girls and I out for lunch at the DQ after church on Sundays. We usually ate broasted chicken, fries and applesauce. Then we had Dilly Bars for dessert. The girls ate the butterscotch or chocolate off the outside and gave grandpa the rest.”
“I didn’t live in Broken Bow but traveled with my grandmother and parents through Broken Bow when I was a child. We always stopped there to get a treat. It is a great memory I have of traveling with family.”
“I remember my favorite, the Double Dip chocolate cones! My parents would take us for special ‘treats’ and when our kids grew up we treated them too. The Sloggetts were always so friendly. And also, they were great with the HS kids they hired, working with the kids schedules and letting them have some fun at work too! Dairy Queen/Dairy Corner was a big part of Broken Bow history!”
The Dairy Queens of today feature a range of cravable food options, and so will Broken Bow’s, from signature and innovative treats, new DQ, hot-from-the-oven bakes to Orange Julius Premium Fruit Smoothies. DQ’s value meals, $5 Buck lunch and $6 Buck Lunch will be available daily 11 a.m. — 4 p.m. Fans will have a choice of a Deluxe Cheeseburger or a 3-piece Chicken Strip Lunch with the $5 buck Lunch or a Crispy Chicken Sandwich or 1/3 lb. Double with Cheese Burger which are served with fries, a beverage and choice of sundae. For just $1 more, fans also will have the option to upgrade their small sundae to a small Blizzard Treat.
“It is equally exciting to note,” McCaslin added, “that the Broken Bow Dairy Queen wants to be a leader in community involvement.”
“Area businesses are very involved in the communities they serve, and Dairy Queen hopes to join them in the effort to keep our communities stronger than ever before,” said C. Safranek.
Construction should soon be underway; it’s going to be fun watching it go up.
Dairy Queen’s developers have a favor to ask:
“We would like everyone to email us their favorite Broken Bow Dairy Queen memory. We also want to hear from you if you ever worked at the Broken Bow Dairy Queen or Dairy Corner. “
They would like to feature your memories and former employees in upcoming promotions. Email memories and employed years to: brokenbowdairyqueen@gmail.com
