The closing of a beloved Dairy Queen near Southern Illinois University sparked uproar in the community and fears for the fate of the company’s ice cream-only locations. But a similarly long-standing, family-operated franchise location in the Chicago suburbs — and its iconic, retro sign — might be safe, for now.
The Dairy Queen on Main Street in Lombard still shares many similarities with the walk-up window that opened in 1953. As the Dairy Queen company expanded from its Illinois roots and broadened the menu to include more food items, the suburban location has stayed focused on cold summertime treats. The sign is the same one operator Karyn Kanthack’s great aunt bought for $400 on layaway and put up in 1955. And the store has stayed in the same family for 70 years.
In Carbondale, another Dairy Queen also opened in the early 1950s, and was operated by the same family for decades. But the store closed at the end of May, and operator Mark Waicukauski doesn’t plan to reopen it under the same brand.
Waicukauski, 67, spent most of his career working at the Carbondale Dairy Queen, after his dad took over the store in the 1960s. He briefly thought about moving to Chicago after college, but couldn’t stomach the traffic and number of people.
He plans to reopen the store as an independent ice cream shop. But in the meantime, the closure drew consternation from devoted customers, who took to local media and social media to express outrage. A petition to reopen the franchise, which has garnered more than 3,000 signatures, highlighted the ice cream store’s status as “a city landmark, traditional gathering place and heart and soul of our memories.”
“For decades, students at Southern Illinois University have bought their DQ treats and sat on the curb in front to gossip and watch passersby,” the authors of the petition wrote. “We treasure childhood memories of Dilly Bars, and Mr. Misty, and our very first banana split, bought at this same window. Some of us have returned with our own children and then grandchildren to share our memories along with a Dairy Queen treat.”
Waicukauski felt like he couldn’t meet the expectations of corporate Dairy Queen, and the company wanted consistency among locations that his store didn’t match, he said. Much of the menu was geared toward stores that also offer meals, and that didn’t work for a dessert-only shop like his.
Dairy Queen denied any implication that the Carbondale store closed because it did not convert into a full-service location that served more food. Thousands of franchised “treat-only” locations remain open, the company said in a statement.
“We strive to maintain the highest standards at DQ restaurants to meet and exceed fan expectations,” the company said. “We expect that franchise owners will, at minimum, meet our operational standards in restaurant appearance, food and treat quality, and fan experience. We worked with the franchise owners of the Carbondale location to address operational issues over a period of time and, when the restaurant did not meet the necessary requirements, we made the difficult decision to close the restaurant.”
But ice cream-only Dairy Queens can face challenges operating year-round, especially in northern states, said Darren Tristano, CEO of food industry researching consultancy Foodservice Results. Ice cream is attractive during the warm weather, but winter tends to be more difficult. Dairy Queen’s expanded food offerings allow it to remain competitive year-round, he said.
Ice cream-only locations have benefits, though, he said. They are typically cheaper to operate. Ice cream-focused shops are more specialized, giving Dairy Queen an edge over its competitors among the dessert-seeking crowd. And walk-up windows are nostalgic, which can be a draw for consumers.
But broader menus that offer meals provide more opportunities for franchisees to stay open longer and earn more money, Tristano said. And Dairy Queen relies on royalties from franchise sales, meaning there is an incentive to encourage more full service restaurant models. The company also likely has an incentive to encourage uniformity for branding purposes, he said.
“I think when it comes to Chicago specifically, that’s a good option for them,” he said. “Not to say that Dairy Queen can’t make it on ice cream alone, because typically that’s less labor, less rent, less overhead. They’re focusing on a good margin product and they’re focusing on trying to achieve sales when rent, other expenses are much lower.”
In Lombard, Kanthack isn’t worried about the future of her treats-only Dairy Queen. She has gotten no indication that she might face pushback maintaining the old-fashioned vibe of the store.
She and her family have deep ties to the store. Kanthack grew up working there. She watched the hard work her great aunt put into opening a business as a woman in the 1950s, then the work her parents put in after they took it over.
She went away to college and vowed to branch out, but is now running the store. And her teenage sons can often be found working there too — by their own choice, she said.
The store has created a unique connection between her and the community, she said. Customers who knew her when she was pregnant with her children still come by, and now see the kids grown and working. After Kanthack’s dad died in January, strangers stopped by the store to offer condolences.
“This is the best decision I made because not only am I part of a community, but it means something to come to work and carry on what they started,” she said.
The store is a kind of time warp, but one that also takes Apple Pay, she said. And she isn’t worried that she’ll have to change that any time soon.
“We’re just slinging blizzards over here, just doing our thing,” Kanthack said.
The Carbondale store’s old-fashioned Dairy Queen sign is already gone, sold to a collector who will keep it in southern Illinois. But the Lombard store’s neon sign is likely safe, for now: it has been designated a historic landmark in the village.
Some 20 years ago, changes in village codes would have required the 1950s sign to come down. But the village’s historic commission deemed it significant enough to protect the sign, and the village historical society also offered an added historic designation, said Alison Costanzo, executive director of the Lombard Historical Soceity.
“That’s something that’s been a mainstay,” she said. “People take their grandkids, they take their children. It’s generational.”
sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com
