For many New Yorkers who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, Dairy Queen was more than a place to buy ice cream. It was a neighborhood event, a sweet escape, and for kids in places like the Norwood section of the Bronx, a rare taste of the chain-store world before fast food became part of almost every block in America. Long before DQ Grill & Chill signs began appearing again on Long Island and around New York, Dairy Queen held a special place in the memories of families who measured childhood by sundaes, Dilly Bars, and the unforgettable Mr. Misty drink.
Dairy Queen Grill & Chill sign. Commack, New York. Photo: Cole Kachejian 2018
Growing Up In The Bronx Before Chain Stores Took Over
The Bronx neighborhood I grew up in during the 1960s was not a place where chain stores were located. The Norwood section of the Bronx was home to little mom-and-pop shops like newsstands, which we called candy stores, fruit stands, butchers, hardware stores, pizzerias, and so on. The neighborhood had no McDonald’s or Burger King. The closest McDonald’s was one of the original New York McDonald’s restaurants, which opened on Gun Hill Road. However, Gun Hill Road was not our neighborhood. The main street in the Norwood section of the Bronx was Bainbridge Avenue. The only stores on Bainbridge Avenue that could be compared to chain stores were the Met Supermarkets.
The first chain store that moved into our neighborhood was Dairy Queen. For kids, having a Dairy Queen move into the neighborhood was like the second coming of Christmas. In fact, anytime anything new opened up in the neighborhood, it seemed as if the neighborhood would throw the newcomers a parade.
St. Brendan’s, Birthday Parties, And Dairy Queen Ice Cream
While living in the Norwood section of the Bronx, I attended a school called St. Brendan’s. It was at St. Brendan’s where I met my friend Michael Tee. The relevant point of our friendship is that Michael Tee’s father owned the Dairy Queen.
When kids had birthday parties in the Bronx, they usually consisted of hanging out at the person’s house, playing some very stupid games like pin the tail on the donkey, yes, we actually played that game, and then having a slice of cake. When Michael Tee had birthday parties, they were always held at his parents’ Dairy Queen. Michael Tee’s birthday parties were the highlight of the year for a few other close friends and me. It was for the single reason that at Michael Tee’s birthday parties, all the kids were allowed to roam freely in the store and devour as much ice cream as we could consume before we passed out. This is where I became an expert on Dairy Queen ice cream of the 1960s.
Dilly Bars, Mr. Misty, And Childhood Dessert Heaven
The Dairy Queens of the 1960s and 1970s offered traditional sundaes, ice cream cones, shakes, and a series of wonderful ice cream pops shaped like a circle called Dilly Bars. However, the holy grail of childhood dessert fantasy for this young man was the Dairy Queen Mr. Misty drink. Long before 7-Eleven discovered the glory of Slurpee machines, Dairy Queen was serving a flavored ice drink that was to die for. The Mr. Misty drink made its debut in 1961, about five years after the debut of the Dilly Bar in 1955. Both items were very popular in our neighborhood Dairy Queen in the mid-1960s.
A Short History Of Dairy Queen
The first official Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940, one year before the United States entered World War II. In 1941, there were only about ten Dairy Queens in the United States. In 1947, two years after World War II ended, Dairy Queen began opening more stores. According to official statistics released by Dairy Queen, in 1947 It had expanded to around 100 stores in the United States. From 1947 to 1950, Dairy Queen opened over fourteen hundred locations. In only five more years, Dairy Queen had reached the twenty-six-hundred-store mark in 1955. As of this writing in 2018, Dairy Queen had 6,000 locations serving customers in 18 countries.
The Dairy Queen Brazier Years
During the years when Dairy Queen was expanding its ice cream stores, the company also began opening stores that served hot food. The stores that sold more than just ice cream were called Dairy Queen Braziers. I remember my friend’s parents, who had opened the original ice-cream-only Dairy Queen in our neighborhood, investing in a Brazier store. I can actually remember going to Michael Tee’s brother Dexter’s birthday party at the Dairy Queen Brazier in 1969 and watching the New York Jets play in the Super Bowl while eating a cheeseburger. Some memories just never fade away.
When Dairy Queen Disappeared From New York
While memories may not fade away, the New York Dairy Queens did. Like many fast-food favorites, such as Hardee’s, Roy Rogers, and Howard Johnson’s, Dairy Queen became just a memory for New Yorkers as it closed most of its stores in the city. Carvel, Baskin-Robbins, and Friendly’s became the big-time ice cream joints that New Yorkers fled to in times of need for ice cream. Mr. Misty was long gone, replaced by the 7-Eleven Slurpee.
The Return Of Dairy Queen To New York
In the 2010s, New Yorkers began to see the return of Dairy Queen. In 2014, on Long Island, a new Dairy Queen opened in Massapequa. Stores would eventually open in East Northport, Huntington, Levittown, and Commack, New York. In recent years, many Dairy Queens have opened in upstate New York and even in New York City. Gone is the old Brazier name. The new Dairy Queens are labeled DQ Grill & Chill.
For those of us fifty and older, a trip to Dairy Queen is a return to the past. It may not be exactly the old Dairy Queen of the 1960s, but it’s like watching the new Netflix remake of Lost in Space. It’s not the same, but it still feels good.
Dairy Queen Commack, New York. Photo: Cole Kachejian 2018
Old Dairy Queen Logos And Buildings
By Ian Muttoo from Mississauga, Canada (Dairy Queen uploaded by Skeezix1000) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: By Michael Rivera [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: By Billy Hathorn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: “Minneapolis: Old Fashioned Dairy Queen in Como” by Richie Diesterheft is licensed under CC BY 2.0
More Bronx And New York Memory Stories
If you enjoy nostalgic stories about growing up in New York, take a look at our features on St. Brendan’s Catholic School in the 1960s and 1970s, experiencing an NFL Draft party with the New York Jets, Robert Moses and Long Island, and Grand Central Terminal.
Article updated June 27, 2026.
