Dairy Queen Restaurant Experiment Grows
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that International Dairy Queen Inc. plans to bring its new DQ Grill & Chill to that city next year.
DQ’s casual concept restaurants currently are being tested at two locations that opened this winter in Chattanooga, Tenn. Other existing Dairy Queens in Chattanooga may be converted to Grill & Chill locations in the coming months.
The next units will open in Texas and Illinois later this year, and phase three of the rollout, if all goes according to plan, will include Atlanta and six other cities next year.
The concept, which has cost about $1.5 million so far, is aimed at families with children and adults who prefer fast casual dining to more traditional fast-food restaurants.
Moderator Comment: Will the growth of fast casual
dining result in fewer fast food operations?
Having not seen one yet, we can’t comment on the DQ Grill
& Chills. They sound suspiciously like Friendly’s, however. If so, let’s hope
they don’t take that chain’s place as the slowest fast food on earth. Fast casual
dining needs to be both fast and casual to work. [George
Anderson – Moderator]