What You Can Expect From A Dairy Queen Treat Center

While fast food chains are often known for their uniform, one-size-fits-all locations nationwide, many also operate specialty concepts that quietly break from the standard formula. One of the most noteworthy examples of this is Taco Bell Cantina — which is heralded as one of the chain's best ideas in decades. Dairy Queen takes a different but related approach with its "treat centers," which hone in on what the ice cream giant does best. DQ Treat Centers focus solely on the sweet menu items, while other locations serve hot food like burgers and fries.

That's right, while many expect all Dairy Queens to offer a menu full of fast food staples, fried or grilled options are only available at those classified as Dairy Queen Grill & Chill establishments. DQ Treat Centers serve the company's signature soft serve ice cream and frozen drinks, including shakes and Orange Julius. Some small food items — like hot dogs that don't require a grill or frying equipment — might be available at these treat centers, however.

DQ has more than 4,100 locations across the United States — over 7,700 worldwide. Yet there are just 727 treat centers in operation. Most of these treat locations are found within malls, amusement parks, or small shopping centers, where space may prohibit large, commercial kitchen grills. 

Locations that have smaller, more focused menus can be a pretty strong business model. Providing a skeleton menu of only your most popular items can lower expenses and promote better branding. While treat centers may see fewer sales during autumn and winter months when the demand for soft serve ice cream is down, the smaller spaces they require can lower expenses for franchisees. DQ Treat Centers typically require less of a startup investment as well.

Nevertheless, there is one massive challenge that is unique to Dairy Queen Treat Centers that is hard to get around — frequent complaints by customers and staff due to constant misunderstandings about what's actually available on the menu. Because not all locations are labeled as treat centers in person, consumers looking to get cheeseburgers, chicken strips, chili dogs, and one of the chain's many Blizzard variations all at one spot may find themselves frustrated and out of luck. This miscommunication has been discussed by many workers at DQ Treat Center locations on Reddit, who say they are asked to make items they don't sell. "Most of the time, those people leave," one Dairy Queen worker explained. "I don't think anyone's ever really gotten mad about it, surprisingly."