The Largest Dairy Queen In The US Is In This Midwest City

I'm from Texas, and if you asked me where the biggest Dairy Queen is, I'd have guessed it would be located off of a massive, 13-lane Houston highway or perhaps in the world's largest Buc-ee's convenience store in Luling, Texas. "DQ! That's what I like about Texas," the twangy country singer croons over a fiddle tune in the well-known advertisement for the chain (via YouTube). It turns out Texans, like myself, have been duped by clever marketing.

Dairy Queen was actually founded in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940, and as much as it pains my achy-breaky heart to say it, the largest DQ in the United States is far from Texas, in Bloomington, Illinois. It looks like a copy-paste of any generic Dairy Queen locale, with updated "Grill & Chill" signage, ample parking, and the soothing soundtrack of cars passing by on North Veterans Parkway.

The building does not appear to be particularly large, and the inside looks only slightly more spacious than a generic fast food restaurant dining room, though it does have a fireplace. The building's footprint totals 5,000 square feet, while a typical 46-seat franchised DQ restaurant is just over 2,200 square feet. To put that in perspective, the largest restaurant in Texas is 30,000 square feet and comfortably seats 2,500; the biggest McDonald's, located in Orlando, Florida, is 19,000 square feet; and the world's largest Chick-fil-A has five levels and a rooftop terrace with a view of the New York City skyline. Alas, Bloomington is simply known for being the sister city of Normal, Illinois, the birthplace of Beer Nuts, and for housing a Dairy Queen that can seat 140 guests.

As far as the Bloomington Dairy Queen menu goes, it has all the standard DQ offerings like Dipped Cones, Snickers Blizzards, Dilly Bars, and baskets of chicken strips complete with fries, Texas toast, and country gravy. You cannot sample any of the (apparently) Texas-specific heavy hitters, like the Dude (a savory, meaty chicken-fried steak sandwich), a Hungr-Bustr burger, or the steak finger basket.

There's not much else exciting about this Dairy Queen location, though it's still worth a trip if you're in the area and looking for dependable fast food or are a die-hard DQ fan. "It's worth it just for the novelty factor. And since it's a showpiece, the service and cleanliness is better than average," shared a reviewer on Tripadvisor. Here's what an even more enthusiastic patron commented: "The kids and I just love this DQ! The pictures inside are from the olden days and are really neat. Excellent food, great deals, very nice employees ... even the manager gets in there and helps out! Big, cozy booths, clean, modern bathroom, and clean restaurant. We really love this one!"