Dairy Queen – Southport

If you are lucky enough to get a BOGO blizzard coupon, be sure you revert back to the 90’s and print that sucker before you drive over there to treat your wife to a late night blizzard. They wouldn’t accept the coupon on my phone, despite having a bar code AND a coupon number. Now instead of taking my $ 4 to make 2 blizzards that cost them like $ 0.20, they get nothing. Idiots.

Your basic teenage staff, no fluff here. Usually in and out pretty quickly. Ice cream is always good, the food not so much.

I’ve never ordered an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen but this past week I decided to give them a try with a cake for Mother’s Day after they sent me an email with a picture of a really nice cake just for Mother’s Day. I ordered it online on May 5^th and they are supposed to call you to get payment. After waiting two days and not getting a call I decided to drive to the store. Someone there, I think it was a shift Mgr, told me they didn’t have everything they needed to do all the designs on the cake but otherwise the decoration on top would look just like the picture and it would say Happy Mother’s Day. He did give me a 50% discount due to the problem with the decorating he couldn’t do. Needless to say, when I picked it up on Mother’s Day it did not look like the picture and it did not say Happy Mother’s Day; it said «Happi Flower SHop DP Paisley». THat apparently is the design name of the cake. No one even called me about that. I had not choice but to take it since I was having family over for Mother’s Day but this totally screwed up the MOther’s Day part of having the cake.
They apparently are not very good with following instructions or with contacting you if there is a problem so be careful if you are ordering an ice cream cake from this Dairy Queen.

First I’ll start off by saying I used to be an ast. manager at a dairy queen throughout college in IN, I loved it, I loved working there, making new confections, and overall enjoyed the business model of DQ. I now have since graduated college and have a profession in healthcare, which in fact is a lot like customer service, so I still feel like a lot of my professionalism and customer service skills that I have learned I got from working at DQ so I have a lot of respect for the company and I crave their products every couple months or so.
About a year and a half ago I went to this location for my normal blizzard (oreo with caramel), when I got home the blizzard was sour. From time to time in the winter months business is slower and the product isn’t being pushed through the tubes as much and it sits there and this can happen, and I know because like I said I used to work at a DQ. I called this location and the manager (who was the only one working because of the winter time) was very friendly and he went and tasted the soft serve and was like «oh my gosh you are right I am so sorry» blah blah blah, the point is he was very nice and took my name/​number/​order/​email and said «come in any time and we will replace the faulty product» and I went on my merry way because I felt the situation was handled well and once again as a previous manager these types of things happen and you have to deal with them accordingly.
Now today I stroll up to the cashier and she pushes the newest promotion trying to upsell a product, which I adorably smiled at because I remember those days of promotion promotion promotion! I explained to her my story and she was very lovely and went and retrieved the manager, I stepped aside and waited for about 1 minute. A lady comes up to the counter wearing the same color shirt as everyone else, has a name tag that read GERISE, and was staring into the line which had about 10 – 12 people in (this is summer and people want DQ’s products), she then turns her head towards me and half smiles at me. After about 10 seconds with no introduction on her end I ask «are you the manager?» to which she replies «yes». As someone who grew up working in customer service jobs (dairy queen, sandwich shops, server, bartender) this was the first red flag — poor eye contact, no introduction to someone who is clearly standing to the side, and no eagerness to help or solve a problem by asking «can I help you?» or «did you have a question for me?».
After I explained my story she said «this dairy queen location is under new management for about a year now and we have no record of what you are claiming, therefore I cannot give away free product to you sir». After about a minute of me re-​explaining what happened and how I used to be a manager and we kept records of faulty product in a book for years I asked if she could look in the back or call another manager to see if such a book exists to which she replied «you should have come back that day or within a couple weeks if you wanted to get your ice cream» 2^nd red flag. The conversation then turned sour as I was not a happy customer and asked for the general managers name to which she replied «give me your name and number and I will pass it along» I then asked for the owner’s name and phone number to which she completely ignored, I then asked about policy and for the manager’s name/​phone number again and she repeated her same statement about 3x (which was infuriating and demeaning). I was shocked that this was happening to me at this moment because of how I helped run another DQ location and never in my almost 4 years of working there did I ever see or hear of ANY DQ manager in the area treating a customer like that. As I was leaving with my heart racing I asked for her name and she turned around quickly and walked into the back area — luckily I had been staring at her name tag the whole time because after the first red flag I knew this was not going to end with me walking away with my favorite blizzard that I ordered almost 1.5 years ago and still have yet to get what I paid for and never received. Her name was GERISE and she was possibly one of the most unfriendly managers I have come across or heard of in the food service industry. I will not be going back to that location or any other Dairy Queen and that truly saddens me…

I’ve never had a bad experience at DQ… except for this one, in which I always have a bad experience. If only it was the manager that was rude and nasty, I’d be OK (white guy, balding super rude, customer is always wrong, hates his life probably, etc…) (African american manager with dreadlocks is possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met at a DQ try and go when she’s there!)
I order the same thing, every single time, I’m very predictable that way.
I’d say ½ the time the order is wrong (I order a blizzard with twist ice cream and I watch them either soft serve vanilla OR chocolate, very rarely twist).
When I do ask them to correct it, I not only get told that I ordered it wrong and that its my fault, but that they check their system to ‘Make sure’ I deserve a remake, my order is correct in their system… makes me scratch my head a bit…
If there is a DQ that is barely further away than this one — go there, unfortunately this one is walkable for me so I’m stuck with it… but when I go with a group we ALWAYS go out of our way to go to a different one, we don’t like the rude staff.

Blizzards are awesome! Staff is not friendly but I kind of understand because they have to deal with a million kids with ice cream dripping all over the floor. Food wise they only sell hot dogs… not cool! The chicken tender basket is the best! I don’t know why they don’t expand the menu a bit. The place is so popular and everyone would love it.

You are missing a great opportunity to increase sales while benefitting our nation’s health.
I am a practicing internist and have been advocating low carbohydrate life style for several years. You may or may not be aware that Sweden has recently changed their national dietary policy to low carb, high fat, and protein. Breyers has been marketing thei «Carb Smart» ice cream for some time and others are following. If you are wise you will do the same.
You might gather from the recent Time Magazine cover story and other articles that the word is finely getting out and will only gather empitus because that is where the best science is leading us.

Rude personnel and a FILTHY place. I have seen cleaner horse stables, felt like a needed a shower afterward

Dude, it’s Dairy Queen.
Obviously the ice cream is rad, and the cones as well as the toppings always make for a good treat. So a review on a Dairy Queen really comes down to the experience of coming in, as well as how you’re treated during your visit.
So the exterior is super cool, it looks like a Classic-​American diner, with pinstripe neon and a big «DQ» sign look’n straight from the 20’s. Kinda makes you feel better about going to a Dairy Queen in the first place…
There is small, but still appreciated, parking lot, and available temporary street parking.
The interior is pretty neat too, it’s full of old Chicago pictures, James Dean photos, and old news paper clippings on the wall. It makes for something to look at while you wait in line or for your ice cream to be made.
Staff was generally nice.
A good little visit! Look at you DQ.

They have the best formula I swear! The ice cream re-​frost itself after every lick. TRY IT! :D

I guess when you think about it, DQ should be good, because it’s a franchise. But in addition to the twisted soft serve deliciousness, there is always the element of service. You never want to get your swirl on with a side order of attitude. That is not the case here.
We stopped in randomly last Friday and had our two dogs with us. So I ordered a sundae for me and two small bowls of vanilla for them. When I said I only needed one spoon, the guy behind the counter asked if the ice cream was for my dogs. When I said yes he offered to toss out the ones I had and give me a serving in a larger bowl. I thought that was very cool.
And while I declined the offer this time, I will definitely remember that for next time. We will be back as it’s always service that keeps you coming back.

Seriously, I can’t believe I am writing a review on a fast food venue but all I have to say is that this place is the
!
You can’t go wrong with a DQ Blizzard or their chicken fingers meal. These remind me of my childhood.
PS. Random but I was just at a trivia night and learned that Dairy Queen Branding mascot was the cartoon character Dennis the Menace for over 20 years!

Okay, so I believe that this is one of the only Dairy Queen stores left in Chicago. Having said that I was disappointed that they only offer the ice cream side of dairy queen. Friendly staff it was also nice to take advantage of the promotion they had going on buy 1 and get one for $ 0.99. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to find a reasonable sweet treat. Great outdoor patio!

**HEALTH/​SANITATION ATTENTION:
So I dont Unilocal,I dont write reviews, its just not my thing. But I have to share this experience. I have been going to this DQ for YEARS. When I was younger my family would meet here after school every friday for blizzards. This place was part of my late childhood years. I have never had a bad experience other than for lack of a better phrase cashiers that were just «over it» on the register. Normal, expected, with the amount of kids running in and out of there, id be over it by the end of the day as well.
So on to my last expierence. Wednesday August 21^st at 8pm, my company was having a work meeting (we work down southport) and every meeting we tend too do an order of food or drinks for the meeting from a local business. This time the manager decided ice cream. So the manager of my company with some help walked over and ordered i believe about 18 mini blizzards. Understanding that was a little time consuming, she offered that if the request was too big for the time, she would go else where, and next time call in an order in advance. Not being busy, the reluctant manager with a snakry attitude shouted across the room «YEAH WE’LL DO IT BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED IT IN». My manager, being in the service industry, felt pretty bad and was made felt like an inconvenience. So the blizzards were made, and then carried them back to the meeting. Realizing they were over charged for a few blizzards unknowingly, she looked passed it for the sake of hassle.
So everyone at the meeting has their blizzard, and there are a few, maybe 4 – 5 extras that we threw in the freezer. Untouched, unopened, and still in the cup tray. The next afternoon I decide I would like to polish off an oreo mini blizzard, so i go to the freezer and grab one from the tray, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to defrost it, and i take it out. Sit down, and start to mix around this blizzard. And what i found at the BOTTOM of the untouched ice cream was a CIGARETTE BUTT. BURNT. SMOKED. IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CUP. There is no possible way that any of us accidently dropped it in there. The people carrying the blizzards would have no way of even holding a cigarette while holding 18 blizzards. And for it to be at the very bottom of the cup, this was intentional. I called the DQ immediately to speak with the manager only for him to tell me that they didnt do anything wrong and it just «wasnt possible» and that he would replace the tampered blizzard. I called corporate and filed a complaint. I dont want anything in return for this blizzard, but I want punishment upon those making them. If i were to have given that ice cream to a kid or something (which we do hand out popsicles), I would be taking this way further. Currently awaiting a response from corporate.
Never going there again. Thanks for reading. Please be careful.

This place is always a zoo. I love DQ ice cream especially blizzards (YUM!!). I live close but on warm/​hot days, the line is out the door which is a little annoying. The staff is always nice and once you order your ice cream/​food, it doesn’t take that long. There is not a ton of seating inside the restaurant.

I don’t have much to say about the food because it’s just standard Dairy Queen but service really makes a difference when there are multiple places in walking distance to get a sweet treat.
After placing an order for the new item «blizzard waffle cone,» I was told there were no cones (really? No cones at the start of summer during a Cubs game?) so I asked the cashier to use a waffle bowl instead. Shortly after that the manager began to berate the cashier in front of many customers for «making something not on the menu.» When we confronted him about his behavior he snarkily told us to «call corporate then!» We did :)
People who go to Dairy Queen want you to shut up, smile and give them ice cream. The end.
***Looks like the review right below me had the same issue! Maybe you can’t substitute items, that’s fine, but maybe you shouldn’t be jerks about it.

So my gf LOVES Dairy Queen. LOVES IT. When we get a blizzard, she likes to get the chocolate extreme blizzard, but instead of brownie bits, she asks for them to use pieces of M&Ms. No biggie. We’ve been to lots of DQs across a few states, and they always go «Sure, no prob, whatevs.» Without fail. Then we roll on up to this one and ask for the same. The guy behind the counter looks real exasperated for a moment, then says he can do it. After ringing us up, the guy continues to say that «He’s doing us a favor» by letting this slide because she should charge us for a second blizzard in order to make this work and that «a chocolate extreme blizzard is a chocolate extreme blizzard. Nothing else.» and that «This won’t happen again.»
Really?
Okay guy, sorry, I mean Lord of All Blizzards. Calm down. I’ve worked at a DQ before. Nobody gives a shit about the extras in a blizzard. Nobody. But staff aside from him is usually nice.

i love Blizzards but this location has let me down twice this season. They’ve been out of pretty much ever topping both times I’ve been there. Someone needs to start paying attention to detail and ordering properly.
I’ll always love some DQ Soft Serve but probably will not come here anytime soon.

The service here is fantastic. The people were so friendly and sweet, and the poor girl said it was her first day on a day that the line was still out the door 10 minutes away from close.
I understand that the weather has been unseasonably warm in Chicago this year, and I know that March is the month of buy one get one for $ 0.99 blizzards, and we came at the end of the day… but how can you be out of your featured blizzards ingredients? ALL my roommate and I were looking forward to that entire day was a mint Oreo blizzard and a Reeses blizzard, both of which we were unable to order.
I settled with a turtle blizzard, which turned out to not at all be like what I wanted it to be. Very disappointing. I can’t be too mad though, because the workers kept their heads up, worked HARD to get treats to guests ASAP, and did it all with a smile and a fantastic attitude.

History of the Blizzard – 1985
«I put Oreos in ice cream and it ain’t half bad?» High school employee
«But that’s crazy… you can’t do that. It doesn’t even have a name!» Franchise owner
«We will call it a Blizzard…» HS kid
«Ok I’ll bring that up at the next meeting with corporate and make sure I get the credit and retire twenty years early, and you can have a nickel an hour raise…» Franchise owner
…the rest is history except now they put more crap in blizzards. i like this location despite hating mass produced fast food joints