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Owner breaks ground on Austintown Dairy Queen
By Elise Franco
Austintown
The township’s new Dairy Queen store will have neighborhood appeal, said owner Raymond Smith.
Smith and his wife, Christine, who also own the Dairy Queen in Cornersburg, broke ground Monday on their next sweet-treat venture.
The 3,000-square-foot store will be located at Norquest Boulevard and state Route 46, which Smith said is a much more accessible spot than its previous home in a plaza off Route 46.
“Because of their location in the plaza, it was kind of hidden,” he said. “That’s one reason we moved it down. We wanted it to be closer to some rooftops and become a neighborhood-type Dairy Queen.”
Smith said expanding his business to the township was an easy decision.
“The township has been very good to work with and really accommodating,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being in the Austintown community.”
Trustee Lisa Oles was also on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony. She said the Dairy Queen should do well in its new location. Construction should take 12 to 14 weeks.
“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “It cleaned up that corner and hopefully will help generate more business.”
Smith said the $1.3 million project will be a dual operation — Dairy Queen and Orange Julius.
“Dairy Queen owns Orange Julius, and they want to promote that franchise,” Smith said. “Across the country, the smoothie business is picking up.”
Smith said the Austintown location will be the second in the area to attach the Orange Julius franchise. This first was the Dairy Queen in Girard, which opened in March. The Eastwood Mall in Niles also has been the longtime home of a stand-alone Orange Julius.
Selling the Orange Julius smoothie isn’t the only menu change Smith said he’ll make. He said the new store will do away with hot foods such as burgers, fries and chicken.
“It’s just not as profitable to sell those items,” he said. “I know other stores around here that do the food, and they struggle. It’s a profit-driven decision.”
The store will sell all the classic ice-cream treats, cakes and will continue to sell hot dogs.
Customer can expect less congestion in the drive-thru, as Smith said they plan to install double drive-thru lanes. He said about 65 percent of customers use the drive-thru window.